Feb. 6, 2003
an online newsletter for and by NOAA employees

Photograph of NASA logo.
Photograph of Vice Admiral Conrad C. Lautenbacher, Jr., U.S. Navy (Ret.), Undersecretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere and NOAA Administrator.
Photograph of the cover for NOAA's Proposed FY2004 Budget



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
A Hono-lulu of a Visit

A town meeting with nearly 150 NOAA staffers and the commissioning of NOAA’s newest oceanographic research vessel were among the highlights of Vice Admiral Lautenbacher’s trip to Hawaii last month.

After remarks before the OAR Senior Research Council at the University of Hawaii, VADM Lautenbacher met with NOAA staff for an update on NOAA initiatives in strategic planning, budget formulation, and program implementation through matrix management. Following the town hall meeting, and a conference with newly elected Governor of Hawaii, Linda Lingle, he helped commission the Oscar E. Sette, NOAA’s newest oceanographic research vessel, which will be homeported in Hawaii. Also speaking at the ceremony were Rear Admiral Evelyn Fields, director of NOAA Marine and Aviation Operations; Gov. Lingle, and Hawaii Rep. Neil Abercrombie.

Lautenbacher also visited proposed sites for a possible consolidation of NOAA facilities in Honolulu before returning to Washington.

A meeting with newly elected Hawaii Gov. Linda Lingle capped VADM Lautenbacher's tour of the island state last month.
A meeting with newly elected Hawaii Gov. Linda Lingle
capped VADM Lautenbacher's tour of the island state last month.
(left to right) Vice Admiral Lautenbacher; Rep. Abercrombie; Tom Wanley, Legislative Affairs Director to Rep. Abercrombie; Josephine Bridges (daughter of Oscar E. Sette), for whom the new research vessel was named; Rear Admiral Evelyn Fields, director, NOAA Marine and Aviation Operations.

(left to right) Vice Admiral Lautenbacher; Rep. Abercrombie; Tom Wanley, Legislative Affairs Director to Rep. Abercrombie; Josephine Bridges (daughter of Oscar E. Sette), for whom the new research vessel was named; Rear Admiral Evelyn Fields, director, NOAA Marine and Aviation Operations.
Vice Admiral Lautenbacher at the NOAA town meeting in Honolulu.
Vice Admiral Lautenbacher at the NOAA town meeting in Honolulu.
Employee and Team Member of the Month

Employee of Month

Photograph of Nancy Jackson, Office of the Deputy Under Secretary.
Nancy Jackson
 Office of the Deputy Under Secretary

Team Member of Month
Photograph of Joe Neuenschwander, NOAA Satellites and Information.
Joe Neuenschwander
 NOAA Satellites and Information
A reorganization wiz and a satellite software innovator are the NOAA Employee and Team Member of the Month for February. Read about their accomplishments in the upcoming issue of NOAA Report.
A Softball Question
Photograph of NOAA softball team.
 Play Softball? NOAA may have a team for you. The NOAA/HHS Softball League, near NOAA’s Silver Spring campus, is looking for 12 to 15 good men and women to build a team and join the League. Doubleheaders included, there will be about 15 games this season, starting in mid-April and going through the post season tournament after July 4. Games will be at 6 pm weeknights close to downtown Silver Spring. Let us know by March 7! Contact Ben Sfanos at benjamin.sfanos@noaa.gov.

NOAA can help you get to first base—
as part of a new softball team.
Parasite In Cats Killing Sea Otters
Offering a partial explanation to a mysterious decline in the federally protected southern sea otter population, scientists funded by the NOAA National Sea Grant College Program have established a strong body of circumstantial evidence linking cats to a lethal otter disease. Read the full article in NOAA Magazine.

 

 Photograph of sea otter.
50 Years Later, Retirement for Smith

David Smith, who held many different roles at the New Orleans/Baton Rouge Weather Forecast Office, is retiring after, believe it or not, nearly 50 years of service. After a stint with the U.S. Navy and a degree from Texas A&M in 1965, he’s been with the weather service in Texas, Kentucky, and New Orleans, where he supported all of the station programs at one time or another, including agricultural, aviation, satellites, and area river basin commissions. He’s also served as an EEO counselor, and has been a member of the New Orleans Federal Executive Board’s Equal Opportunity Advisory Council since the mid-1980s. David is currently executive vice president of the NWS Employees Organization.

NOAA Deputy Assistant Secretary Keeney Speaks to Mayors

Photograph of Timothy R.E. Keeney, Deputy Assistant Secretary.At the recent 71st Winter Meeting of the U.S. Conference of Mayors held at the Capital Hilton Hotel in Washington, Timothy Keeney, NOAA's Deputy Assistant Secretary spoke to a large national group on NOAA's water related community-based programs.

The U.S. Conference of Mayors is the official nonpartisan organization of cities with populations of 30,000 mayors or more; there are nearly 1,200 cities in the U.S. of that size today. One of the primary roles of the Conference of Mayors is to strengthen Federal-city relationships, which enabled Tim Keeney the opportunity to meet with the mayors and address their Urban Water Council session. The Council session generally provides information on watershed management issues facing cities, water policy, and federal programs and services that can assist communities. The standing room only session included mayors from around the country including: Augusta, Ga.; Trenton, N.J.; Chicago, and Wilmington, Del. Keeney’s presentation focused primarily on the various restoration programs of NOAA Fisheries with brief remarks about some of NOAA's other water-related community based programs.

 

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Date Last Updated: February 12, 2003 2:14 PM