Corals Day Speaer BiographiesNeil Abercrombie is a ranking member of the House Committee of Resources and its Subcommittee on Fisheries Conservation, Wildlife and Oceans. His work on the Subcommittee includes guiding policies on fisheries management and research, protection of marine and coastal environments, and of marine sanctuaries. He has been a proponent in Congress in protecting the environment and the habitats of marine species. Abercrombie has opposed any weakening of the Endangered Species Act and was among the first who proposed the creation of the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary.
Tom Allen is Co-chair of the bipartisan Congressional House Oceans Caucus, concerned with ocean security, governance, biology and pollution. He is also a Democratic Whip at Large. During his first three terms, Allen has become known for his efforts to clean up pollution from aging power plants, among other environmental goals.
Barbara Best advises the U.S. Agency for International Development on coastal resource use and policy issues. Trained as a marine ecologist and physiologist, she focuses on the design and implementation of environmentally sustainable coastal and coral reef programs, from integrated coastal management to marine protected areas. Best has an extensive research background in marine ecology, with a BA from The Johns Hopkins University and a MS from the University of Florida, and received her Ph.D. at Duke University in Marine Ecology and Biomechanics.
Samuel W. Bodman is the Deputy Secretary of the Department of Commerce. An engineer by training, Bodman is well qualified for his specific oversight focus on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. He completed his ScD at M.I.T. Bodman also has a long record of public service. He has served as a Trustee on Boards for the New England Aquarium as well as the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, and he’s the former Director of M.I.T.’s School of Engineering Practice and a formed member of the M.I.T. Commission on Education..
Jim Bohnsack is a Research Fishery Biologist and leads the Biodiversity Investigations Unit for the Southeast Fisheries Science Center (NOAA Fisheries) in Miami. He is also an Adjunct Professor at the Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, University of Miami. His research focus is on coral reefs and the application of no-take marine reserves. Bohnsack has participated in the successful establishment of marine reserves in the Florida Keys, Dry Tortugas, U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Hawaii, and Glacier Bay, Alaska.
Robert Buddemeier is a Senior Scientist in Geohydrology with the Kansas Geological Survey. His current research includes system-level responses to environmental change, characterization of environments and environmental transitions at various temporal and spatial scales, and
sustainability and resource use. Buddemeier is a Focus Leader and Scientific Steering Committee member of the Land-Ocean Interactions in the Coastal Zone (LOICZ) Core Project of the International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme. He also served as Co-investigator for
"Biogeography of the Hexacorallia", a component of the Ocean Biogeographic Information System (OBIS), funded by the National Science Foundation.Lauretta Burke is a Senior Associate in the Information Program of the World Resources Institute (WRI). Trained as an Environmental Policy Analyst and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Specialist, she focuses on creating better information tools to support environmentally sustainable development. Prior to joining WRI, Burke implemented a GIS in Guyana to support urban infrastructure rehabilitation planning. Her current goal is to raise awareness about human pressure on coral reefs, and to provide resource managers with specific information and tools to manage coastal habitats more effectively.
Lois Capps is a champion in Congress for the National Sanctuary Marine Program and coastal protection laws. Capps serves on the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, and the Subcommittee on Environment and Hazardous Materials. Her Central California coast district encompasses most of Santa Barbara County and all of San Luis Obispo County, including the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary. Since entering Congress in 1998, Capps has been promoting the National Marine Sanctuary Program and to ensure it continues to thrive and expand through awareness and education.
Jean-Michel Cousteau is President of the Ocean Futures Society, a nonprofit marine conservation and education organization he created to carry on the family vision started by his father, Jacques Cousteau. He made history in February by becoming the first person ever to represent the environment during opening ceremonies for the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah. Cousteau has been an explorer, environmentalist, educator and film producer for more than four decades, using his singular experiences to educate people around the world about the oceans. He also serves on the Board of Trustees for the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation.
Gerry Davis is Chief of the Guam Division of Aquatic and Wildlife Resources and is responsible for all aspects of natural resources management in Guam. He oversees up to 55 staff, in addition to the fisheries, wildlife, administrative and law enforcement sections. Davis has more than 20 years experience working in Guam on coral reef fishery management and protection issues and has established five no-take marine preserves there. In 1999, he was designated by the Governor as Guam’s U.S. Coral Reef Initiative Point of Contact.
Peter Deutsch has built a strong advocacy record in protecting the environment for over 19 years in Congress. This South Florida Representative serves on the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, whose jurisdiction encompasses the nation’s environmental policies and laws, and is a member of numerous caucuses, including Coastal Caucus and the Democratic Environmental Task Force. Deutsch has worked toward protecting the marine habitat around the Florida Keys, including a legislative push of $213 million in funding for the Florida Keys Water Quality Improvement Act.
Sam Farr is co-Chair of the House Oceans Caucus, which strives to improve oceans-related policy making in the House of Representatives. As a fifth-generation Californian, his Central Coast district includes the Big Sur coastline and the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Farr is the author of the 2000 Oceans Act, which created an independent commission to analyze the nation’s marine resources and requirements. He has long been a leader in finding ways to sustain and protect our oceans, and to explore the ocean’s frontiers.
Wayne Gilchrest is Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Fisheries Conservation, Wildlife and Oceans. One of his goals has been to protect and preserve the delicate environment of the Chesapeake Bay region. Gilchrest has an ambitious agenda as chairman, which includes focused attention on the maintenance problems plaguing our wildlife refuges.
Jim Greenwood is Founder and Co-chair of the House Oceans Caucus and also serves on the Congressional Coastal Caucus. Greenwood has been a longtime advocate of the environment. He currently serves as the President of Global Legislators Organization for a Balanced Environment International, which promotes balanced and informed policy decisions to solve the world’s pressing environmental concerns.
Robert B. Halley is a Research Geologist with the U.S. Geological Survey at the Coastal Marine Science Center in St. Petersburg, Florida, and has studied coral reefs for more than 30 years. His most recent research has centered on the role of carbonate sediments in ecosystem preservation, coastal management, and sea level and climate change. Halley’s work has appeared in more than 75 publications and includes studies of modern reefs and coastal sediments in tropical regions, the growth history of reefs, coastal water quality, coastal resources, and coral reef health.
Lara Hansen is a Senior Scientist with World Wildlife Fund, leading their Climate Change Impacts and Adaptations Program. For her post-doctoral research, Hansen was part of the U.S. E.P.A./University of California joint project on the Impacts of Climate Change on Coral Reefs in the Florida Keys and has also examined the comparative sensitivities of corals from diverse geographic locations, including the Caribbean, Florida and Hawaii. She was named as a Switzer Environmental Fellow for her work on the biological effects of stresses combined with UV-B radiation.
Janice D. Hodge assumed the Directorship of the Virgin Islands Coastal Zone Management Program (VICZMP) in 1999, and in that same year the Governor of the Virgin Islands designated her as the Virgin Islands Point of Contact to the United States Coral Reef Task Force. Because of Hodge’s initiative, the Territory received federal funding to implement a standardized coral reef monitoring program and to develop a Territorial marine park system. She is currently leading the charge for the public acquisition of an ecologically valuable and traditionally significant beach on St. Thomas.
Anthony Louis Iarocci is a member of the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council and a commercial fisherman. His intimate knowledge of our coastal environment is based on nearly three decades of professional experience and conservation efforts. One of Iarocci’s chief goals is to establish marine reserves to accomplish the mandate of the Federal Advisory Committee on Marine Protected Areas and to ensure the long-term sustainability of our marine resources. He has served as a member of both the National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council and the Tortugas 2000 Working Group, among others.
Richard Kenchington is Chair of the Board of the International Coral Reef Action Network and Visiting Professor at the Marine Policy Center, University of Wollongong. He was closely involved in the establishment of the International Coral Reef Initiative and a staff member of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority from 1977-1999. In 2001, Kenchington was awarded the degree of Doctor of Science in recognition of his work on coral reef and marine resource management. In 2002, he was selected to provide an expert briefing on marine policy issues at the United Nations Informal Consultative Process on Oceans.
John W. McManus is the Director of the National Center for Caribbean Coral Reef Research (NCORE) and a Professor of Marine Biology and Fisheries at the University of Miami. He is involved in organizing interdisciplinary research crucial to coral reef monitoring and management. He has played key roles in the development of several global initiatives including Reef Base and the International Coral Reef Action Network (ICRAN). His research includes developing decision support systems involving agent-based simulation models of coral reefs and associated social and economic systems.
John C. Ogden has been Director of the Florida Institute of Oceanography and Professor of Biology at the University of South Florida since 1988. The F.I.O. administers inter-institutional programs in education and research as well as a network of 25 Caribbean marine laboratories in 16 countries. Ogden has published over 70 scientific papers, contributed to several books, and produced several television films on tropical ecosystems. He was a member of the founding Advisory Council of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary and presently serves on the Boards of the World Wildlife Fund, The Ocean Conservancy, and the Florida Ocean Alliance.
John Olver has been on the forefront of the nation’s environmental issues. This Massachusetts Congressman is a member of the powerful House Appropriations Committee and of the Climate Control Caucus. He has been a long-time advocate on legislation monitoring and regulating greenhouse gas emissions, and ensuring seafood safety. Olver is also a member of Global Legislators for a Balanced Environment (GLOBE).
Michael K. Orbach is Professor of Marine Affairs and Policy and Director of Duke University’s Marine Laboratory and Coastal Environmental Management Program. He has performed research and been involved in coastal and marine policy on all coasts of the U.S., as well as in Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, Alaska, and the Pacific. Orbach has published widely on social science and policy in coastal and marine environments. He serves on the National Board of Directors of the Surfrider Foundation and the Science Advisory Committee for the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy.
John Pandolfi is a Research Paleobiologist for the Smithsonian Institution’s Museum of Natural History. He’s trained in marine ecology as well as paleobiology and is focusing his research on the recent past history of coral reef systems. Pandolfi’s goal is to provide resource managers with a deep time frame with which to evaluate changes on coral reefs. Prior to joining the Smithsonian, Pandolfi completed projects on, among other things, the biogeography of Indo-Pacific reef corals and the ecological stability of coral reefs during the past 125,000 years in both Indo-Pacific and Caribbean corals.
Jim Ray is the Manager of Environmental Ecology and Response for Shell Global Solutions (US) Inc. He received his Ph.D. in Biological Oceanography from Texas A&M University in 1974, having conducted his graduate research on the Flower Garden Banks. Ray joined Shell Oil Company in that same year and has spent the past 28 years working on environmental issues for the offshore oil and gas industry. He is well recognized as an expert on a broad range of issues dealing with the fate and effects of contaminants in the marine environment.
Bob Richmond is Professor of Marine Biology at the University of Guam Marine Laboratory, where he has served on the faculty since 1986, and as Director from 1988 - 1991. He is the Scientific Advisor to the All-Islands Group of the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force and a Council Member for the International Society for Reef Studies. Richmond received two postdoctoral fellowships from the Smithsonian Institution and the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama. He has spent most of his professional career studying coral reef ecosystems in both the Caribbean and the Pacific.
David P. Smith is the Deputy Assistant Secretary and Counselor to the Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Fish and Wildlife and Parks. He assists in management oversight and policy formulation. Smith has earned a national reputation as a problem-solver in conservation and parks management. He once served under then-Texas Governor George W. Bush as an advisor on policy issues in the areas of natural resources, conservation, and water and river authorities. Before joining the government, he had a private practice in Austin, TX, where he focused on environmental and land-use regulatory issues and laws.
John Turner is Assistant Secretary of State for Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs. In this capacity, he heads U.S. Department of State programs and activities concerning HIV/AIDS and other infectious diseases, the environment, climate change, oceans affairs, and science and technology. Prior to his appointment as Assistant Secretary, Turner was President and Chief Executive Officer of The Conservation Fund, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to public-private partnerships to protect land and water resources.
Curt Weldon is one of the predominant Congressional leaders for the protection of our oceans. As a member of the House Science Committee, his “Oceans Agenda” legislation became law in 1995, which increased funding for oceanographic research projects. This Pennsylvania Congressman is the only House Republican on the Migratory Bird Conservation Commission, which approves funding for wildlife refuges and wetlands preservation. Weldon is also a member of Global Legislators for a Balanced Environment (GLOBE), where he serves as Chairman of the Oceans Protection Task Force, and serves as United States Vice-President on the Advisory Committee on the Protection of the Seas (ACOPS).