Cited for "selflessly offering invaluable historical insight, experience and knowledge," Lynn Walloch has won this month's Team Member of Month award. Lynn was recommended by NOAA Research for providing outstanding support in her role as assistant to the director, University of Colorado, Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences in Boulder, and chair of the Joint Institute Administrators.

NOAA Research and its research laboratories have established formal collaborative research agreements with 12 universities and non-profit research institutes to form the Joint Institutes. The Joint Institutes help NOAA Research in all aspects of its work. Lynn is recognized as being "an extraordinary asset in setting up new Joint Institutes, as a significant leader and major contributor in the team effort to improve cooperative agreements, including five-year plans." These five-year plans are a major change for NOAA.

NOAA Research staff indicate that these plans have simplified and dramatically increased the effectiveness and flexibility of Joint Institute research programs. Lynn is cited for streamlining the financial process; developing electronic letter proposal submission; creating collaborations which have reduced duplication, strengthened effectiveness and cut costs; and implementing flexible, cooperative agreements that ease administrative details. She has "fought tirelessly to have budget, project and award periods match three- and five-year time frames of multi-year cooperative agreements, demonstrating tenacity and perseverance that has streamlined administrative operations beyond measure."

Lynn has also played a major role in helping to directly mentor new Joint Institute Administrators, providing valuable guidance that has opened communications lines between NOAA and the new institutes. She has been instrumental in bringing NOAA and University of Colorado financial experts together with the aim of developing compatible financial programs. Lynn teamed up with NOAA staff to present Joint Institute programs at several conference and continues to be the primary one-stop academic contact for questions about Joint Institute administrative issues.

Colleagues say her management style is widely admired and her advice continually sought by many at NOAA and its academic partners.