Three New Members Added to Hydrographic Advisory Panel
They and two reappointed members joined the panel's 10 current members in February, according to the NOAA announcement, which said the panel still is seeking five new members for a four-year term that starts Jan. 1, 2019, and runs through 2022.
NOAA announced March 7 that its acting administrator, retired Navy Rear Adm. Tim Gallaudet, Ph.D., has appointed three new members to the Hydrographic Services Review Panel, a federal advisory committee that gives NOAA independent advice for improving services and products that support safe navigation and coastal resilience. The new members of the panel are:
- Sean M. Duffy Sr., executive director of the Big River Coalition, New Orleans, La.
- Retired USCG Capt. Ed Page, executive director of the Marine Exchange of Alaska, Juneau, Alaska
- Julie Thomas, senior advisor, Southern California, Coastal Ocean Observing System, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, La Jolla, Calif.
These two members of the panel have been reappointed:
- Ed Kelly, executive director of the Maritime Association of the Port of New York/New Jersey, New York, N.Y.
- Capt. Sal Rassello, director, nautical operations, Carnival Cruise Lines, Miami, Fla.
They joined the panel's 10 current members in February, according to the NOAA announcement, which said the panel still is seeking five new members for a four-year term that starts Jan. 1, 2019, and runs through 2022.
"Improving and maturing the next generation of navigation products and services for increased safety and efficiency of marine transportation is crucial to keep commerce flowing through our nation's ports and waterways," said Rear Adm. Shepard M. Smith, director of NOAA's Office of Coast Survey. "Panel members give NOAA critical perspectives on the needs of the maritime sector, which are extremely valuable in our mission to improve the safety and efficiency of maritime navigation."
The panel's next public meeting will be held April 4-5 in Miami. The panel is composed of experts in hydrographic surveying, vessel pilotage, port administration, tides and currents, coastal zone management, geodesy, recreational boating, marine transportation, and academia; Smith is the panel's designated federal official. The directors of the NOAA/University of New Hampshire Joint Hydrographic Center, NOAA's National Geodetic Survey, and NOAA's Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services are non-voting members.