Getting Below the Surface: Women Blue Economy Wave Makers Who Go Deep | American Blue Economy Podcast

August 16, 2022

Be sure to pack your dry suit.

In this month's episode of The American Blue Economy Podcast, our host Rear Admiral Tim Gallaudet leads part 3 in a 3-part subseries on leading women wavemakers in the American Blue Economy. Borrowing from the name of the Wavemakers podcast on ASPN hosted by Tamara Kahn, he highlights 3 women who are making waves under the water to advance our ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes economies. First up is Mehgan Heaney-Grier, a champion freediver, ocean explorer, educator, and conservationist.  Next, he is joined by Kirstin Meyer-Kaiser, Assistant Scientist in the Biology Department at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, and technical and scientific diver extraordinaire. Also joining is Stephanie Gandulla, Resource Protection Coordinator & Maritime Archaeologist at NOAA’s Thunder BayNational Marine Sanctuary. professional dive instructor, and small business owner. Be prepared to dive in and go deep!

Show Transcription
This transcription was generated by a computer. Please excuse any errors.
Adm. Tim Gallaudet

Rear Admiral Gallaudet, PhD, USN (ret) is the CEO of Ocean STL Consulting. From 2017-2021, he served as the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere / Deputy NOAA Administrator, and from 2017-2019 he also served as the Acting Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere / NOAA Administrator. As Acting Administrator, he led the agency comprised of 20,000 federal employees and contractors managing the nation’s fisheries, coastal resources and waterways, weather satellites, weather services, and environmental research, overseeing a $6B annual budget and daily operations of 18 environmental satellites, 16 oceanographic ships, 9 aircraft, 450 boats, and 400 technical divers, 6 supercomputers, over a dozen laboratories, and several hundred field sites across the country. As the Deputy Administrator, he led NOAA’s Blue Economy activities that advance marine transportation, sustainable seafood, ocean exploration and mapping, marine tourism and recreation, and coastal resilience. Prior to NOAA, Rear Admiral Gallaudet served for 32 years in the US Navy, completing his career as the Oceanographer of the Navy. He has a Bachelor’s degree from the US Naval Academy, and Master’s and Doctoral degrees from Scripps Institution of Oceanography, all in oceanography.