Navigating the Future: Paul Scholz on NOAA's New Strategic Vision | Capitol Beach

December 6, 2023

Get the latest on the NOS Strategic Plan

On The Capitol Beach, host Derek Brockbank, speaks with NOAA Deputy Assistant Administrator for the National Ocean Service (NOS), Paul Scholz, about the recently released NOS strategic plan. Paul has worked within multiple parts of NOAA, implementing programs and advancing NOAA’s operations, for nearly 30 years. He shares his excitement for where NOAA is heading and the current opportunities to improve NOAA’s service delivery to be more equitable, even as some of the coastal and ocean challenges get more dire with sea level rise and other climate impacts. Paul outlines what’s included in the NOS strategic plan and talks about how it provides guidelines for NOS to work with partners, increase coastal resilience in the U.S.; accelerate growth of the ocean enterprise and the blue economy; conserve, restore, and connect healthy coastal and marine ecosystems; all while making equity central to the NOS mission.

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Derek Brockbank

Derek Brockbank is Executive Director of Coastal States Organization (CSO), which represents the nation’s Coastal States, Territories, and Commonwealths on ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes issues. With two decades of experience in Washington DC on coastal adaptation policy and organizational development, Derek is connecting state coastal management programs with federal agencies and resources in order to address the greatest coastal challenges facing society. He previously served as executive director for the American Shore & Beach Preservation Association (ASBPA) where he led the strategic planning and outreach, government affairs, and development goals of the nation’s leading organization advocating for beach and coastal restoration. Prior to starting with ASBPA, Derek worked as campaign director for a coalition effort to restore the Mississippi River Delta and Coastal Louisiana, and was part of a gulf-wide campaign to pass the RESTORE Act, securing billions of dollars for Gulf Coast restoration. This followed up on his work with National Wildlife Federation on climate adaption. Derek grew up in New York City and got his coastal education from an early age playing on the beaches of Long Island, and kayaking and fishing in Peconic Bay.