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Office of International Affairs Staff Profiles
Dr. William J. Brennan
Deputy Assistant Secretary For International Affairs
U.S. Department of Commerce
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
William J. Brennan has dedicated his career to marine and environmental policy matters at the state, regional, national and international level. In June 2002, President Bush appointed Dr. Brennan the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce for International Affairs with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. In this position he is responsible for leading NOAA’s international efforts associated with the global oceans, atmosphere, and space, to understand and predict changes in the Earth’s environment, conserve and manage coastal and marine resources, protect life and property, and to provide decision makers with reliable scientific information.
Dr. Brennan was recently designated by Commerce Secretary Gutierrez and Energy Secretary Bodman as the acting director of the U.S. Climate Change Science Program, the interagency program that coordinates and integrates scientific research on changes in climate and related systems. CCSP is composed of 13 federal scientific agencies and integrates the planning and budgeting of federal climate and global change activities.
Bill Brennan began his professional career in 1977 with NOAA Fisheries at its Woods Hole laboratory where much of his time was devoted to cooperative international fisheries research. In 1983, he left NOAA to take a staff position in the U.S. House of Representatives working on issues before the Merchant Marine and Fisheries Committee. In 1987, he was appointed to a Cabinet position as Secretary of the State of Maine’s Department of Marine Resources. In 1994, he opened a private consulting firm providing marine and environmental policy guidance to businesses and governments. During the same period he held the position of Professor of Ocean Policy with the Corning School of Ocean Studies.
Bill Brennan holds a B.S. degree in marine biology, a M.A. degree in marine policy, and a Ph.D. in ecology and environmental sciences. He and his wife Heather have three children and they reside in Maryland.
 NOAA Leadership
Thomas L. Laughlin
Deputy Director
Office of International Affairs
Thomas Laughlin served several years as professional staff to natural resource committees in the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate. He has served in various capacities at NOAA headquarters since 1980. He has been the Deputy Director of the Office of International Affairs since 1994. He has led NOAA and U.S. delegations to various multilateral forums at the regional and global levels.
Tom Laughlin holds a B.A. in political science from Yale University and a M.A. in political science from Northwestern University.
Susan Ware Harris
*Substantive Issues:
Climate Change
Global Environment Facility (GEF)
International Affairs Council, Executive Director
International Group Travel
NOAA Leadership International Events
NOAA Ocean Council (IAC Representative)
Pacific Regional Environment Program (SPREP)
Planning, Programming, Budgeting, and Execution System (PPBES)
Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States (SIDS)
United Nations General Assembly SIDS Resolution
US Agency for International Development (USAID)
Goal Teams & Cross-cutting Issues: Climate
Liasons to Line Offices: OAR, NESDIS, NWS
**
Geographic Region: Australia, New Zealand, Pacific Islands region
Elizabeth McLanahan
*Substantive Issues:
Arctic Council/Protection of the Arctic Marine Environment (PAME)
Bottom Trawling
Convention on Biological Diversity
Corals
Global Programme of Action (GPA)
Large Marine Ecosystems (LME)
Marine Debris
Marine Genetic Resources
Marine Protected Areas
Regional Fisheries Management Organizations (RFMOs)
Russian National Program of Action/Arctic
United Nations Environment Program (UNEP)
- Caribbean Environmental Program
- Governing Council
- Regional Seas
United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) Oceans Resolution
White Water to Blue Water (WW2BW)
Goal Teams & Cross-cutting Issues: Ecosystems
Liasons to Line Offices: NMFS, NOS, OAR
**
Geographic Region: Scandinavia, Russia, Wider Caribbean (including Mexico, Central-America, Colombia, and Venezuela)
Elaine Denning
*Substantive Issues:
World Meteorological Organization (WMO)
Joint WMO/IOC Technical Commission For Oceanography (JCOMM)
Natural Disasters
- Tsunami and all-hazards warning systems
- Third Border Initiative
Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC)
- Marine Resource Conservation Working Group (MRCWG)
- Industrial Science and Technology Working Group (ISTWG)
- Fisheries Working Group (FWG)
World Water Forum (WWF)
United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development (UNCSD)
Goal Teams & Cross-cutting Issues: Weather and Water
Liasons to Line Offices: NWS
**
Geographic Region: Asia-Pacific Region, except South Asia
Shannon Dionne
*Substantive Issues:
Bottom Trawling
Convention on Migratory Species
Driftnets
Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
Global Marine Assessment (GMA)
Illegal, Unregulated and Unreported Fishing (IUU)
International Whaling Commission (IWC)
Large Marine Ecosystems (LMEs)
Marine Acoustics
Marine Mammals
Marine Protected Areas
Monitoring, Control and Surveillance (MCS)
Regional Fisheries Management Organizations (RFMOs)
The World Conservation Union (IUCN)
Turtles
United Nations Fish Stocks Agreement (UNFSA)
United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) Fisheries Resolution
Goal Teams & Cross-cutting Issues: Ecosystems
Liasons to Line Offices: NMFS
**
Geographic Region: Western Europe
Heather Allen
*Substantive Issues:
APEC Marine Resource Conservation Working Group (MRCWG)
Earth Observations
- Group on Earth Observations/Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEO/GEOSS)
- Health Societal Benefit Area
Global Positioning System (GPS)
Global Programme of Action (GPA)
Homeland Security
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Ocean Security Initiative (OSI)
Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC)
Joint WMO/IOC Technical Commission For Oceanography (JCOMM)
National Space-Based Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT)
NOAA - Fisheries and Oceans Canada (NOAA/DFO) Work Plan
Tsunami and all-hazards warning systems
White Water to Blue Water (WW2BW)
World Water Forum (WWF)
Goal Teams & Cross-cutting Issues: Commerce and Transportation, Earth Observation
Liasons to Line Offices: NOS, NWS, NESDIS
**
Geographic Region: Latin America, Middle East, and Asia sub-continent
Jennifer Winston
*Substantive Issues:
Ballast water
Global Programme of Action (GPA)
- Second Intergovernmental Review (IGR2)
International Affairs Council (IAC)
International Maritime Organisation (IMO)
Invasive Species
London Dumping Convention
Major Maritime Powers (MMP)
Marine debris
NOAA – Fisheries and Oceans Canada (NOAA/DFO) Work Plan
Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America (SPP)
White Water to Blue Water (WW2BW)
- Secretariat
World Water Forum (WWF)
**Geographic Region: Sub-Saharan Africa, Canada
Pamela Toschik
*Substantive Issues:
Antarctic Treaty System
Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES)
Convention on Migratory Species (CMS)
International Affairs Website and Intranet Development
International Bycatch Reduction Task Force
International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT)
International Polar Year (IPY)
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
Polar Regions
Regional Fisheries Management Organizations (RFMOs)
Science and Technology Agreements
Seabirds
Sharks
The Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR)
Trade, including Free Trade Agreements
**Geographic Region: North Africa, Antarctica, and Eastern Europe
*Issues are listed as covered by NOAA OIA; other agencies or NOAA offices may serve as the US Government lead on these issues.
**Geographic contact points serve as a guide for staff assignments related to leadership travel, rather than topical coverage of that region.
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OIA Staff List