Michael Messmer - Oceana USA

Michael Messmer

Senior Federal Policy Manager

Oceana Staff

Michael Messmer is an ocean advocate at Oceana, leading its federal advocacy with Congress and the executive branch in the campaign to stop offshore drilling.

For 11 years, Mike was a lobbyist with Gephardt Government Affairs (GGA), where he advocated across a wide spectrum of issues—from increasing funding for global health initiatives to protecting highly skilled manufacturing jobs in the United States. In addition to direct advocacy, he participated in client-directed grassroots campaigns.

Prior to GGA, Mike was Assistant Director of the Congress and U.S. Foreign Policy Program at the Council on Foreign Relations, where he oversaw the development and implementation of nonpartisan initiatives designed to create a higher degree of collaboration between the foreign policy and congressional communities. He began his career as a member of then-House Democratic Leader Dick Gephardt’s staff, ending his first stint with Gephardt as a member of the foreign and defense policy team.

A native of St. Louis, Mike developed a love for the sea and ocean species over annual family vacations on Florida’s Atlantic coast. He earned his bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the Catholic University of America, and his master’s degree in Regional and Urban Planning Studies from the London School of Economics.

E-mail: mmessmer@oceana.org