Oceana Hails Obama’s Selection of Dr. Jane Lubchenco to Lead National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration - Oceana USA

Oceana Hails Obama’s Selection of Dr. Jane Lubchenco to Lead National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Press Release Date: November 19, 2008

Location: Washington, D.C.

Contact:

Dustin Cranor, APR | email: dcranor@oceana.org | tel: 954.348.1314

 

Oceana applauds president-elect Barack Obama’s selection of Dr. Jane Lubchenco as administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Lubchenco, a professor of marine biology and zoology at Oregon State University, is someone “who will put the oceans first,” said Dr. Michael Hirshfield, senior vice president for North America and chief scientist at Oceana. “Oceana can’t think of anyone who fits the description better than Jane.”

“The oceans desperately need a strong leader who will protect their long term vitality,” said Andrew Sharpless, CEO of Oceana. “We’re confident that Dr. Lubchenco knows the urgency of the task and we congratulate her on this appointment. Time is short and she’s ready to start restoring ocean abundance on day one. We and all the fish in the sea are cheering her selection.”

Lubchenco is one of the nation’s top marine scientists. She is a member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences and former president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. She is also a MacArthur “genius” fellow and Pew fellow in Marine Conservation. Lubchenco was a presidential appointee for two terms on the National Science Board and has been a member of the Communication Partnership for Science and the Sea, the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment and the Pew Oceans Council.

Lubchenco earned her Ph.D. in marine ecology at Harvard and has been on the faculty of Oregon State since 1979, where she works as the Wayne and Gladys Valley professor of marine biology and distinguished professor of zoology.

Contact: Dustin L. Cranor, 202.467.1917, 202.341.2267 (cell) or dcranor@oceana.org