Dr. Kathryn Sullivan, acting NOAA administrator, has appointed Eileen Sobeck as assistant administrator for NOAA Fisheries. She assumes her new position on January 27 taking the helm from Samuel Rauch, who has served as acting assistant administrator since 2012. Rauch will return to his previous position as deputy assistant administrator for Regulatory Programs.
As assistant administrator, Sobeck will oversee the management and conservation of recreationaland commercial fisheries, and the protection of marine mammals, marine protected species, and coastal fisheries habitat within the U.S. exclusive economic zone. NOAA Fisheries employs 4,800 people in five regional offices, six science centers, and12 laboratories in 15 states and U.S. territories.
"Since the beginning of her career, Eileen has sought to strike a balance in management of natural resources to ensure sustainable uses while protecting and preserving our marine ecosystems for future generations," said acting NOAA Administrator, Dr. Kathryn D. Sullivan. "Her background and expertise will be an asset at NOAA Fisheries as they work to continue turning the corner on overfishing, protect endangered marine species, and promote smart management approaches to build sustainable fisheries, and vibrant coastal communities."
Early in her career, Sobeck worked in the NOAA Office of General Counsel from 1979-1984. She then served at the U.S. Department of Justice, Environment and Natural Resources Division from 1984-2009.
Sobeck currently serves as acting assistant secretary of the Department of Interior's Office of Insular Affairs. She has served as deputy assistant secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks at the Department of the Interior since 2009.
"I am honored to be returning to NOAA in this very important role," said Sobeck. "From managing our nation's fisheries to protecting endangered marine species and ecosystems to promoting commercial and recreational fishing, the work of NOAA Fisheries is critically important to the nation. I look forward to joining the team and working with the talented men and women within the organization to fulfill its mission."
During her 25 year tenure at the Justice Department, Sobeck began work in 1984 as a trial attorney in the Wildlife and Marine Resources Section, Environment and Natural Resources Division. She then moved through the ranks to become the assistant chief and then chief of that Section, which is responsible for defending NMFS's regulatory actions. In 1999 she became a deputy assistant attorney general for the Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD). She was awarded a Presidential Rank Award in 2003 and the DOJ ENRD Muskie-Chafee Award in 2010.
Sobeck is a graduate of Stanford University and Stanford Law School. She also has the honor of having a species of Pacific nudibranch, Hallaxa hileenae, named for her. She has been snorkeling and diving all over the world, most recently on a trip with her family to Indonesia.
New NOAA Report Examines National Oil Po
NOAA Releases Draft Proposal to Expand T
NOAA, Partners Predict Possible Record-S
MacArtney Named Pioneer Company of the Y
NOAA Announces End of Traditional Paper
NOAA Announces Regulations to Protect Ma
Vice Adm. Devany Named NOAA Deputy Under
Eileen Sobeck Named Assistant Administra
NOAA Study Finds High Levels of Pollutan
Fisheries Technology for Resource Manage
Free NOAA PDF Nautical Charts Now Perman
NOAA Announces RFI to Unleash Power of '
Kathryn Sullivan confirmed as NOAA admin
Virtual explorers' Invited to the Depths
NOAA Releases Expansion Proposal for Gul
Liquid Robotics and NOAA Sign Research &
Liquid Robotics and NOAA Sign Research &
NOAA Ships Set Sail for 2014 Hydrographi
NOAA Commissions New Fisheries Survey Sh
NOAA Gives Mariners New Way to See Surfa
MTS President-Elect Richard Spinrad Step
SUBSEA 20/20, Inc. Named North American
NOAA Announces Updated Process for Nomin
NOAA, Partners Predict an Average ‘Dea
Woods Hole Group Awarded Multi Year Oper
NOAA Selects HYPACK ® and HYSWEEP ® soft
NOAA lists 20 coral species as threatene
NOAA team reveals forgotten ghost ships
Coast Guard, NOAA Sign Fleet Plan Agreem
NOAA Team Discovers two Vessels from WWI
NOAA establishes new panel to guide ocea
NOAA Test Unmanned Systems for Research
NOAA Tool Useful for Protecting Corals f
NOAA Announces New Deepwater Horizon Oil
NOAA Announces Long-Term Gulf of Mexico
Megan Bel Miller Named VP for Government
NOAA Helps American Samoa Tackle a Thorn
NOAA, Partners Predict an Average ‘Dead
NOAA Announces more than $25 Million in
Public Invited to Join NOAA on Deep Sea
TerraSond Completes First NOAA U.S. Char
NOAA, Partners to Survey World War I Shi
NOAA Awards More Than $4.5 Million to Su
Harte Research Institute Chairman Named
Willard Marine Awarded Contract by NOAA
NOAA, Deepwater Horizon Trustees Announc
NOAA Declares Third Ever Global Coral Bl
NOAA Orders Aluminum Research RHIB from
NOAA Awards More Than $8 Million for Cor
NOAA Releases Expansion Proposal for Mon
CMRE and NOAA Join Forces to Monitor Atl
NOAA, BOEM Upgrade Access to 40 Years of
NOAA Explores Protected Areas and Shipwr
NOAA Names New Leader for NOAA’s Nationa
NOAA Announces Proposals to Expand Flowe
NOAA and Partners Chart New Territory fo
NOAA Gets New Global Ocean Satellite Jus
2G Robotics, NOAA, and OARS Collaborate
Gulf of Mexico’s Armstrong Basin Named f
NOAA Fisheries Releases Final Acoustic G
NOAA Asks for Public Comment on Proposed
Public Comment Period Opens for NOAA’s P
Joan Barminski Named New BOEM Pacific Re
BSEE and NOAA Test Oil Spill Remote Sens
NOAA Awards $11.9 Million to Four Minori
NOAA Awards $9.3 Million to Advance Cora
CSA and NOAA Case Study on Oil Spill Eff
Hydro Group Named as Company of the Year
Thyssenkrupp Named Strategic Partner to
Bill Eastwood Named Business Manager for
NOAA Seeks New Members for Hydrographic
Scott A. Angelle Named as Director of BS
Promise for Cancer Research- NOAA Discov
NOAA Scientists Set Sail to Measure Chan
Sea-Bird's Inductive Modem System: Provi
NOAA, Paul G. Allen Philanthropies to Ex
NOAA and Liquid Robotics Collaborate to
Edinburgh’s Tidal Innovator Named Offsho
IU's Center for Underwater Science Expan
ASL Raft-mounted Profiler Deployed by Ja
KONGSBERG K-Sim Simulation Technology fo
NOAA Recognizes Fugro for its Contributi
NOAA and India Collaborate on Ocean Obse
NOAA Satellites Gather Data on Changing
All IOOS Regional Networks Now NOAA Cert
Ocean Exchange Finalists for $100,000 WW
Oceaneering Commences Survey Project for
Teledyne Webb Research Awarded $7 Millio
NOAA Mapping Deepwater Seafloor off Sout
FarSounder Joins NOAA Bathymetry Initiat
NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer Explores Deep
NOAA Awards Over $8.3 million to Advance
Sailors Aboard Wayne E. Meyer Conduct Fi
NOAA Fisheries to Allow Geophysical Surv
NOAA Issues Stringent Protective Authori
Next Independence-variant Littoral Comba
NOAA Announces the Arrival of El Nino
Ocean News & Technology is a publication of TSC
7897 SW Jack James Drive
Suite A, Stuart, FL 34997
(772)-221-7720