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Ocean Studies Board
Member Biographies 2017
Larry A. Mayer, Chair is the Director of the School of Marine Science and Ocean Engineering,
the Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping, Co-Director of the Joint Hydrographic Center, and
Professor of Earth Science and Ocean Engineering at the University of New Hampshire. His
research interests include sonar imaging, remote characterization of the seafloor, and advanced
applications of 3-D visualization to ocean mapping challenges. Dr. Mayer received his Ph.D.
from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in marine geophysics in 1979, and graduated
magna cum laude with an Honors degree in geology from the University of Rhode Island in
1973. At Scripps his future path was determined when he worked with the Marine Physical
Laboratory’s Deep-Tow Geophysical package, but applied this sophisticated acoustic sensor to
study the history of climate. Dr. Mayer has participated in more than 90 cruises and has been
chief or co-chief scientist of numerous expeditions, including two legs of the Ocean Drilling
Program. He has served on, and chaired many international panels and committees and has the
requisite large number of publications on a variety of topics in marine geology and geophysics.
He is the recipient of the Keen Medal for Marine Geology, an Honorary Doctorate from the
University of Stockholm, the University of New Hampshire's and the University of Rhode
Island's Graduate School of Oceanography's Distinguished Alumni Award. Dr. Mayer served on
the President’s Panel for Ocean Exploration and chaired the 2004 National Research Council’s
Committee on National Needs for Coastal Mapping and Charting. In 2013, he chaired the
National Academy of Sciences committee on the “Impacts of Deepwater Horizon on the
Ecosystem Services of the Gulf of Mexico.”
E. Virginia Armbrust is the Director and a Professor of Oceanography at the University of
Washington. Dr. Armbrust earned her B. A. from Stanford University and her Ph.D. in
Biological Oceanography from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Woods Hole
Oceanographic Institution. Her research focuses on marine phytoplankton, a group of microbes
responsible for about 40% of the total amount of photosynthesis that occurs on our planet. These
organisms play a critical role in the global carbon cycle and ultimately in the global climate. Her
research addresses the response of marine microbial communities to changing environmental
conditions, including changes in biodiversity. She combines physiology, genomic and
computational approaches with instrument development to understand the distribution,
capabilities and interactions among marine microbes. She heads the Center for Environmental
Genomics at the University of Washington, which brings together researchers with expertise in
oceanography, microbiology, genomics, engineering, and data visualization. She is a Gordon and
Betty Moore Foundation Investigator in Marine Microbiology and Fellow of AAAS and the
American Society of Microbiology.
Kevin R. Arrigo is Donald & Donald M. Steel Professor in Earth Sciences, and Victoria and
Roger Sant Director of the Earth Systems Program at Stanford University where he has been on
OCEAN STUDIES BOARD
Division on Earth and Life Studies
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the faculty since 2005. He conducts laboratory and field studies, remote sensing, and computer
modeling techniques to understand phytoplankton dynamics in regions ranging from the
Southern Ocean to the Red Sea. In particular, he is interested in the role these organisms play in
regulating the uptake of atmospheric carbon dioxide by the ocean, as well as in how they help
structure marine ecosystems. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Southern California in
1992 and served as a member of the NRC Committee on A Science Plan for the North Pacific
Research Board.
Claudia Benitez-Nelson is a College of Arts & Sciences Distinguished Professor in the Marine
Science Program and Department of Earth & Ocean Sciences at the University of South
Carolina. Her research focuses on the biogeochemical cycling of phosphorus and carbon and
how these elements are influenced by both natural and anthropogenic processes. She is a diverse
scientist, with expertise ranging from radiochemistry to harmful algal bloom toxins and is highly
regarded for her cross-disciplinary research. Over the past two decades, Dr. Benitez-Nelson has
authored or co-authored more than 90 papers, including lead author publications in the journals
Science and Nature. She has been continuously supported by substantial, multi-year research and
education grants from the National Science Foundation and the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration, among others. Her many research honors include the Early Career Award in
Oceanography from the American Geophysical Union in 1996, Fulbright and Marie Curie
Fellowships in 2008, and was named a National Academy of Sciences/Humboldt Foundation
Kavli Fellow in 2012. Dr. Benitez-Nelson is also highly regarded as a teacher and mentor,
having received the National Faculty of the Year Award from the National Society of Collegiate
Scholars in 2005 and the University of South Carolina’s Mungo Teaching Award in 2006. In
2013, Dr. Benitez-Nelson was named the University of South Carolina’s Distinguished Professor
of the Year and in 2014 received the Sulzman Award for Excellence in Education and Mentoring
from the Biogeosciences Section of the American Geophysical Union. In 2015, Dr. BenitezNelson was named a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. At
the University of South Carolina, Dr. Benitez-Nelson served as both the Undergraduate Director
and Director of USC’s Marine Science Program, doubling undergraduate enrollment and
increasing the number of faculty. She is regularly called upon by national and international
scientific and policy agencies for her expertise and currently serves or has served as a member of
the Advisory Committee to the Geoscience Directorate of NSF, the EPA Science Advisory
Board, and the National Academy of Sciences’ Ocean Studies Board. Dr. Benitez-Nelson earned
a B.S. in chemistry and oceanography from the University of Washington and a Ph.D. in
oceanography from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute/Massachusetts Institute of
Technology Joint Program in 1999.
Rita R. Colwell (NAS) serves as the Chief Science Advisor of Gentag, Inc. Dr. Colwell is the
Founder, Director, President and Chief Executive Officer of CosmosID, Inc. She serves as
Scientific Advisor of Avestha Gengraine Technologies Pvt. Ltd. She serves as the Senior
Advisor and Chairman Emeritus of Canon U. S. Life Sciences, Inc. She is the Distinguished
University Professor both at the University of Maryland at College Park and at Johns Hopkins
University Bloomberg School of Public Health. Her interests are focused on global infectious
diseases, water, and health, and she is currently developing an international network to address
emerging infectious diseases and water issues, including safe drinking water for both the
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developed and developing worlds. She serves as a Trustee of J. Craig Venter Institute, Inc. She
serves as a Member of Scientific Advisory Board of Avesthagen Limited. She served as the
Member of Science Advisory Board at Climos, Inc. Dr. Colwell served as the 11th Director of
the National Science Foundation from 1998 to 2004. In her capacity as NSF Director, she served
as Co-chair of the Committee on Science of the National Science and Technology Council. One
of her major interests include K-12 science and mathematics education, graduate science and
engineering education and the increased participation of women and minorities in science and
engineering. Dr. Colwell has held many advisory positions in the U.S. Government, nonprofit
science policy organizations, and private foundations, as well as in the international scientific
research community. She is a nationally-respected scientist and educator, and has authored or coauthored 16 books and more than 700 scientific publications. She produced the award-winning
film, Invisible Seas, and has served on editorial boards of numerous scientific journals. Dr.
Colwell has previously served as Chairman of the Board of Governors of the American Academy
of Microbiology and also as President of the American Association for the Advancement of
Science, the Washington Academy of Sciences, the American Society for Microbiology, the
Sigma Xi National Science Honorary Society, and the International Union of Microbiological
Societies. Dr. Colwell is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, the Royal Swedish
Academy of Sciences, Stockholm, the Royal Society of Canada, the American Academy of Arts
and Sciences, and the American Philosophical Society. Dr. Colwell holds a B.S. in Bacteriology
and an M.S. in Genetics from Purdue University, and a Ph.D. in Oceanography from the
University of Washington.
Sarah W. Cooksey is currently the Director of Conservation for the Delaware Chapter of The
Nature Conservancy, where she defines and oversees the implementation of the strategic
priorities and strategies for the Chapter’s conservation work, providing leadership and oversight
of land, water oceans and climate initiatives. Ms. Cooksey is past Administrator of the Delaware
Coastal Programs where she was responsible for both the coastal zone management program and
the Delaware National Estuarine Research Reserve. She coordinated with federal, state and local
governments on coastal resource issues such as tidal and freshwater wetlands, energy policy,
non-point source pollution, coastal hazards, essential fish habitat, ocean planning, biodiversity,
sustainable development, and dredging issues. She is past President of the Coastal States
Stewardship Foundation, a 501(3) (c) formed to assist state governments with pressing coastal
management issues and past Chair of Management Board of MARCO – the Mid-Atlantic
Regional Council of the Ocean – a five state initiative to focus on offshore issues related to
renewable energy, water quality, habitat protection and climate change adaptation. Prior to her
work in The Nature Conservancy and the State of Delaware she spent several years in EPA's
Office of Water in Washington DC working with states on water issues. Sarah has a Master of
Science degree in Biology and enjoys spending time at the beach with her husband and two sons,
bird watching and gardening.
James A. Estes (NAS) is a professor of ecology and marine biology at the University of
California, Santa Cruz. He is an internationally known expert on marine mammals and a
specialist in the critical role of apex predators in the marine environment. He has conducted field
research in Alaska, California, Canada, Mexico, New Zealand, and Russia and has published
more than 150 scientific articles, several books and monographs, and has served on the editorial
boards for a variety of professional societies. He is a Pew Fellow in marine conservation, a
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Fellow of the California Academy of Sciences, and a member of the National Academy of
Sciences. He received the Western Society of Naturalists’ Lifetime Achievement Award in 2011
and the American Society of Mammalogists’ C. Hart Merriam Award in 2012. Dr. Estes received
his Ph.D. in biology/statistics from the University of Arizona. He served on the Committee on
the Alaska Groundfish Fishery and Steller Sea Lions and is currently a member of the
Committee on Cumulative Effects of Human Activities on Marine Mammal Populations.
David Halpern is a Senior Research Scientist at the NASA/California Institute of Technology
Jet Propulsion Laboratory. He analyzes satellite and in-situ observations to improve
understanding of coupled ocean-atmosphere interaction and climate phenomena, such as El Nino
and La Nina, intertropical convergence zone, monsoon, and wind-driven ocean upwelling. He
developed techniques to record in-situ observations of near-surface meteorological and upperocean circulation variables in both shallow and deep-sea environments. He is experienced in
ocean circulation and ocean-atmosphere interaction research (more than 300 publications with 50
single- or first-author peer-review papers); managing national and international programs;
teaching graduate and undergraduate courses (Caltech, UCLA, UW); participating in numerous
committees (20 as chair or co-chair, 9 as member of executive board, and 45 as member); and
enjoying many at-sea adventures as chief scientist. Dr. Halpern had the privilege to serve in the
White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and NASA's Earth Science Division. At
OSTP, he co-founded the National Science and Technology Council Joint Subcommittee on
Ocean Science and Technology and Task Group on Global Earth Observations. One of his major
interests is enhanced integrated global ocean and atmosphere observations and large-scale
process-oriented experiments to improve the accuracy of predictions of the global integrated
Earth system. Dr. Halpern was co-chair of the Group on Earth Observations Science and
Technology Committee and currently serves as co-chair of the GEO Data Sharing Working
Group. He served two terms on the NRC TOGA Panel. He was editor of Geophysical Research
Letters and is editor of Eos. Currently, he represents the Intergovernmental Oceanographic
Commission to the Coordination Group for Meteorological Satellites, serves on the JCOMM
Task Team for Satellites, is chair of the COSPAR Task Group on GEO, and represents the
United States in the United Nations Bureau for the World Ocean Assessment. He is a Fellow of
the American Association for the Advancement of Science, American Geophysical Union,
American Meteorological Society, California Academy of Sciences, and International Academy
of Astronautics. Dr. Halpern received a B.Sc. honors degree in Geology and Physics from
McGill University and a Ph.D. in physical oceanography from MIT.
Patrick Heimbach is an associate professor at the University of Texas at Austin with tenure in
the Department of Geological Sciences, and with joint appointments in the Institute for
Computational Engineering and Sciences (ICES), the Jackson School for Geosciences (JSG), and
the Institute for Geophysics (UTIG). At ICES he is the fellow of the W. A. “Tex” Moncrief, Jr.,
endowed chair III in Simulation-Based Engineering and Sciences. Previously, he worked for 16
years in the physical oceanography group at MIT’s Department of Earth, Atmospheric and
Planetary Sciences (EAPS), most recently as Senior Research Scientist and Visiting Associate
Professor. He earned his Ph.D. in 1998 from the Max-Planck-Institute for Meteorology and the
University of Hamburg, Germany, working with Prof. Klaus Hasselmann on global ocean
surface wave remote sensing and modeling.
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Susan E. Humphris is a Senior Scientist in the Department of Geology and Geophysics and
Director of the Earth-Ocean Exploration Institute at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. Dr.
Humphris earned a Ph.D. in chemical oceanography in 1977 from the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Joint Program. She taught
undergraduates and served as Dean at the Sea Education Association for 13 years before
returning to Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. Her research focuses on volcanic and
tectonic controls on the distribution and characteristics of hydrothermal activity at mid-ocean
ridges, the geochemistry of rock-water interactions, and the role of the associated hydrothermal
fluxes in global geochemical mass balances. From 1996 to 1998, Dr. Humphris was Chair of the
Science Committee for the International Ocean Drilling Program. She served on three NRC
committees to review the USGS Coastal and Marine Geology Program; the Earth Scope Science
Objectives and Implementation Planning; and Exploration of the Seas.
Bonnie J. McCay (NAS), ret. is Board of Governors Distinguished Service Professor Emerita,
Department of Human Ecology, School of Environmental & Biological Sciences, Rutgers
University. Her research and teaching have focused on challenges and policies for managing
common pool resources such as fish and shellfish, with particular attention to intersections of
ecology, community, and social institutions of science, law and property. She has done field
research in Newfoundland and Nova Scotia, Canada, in the Middle Atlantic region of the U.S.,
and in Baja California, Mexico. Her books include The Question of the Commons, Oyster Wars
and the Public Trust, and Enclosing the Commons. She currently serves on numerous editorial
boards and on the Scientific and Statistical Committee of the Mid-Atlantic Fisheries
Management Council. She received her Ph.D. in environmental anthropology from Columbia
University. Dr. McCay has served on numerous study committees for the Ocean Studies Board.
She is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and fellow of the AAAS and the
American Fisheries Society.
S. Bradley Moran is Dean of the College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, and Professor of
Oceanography at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Prior to his appointment as Dean, he
served as Acting Director of the Obama Administration’s National Ocean Council, Assistant
Director for Ocean Sciences in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, and
Program Director in the Chemical Oceanography Program at the National Science Foundation.
He focused on implementing federal ocean science policy and facilitating interagency efforts and
partnerships on a broad range of ocean policy, resource, economic, and national security
matters. In his previous academic position as Professor of Oceanography in the Graduate School
of Oceanography at the University of Rhode Island, he served as Co-Director of the Rhode
Island NSF Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research and as Assistant Vice
President for Research at the University of Rhode Island. Dr. Moran’s principal research
interests include the application of uranium-series and artificial radionuclides as tracers of
marine geochemical processes, and fostering economic development partnerships in energy and
environmental research, technology, policy, and education. In 2007, he envisioned and
implemented the nation’s first Masters of Business Administration-Masters of Oceanography
dual degree, the “Blue MBA”. He is currently an editor for the Journal of Geophysical
Research-Oceans and Editorial Board member of the Journal of Marine Science and Engineering
and the Journal of Marine Research. Dr. Moran is a member of the Board of Trustees of the
Consortium for Ocean Leadership, a member of the Board of Directors of the Alaska Ocean
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Observing System, and a member of the Board of Directors of the North Pacific Research Board.
Dr. Moran earned a B.Sc. in chemistry from Concordia University, a Ph.D. in oceanography
from Dalhousie University, and conducted postdoctoral research at the Woods Hole
Oceanographic Institution. Dr. Moran is on the Board of the North Pacific Research Board and
the Board of the Alaska Sea Life Center.
Steven A. Murawski is Peter R. Betzer Endowed Chair of Biological Oceanography at the
University of South Florida. He was previously the Director of Scientific Programs and Chief
Science Advisor for NOAA Fisheries Service. He received his Ph.D. from the University of
Massachusetts-Amherst. Dr. Murawski is a fisheries biologist and marine ecologist involved in
understanding the impacts of human activities on the sustainability of ocean ecosystems. He has
developed approaches for understanding the impacts of fishing on marine fish complexes
exploited in mixed-species aggregations. His current areas of interest include understanding the
Gulf of Mexico Large Marine Ecosystem in terms of multiple, simultaneous stressors through the
application of integrated ecosystem assessments. Such assessments can help inform investments
to rebuild the Gulf of Mexico from effects of the BP oil spill, loss of juvenile nursery areas,
nutrient enrichment, overfishing and other factors. Dr. Murawski is Director of The Center for
Integrated Modeling and Analysis of Gulf Ecosystem (C-Image) at USF.
John A. Orcutt (NAE) is a Distinguished Professor of Geophysics at Scripps Institution of
Oceanography. He has published more than 160 scientific papers and received the Ewing Medal
from the USN and the American Geophysical Union (AGU) in 1994. He received the NewcombCleveland Prize from the AAAS in 1983 and in 2007 he received the Marine Technology
Society’s Lockheed Martin Award for Ocean Science and Technology. He served as the
President of the 65,000-member American Geophysical Union (AGU) from 2004-2006. He is a
Secretary of the Navy/Chief of Naval Operations Oceanography Chair. His research interests
include the exploitation of information technology for the collection and processing of real-time
environmental data as well as marine and continental seismology and geophysics. He is the
Principal Investigator for the NSF MRE-FC Ocean Observatories Initiative (OOI)
Cyberinfrastructure Implementing Organization. He was elected to the American Philosophical
Society in 2002 and the National Academy of Engineering in 2011. He received his Bachelors
degree in mathematics and physics from Annapolis (1966), his M.Sc. in physical chemistry as a
Fulbright Scholar at the University of Liverpool (1968), and his Ph.D. in Earth Sciences from the
Scripps Institution of Oceanography (1976). He Chaired the NRC’s review of the NOAA
Tsunami Warning System and the Ocean Panel of the Climate, Energy and National Security
(CENS) Committee. He is also Chair of the MEDEA Ocean Panel and just completed a review
of hydroacoustics monitoring by the UN’s Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty in the Indian Ocean.
He is a charter member of the Ocean Studies Board and is the PI of a BP research institute at
Scripps, which began in 2004.
H. Tuba Özkan-Haller earned her B.S. in Civil Engineering at Boğaziçi University in Istanbul,
Turkey, and her M.C.E. and Ph.D. degrees in Civil Engineering at the University of Delaware.
After a 1-year postdoctoral fellowship with the University of Cantabria in Spain, she first joined
the faculty of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering at the University of Michigan for 3
years before arriving at the College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences at Oregon State
University, where she is now a Professor. Her interests include numerical, analytical, and
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laboratory investigations of the water and sediment motions in the nearshore ocean including the
inner continental shelf, beaches, and inlets. She has helped develop and apply wave prediction
and wave-induced surf zone circulation models, utilized these models to gain a better
understanding of dominant processes, led laboratory studies aimed at validating the resulting
models, and has also taken part in several related field studies. Recently, she has also conducted
research into the potential effects of wave energy conversion devices on the surrounding wave
field, and has gotten more interested in interdisciplinary research involving topics such as
oxygen consumption in the nearshore ocean, larval transport, and societal issues related to
coastal communities. She is the recipient of the Office of Naval Research (ONR) Young
Investigator Award, the Outstanding Faculty member Award at the University of Michigan, and
the Patullo Award for Excellence in Teaching at Oregon State University.
Martin D. Smith is the Professor of Environmental Economics at Duke University in the
Nicholas School of the Environment and in the Department of Economics. Smith has a BA in
Public Policy from Stanford University and a PhD in Agricultural and Resource Economics from
the University of California, Davis. Smith studies the economics of the oceans, including
fisheries, marine ecosystems, seafood markets, and coastal climate adaptation. He has written on
a range of policy-relevant topics, including economics of marine reserves, seasonal closures in
fisheries, ecosystem-based management, catch shares, nutrient pollution, aquaculture, genetically
modified foods, the global seafood trade, organic agriculture, coastal property markets, and
coastal responses to climate change. He is best known for identifying unintended consequences
of marine and coastal policies that ignore human behavioral feedbacks. Smith’s methodological
interests span micro-econometrics, optimal control theory, time series analysis, and numerical
modeling of coupled human-natural systems. Smith’s published work appears in Science,
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, American Economic Review, Journal of
Environmental Economics and Management, Review of Economics and Statistics, and a number
of other scholarly journals that span environmental economics, fisheries science, marine policy,
ecology, and the geo-sciences. Smith has received national and international awards, including
the Quality of Research Discovery from the Agricultural and Applied Economics Association,
Outstanding Article in Marine Resource Economics, and an Aldo Leopold Leadership
Fellowship. His research has been funded by the National Science Foundation, the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the National Center for Ecological Analysis and
Synthesis, and the Research Council of Norway. Smith is Editor-in-Chief of the journal Marine
Resource Economics, a co-editor of the Journal of the Association of Environmental and
Resource Economists, and a past co-editor and current editorial board member of the Journal of
Environmental Economics and Management.
Margaret Spring is Vice President of Conservation and Science at the Monterey Bay Aquarium.
Prior to joining the Aquarium in April 2013, Margaret served first as Chief of Staff, and then
Principal Deputy Under Secretary of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
(NOAA), where she worked closely with the NOAA Administrator, NOAA senior leadership
and the Department of Commerce to develop and drive strategic priorities with a particular focus
on external constituents, interagency initiatives, and administration priorities. From 2007 to
2009, Margaret was Director of The Nature Conservancy’s California Coastal and Marine
Program. Before moving to the Conservancy, Margaret served as Senior Counsel, then General
Counsel, to the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, where she
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focused on crafting legislation and ensuring oversight on topics including fisheries conservation
and management; coastal zone management; marine sanctuaries; coastal and atmospheric
science; climate change; weather; satellite systems; mapping, and other federal ocean and
atmospheric programs. A graduate of Duke University School of Law and Dartmouth College,
Margaret was an environmental, attorney at Sidley & Austin in Washington, D.C. from 1992 to
1999.
Douglas Wartzok is Provost, Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer, and Professor
of Biology at Florida International University. He received a B.A. in Physics and Mathematics
from Andrews University, a M.S. in Physics from the University of Illinois, and a Ph.D. in
Biophysics (Neurophysiology) from the Johns Hopkins University. He has been a faculty
member and academic administrator at Johns Hopkins University, Purdue University, University
of Missouri-St. Louis, and Florida International University. His research on marine mammals
has taken him from the Arctic Ocean to Antarctica to study seals, whales and walrus. He, along
with his colleagues and graduate students have developed acoustic tracking systems for studying
polar seals under the ice, and radio and satellite tracking systems for studying whales. His
research focuses on behavioral and physiological ecology of marine mammals; sensory systems
involved in under-ice navigation by seals; and psychophysiological studies of captive marine
mammals. For the past decade he has been involved in the issue of the effects of naval antisubmarine warfare sonar on marine mammals, in particular beaked whales. For eight years he
edited Marine Mammal Science and is now Editor Emeritus. He recently served as Chairman of
the Committee of Scientific Advisors, U.S. Marine Mammal Commission. He was a member of
the National Academy of Sciences Committee on “Assessing Ambient Noise in the Ocean with
Regard to Potential Impacts on Marine Mammals,” and chaired the National Academy of
Sciences Committee on “Determining Biological Significance of Marine Mammal Responses to
Ocean Noise.”
Lisa D. White is Director of Education and Outreach at the University of California, Museum of
Paleontology (UCMP) and Adjunct Professor of Geology at San Francisco State University
(SFSU). Past positions held at SFSU include Professor of Geology, Chair of Geosciences, and
Associate Dean of the College of Science and Engineering. Dr. White has extensive experience
with science outreach programs for urban students and she is active in efforts to increase
diversity in the geosciences. A micropaleontologist by training and Fellow of the California
Academy of Sciences and the Geological Society of America (GSA), she was the inaugural
recipient of the GSA Bromery Award for Minorities, an honor bestowed upon a geoscientist who
has been instrumental in opening the geoscience field to other minorities. As the Principal
Investigator of the SF-ROCKS (Reaching Out to Communities and Kids with Science in San
Francisco) and SF-METALS (Minority Education through Teaching and Learning in the
Sciences) programs, Dr. White trains and guides underrepresented minority students in wideranging geoscience learning experiences. As the education director at the UCMP, she develops
and disseminates learning materials on evolution and the Earth’s biota, global climate change,
and the nature and process of science. Dr. White holds degrees from San Francisco State
University (B.A. in Geology, 1984) and the University of California at Santa Cruz (Ph.D. in
Earth Sciences, 1989).
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Robert (Bob) S. Winokur has 55 years of experience in marine science and satellite remote
sensing and retired as a long-time senior executive in May 2013 after 47 years federal service.
His most recent position in the federal government was Deputy Oceanographer of the Navy and
Deputy/Technical Director for Oceanography, Space and Maritime Domain Awareness, within
the office of the Chief of Naval Operations. Prior positions include Assistant Administrator for
Satellite and Information Services and Acting Director, National Weather Service, National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; acting Oceanographer of the Navy and various senior
executive positions in the Navy and the private sector, including in the Office of the Assistant
Secretary of the Navy, the Office of Naval Research, President, Earth Satellite Corporation and
Vice President, Consortium for Oceanographic Research and Education. He is currently a senior
advisor for the Michigan Tech Research Institute and consults on ocean and space policy and
programs. Mr. Winokur has a bachelor's degree from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and a
master's degree from The American University.