The Senate confirmed Dr. Kathryn Sullivan as Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere and Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) on March 6. She had previously served as NOAA’s Acting Administrator since February of last year. Dr. Sullivan brings an impressive depth of experience to the job, including a stint as NOAA’s Chief Scientist in charge of research that included climate change, satellite instrumentation and marine biodiversity. Earlier in her career, Dr. Sullivan earned distinction as NASA astronaut, flying on three space shuttle missions and becoming the first American woman to walk in space.
At the Department of the Interior, Michael Connor commenced his duties as Deputy Secretary following his February 27 Senate approval. The second highest ranking official at Interior, Connor is also designated as Chief Operating Officer, with oversight responsibilities for Interior’s 70,000 employees and $18 billion annual budget. Prior to his appointment as deputy Secretary, Connor served as Commissioner of the Bureau of Reclamation at Interior since 2009.
Estevan Lopez, Director of New Mexico’s Interstate Stream Commission, was nominated by President Obama on March 6 to fill Connor’s old position at the Bureau of Reclamation and will now begin his Senate confirmation process.