Jane Lubchenco to leave NOAA in Feburary
In a letter to staff, NOAA Administrator, Dr. Jane Lubchenco, has announced that she will leave her post in February. The text of her letter follows:
December 12, 2012
Dear NOAA Family,
I write to let you know that I have decided to return to my family and academia at the end of February. I am immensely proud of all we have accomplished in the last four years and know full well that we have been able to do so much only because of your impressive talent and dedication. It has been a special privilege to serve as Administrator and work with all of you.
As many of you know, my home and family are on the West Coast. I’m deeply grateful for the support and love of my family, but as wonderful as Skype is for staying in touch, it is not a viable long-term arrangement!
As I reflect on my time with you, I’m delighted with all we’ve been able to do - big and small. The list is far too long for complete enumeration here, but I’ve listed 20 of our top achievements below. I invite you to share with me your top-tier list, as well as any especially memorable moments or photographs from the work we have done together.
We’ve tackled some big challenges together. Through an emphasis on transparency, integrity, innovation, team work and communication, we have made significant progress on multiple fronts. As you know, NOAA’s breadth is one of our greatest challenges, but it’s also our great strength. Both are in evidence below. Our notable progress includes (in no particular order!):
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Ending over-fishing, rebuilding depleted stocks, and returning fishing to profitability;
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Strengthening the Nation’s environmental satellite infrastructure because it underpins national security, economic activity and public safety by providing data essential to our short- and long-term weather forecasts;
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Delivering life-saving weather forecasts and warnings and strengthening our ability to do so in the future through Weather-Ready Nation, dual-po