The Department of Commerce’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) will host a national stakeholder forum on April 16 in Washington, D.C., to identify ways to improve agency programs and make them more effective and responsive. Forum input will shape the upcoming strategic plan for 2004.

The interactive forum, entitled “Moving NOAA into the 21st Century,” will be hosted by Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere and NOAA Administrator, retired Navy Vice Adm. Conrad C. Lautenbacher, Ph.D., and NOAA Deputy Under Secretary John J. Kelly, Jr., Brigadier General, USAF (Ret.). The forum will consist of facilitated breakout sessions organized around NOAA’s four mission goals and several cross-cutting themes.

“Strategic planning at NOAA is a progressively fluid process that allows those who benefit from our programs to actually have a hand in shaping and improving our products and services,” said Lautenbacher. “The valuable input from our stakeholders, employees, and partners helps us in identifying goals and objectives that address important issues that fulfill NOAA’s vision and mission.”

The breakout sessions will be conducted by members of NOAA leadership. The morning sessions will cover NOAA’s mission goals and include; ecosystems led by Michael P. Sissenwine; climate led by Chester J. Koblinsky; weather and water led by Frank P. Kelly and commerce and transportation led by Charles Challstrom. The afternoon sessions will address NOAA cross cutting themes - integrated observation and data management led by Gregory W. Withee and Richard W. Spinrad; environmental literacy, outreach and education led by Marlene A. Kaplan and research led by Richard D. Rosen.

Specifically, NOAA is seeking input on identifying issues of national and regional importance and strategies to address them. To assist in organizing these breakout sessions, participants are being asked to register early at, http://www.spo.noaa.gov/; or by fax at (301) 713-0585.

Results from the Washington, D.C., meeting will be posted on this Web site, and constituents can make comments after the meeting directly via the Internet. Results from this and other constituent meetings will be used in NOAA’s future planning and priority-setting. If you have administrative questions about the Washington meeting, please call NOAA’s Strategic Planning Office at (301) 713-3318, Ext. 179, and ask for Nicky McClurkin.

NOAA is dedicated to enhancing economic security and national safety through the prediction and research of weather and climate-related events and to providing environmental stewardship of our Nation’s coastal and marine resources. To learn more about NOAA, please visit http://www.noaa.gov.