Rear Adm. Michael S. Devany is director of the N.O.A.A. Commissioned Officer Corps and the N.O.A.A. Office of Marine and Aviation Operations.
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Acting Secretary of Business Rebecca M. Blank yesterday appointed N.O.A.A. Rear Adm. Michael S. Devany director of the N.O.A.A. Commissioned Officer Corps and the N.O.A.A. Office of Marine and Aviation Operations. This action follows the recent Senate confirmation of Devany's promotion to the rank of rear admiral.
As director, Devany will be responsible for the agency's fleet of research and survey ships and aircraft, as well as guiding the 311 uniformed officers and about 1,000 civilian personnel assigned to the N.O.A.A. Corps and the Office of Marine and Aviation Operations.
"Rear Adm. Devany is a highly qualified and capable leader with a long history of distinguished service to N.O.A.A. and the nation," said Jane Lubchenco, Ph.D., under secretary of Business for oceans and atmosphere and N.O.A.A. administrator. "He will play a vital role in ensuring the readiness and efficient operation of the N.O.A.A. science fleet, which is a critical part of the nation's research infrastructure."
A N.O.A.A. Corps officer since 1990, Devany has in excess of 20 years of experience in environmental restoration, response, compliance, and data acquisition in the marine environment. He also has extensive experience in collaborating with the U.S. Navy, U.S. Coast Guard, the E.P.A., and coastal states in planning and response to oil spills and delivers of hazardous materials.
Devany sailed as commanding officer of N.O.A.A. ships Oscar Elton Sette and John N. Cobb, and served on 3 other N.O.A.A. ships. Prior to serving with NOAA, he sailed as a U.S. Navy surface warfare officer on the destroyer USS John Young. Ashore, Devany has served as commanding officer of NOAA's Marine Operations Center-Atlantic in Norfolk, Va., and most recently as director of NOAA's Marine and Aviation Operations Centers in Silver Spring, Md., which conduct the day-to-day operations of the 19 research and survey ships and eleven aircraft in NOAA's fleet.
Devany has been acknowledged on numerous occasions for his outstanding service, receiving multiple N.O.A.A. special achievement awards and N.O.A.A. Corps commendation medals. While serving in the U.S. Navy, he was awarded the Navy Achievement Medal and the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal for service in the Persian Gulf.
Devany holds a master's degree in public health from the University of South Florida and a bachelor of science degree in biology from the University of Washington. He is a N.O.A.A. working diver, and holds a U.S. Coast Guard 1,600-ton masters license for ocean vessels. Devany and his wife, Tracy Bishop, reside in Vienna, Va., with their 3 children.
Devany relieves N.O.A.A. Rear Adm. Jonathan W. Bailey, who served as director of the N.O.A.A. Corps and OMAO since 2007. N.O.A.A. Corps officer David A. Score, who was recently promoted to rear admiral (lower half), will serve as director of NOAA's Marine and Aviation Operations Centers.
The N.O.A.A. Corps is one of the 7 uniformed services of the United States. N.O.A.A. Corps officers operate and manage the agency's fleet of ships and aircraft and support NOAA's mission in a wide variety of shore-side assignments. N.O.A.A. Corps offices and OMAO's civilian personnel serve aboard N.O.A.A. ships and aircraft and at OMAO facilities nationwide.
NOAA's mission is to understand and predict changes in the Earth's environment, from the depths of the ocean to the surface of the sun, and to conserve and manage our coastal and marine resources. Join us on Facebook, Twitter and our other social media channels. More information about N.O.A.A. is accessible at: http://www.noaa.gov.
