Sailing, Flying, Diving: NOAA Corps' Mighty Fleet and Their Role in Blue Economy | American Blue Economy Podcast

August 15, 2023

NOAA Corps: Blue Economy's Unsung Heroes

On the July episode of the American Blue Economy Podcast, our host Rear Admiral, Tim Gallaudet, PhD, US Navy (ret) shines a spotlight on the NOAA  Corps of Commissioned Officers and their many blue economy contributions. Joining him is a stellar lineup of current and former members of the NOAA Corps, including retired NOAA Corps Commander G. Mark Miller, CEO and Founder of Greenwater MarineSciences Offshore Inc in Alexandria VA, Captain (select) Rebecca Waddington, a certified NOAA pilot and currently the Executive Director to the Deputy Under Secretary for Operations of NOAA at the NOAA HQ building in Silver Spring MD, and Lieutenant Commander (select) Dustin Picard, Chief of the NOAA Corps Recruiting Branch, also in Silver Spring. They describe how this unique uniformed service runs the NOAA Fleet of ships, prop and jet aircraft, boats, dive boats, aerial, underwater, and surface drones, and remotely operated vehicles that are essential for NOAA's science, service, and stewardship mission. Be ready to get underway, aloft, and underwater on one of the most adventurous episodes of our series!

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.