Elizabeth McLanahan
Director and Senior Advisor to the NOAA Administrator
- Geographic Regions: Arctic, Russia, and Cuba
- U.S. Head of Delegation, Arctic Council Protection of the Marine Environment (PAME) Working Group
- NOAA Arctic ExCom Vice Chair
- Chair, NOAA International Affairs Council (IAC)
- U.S. Chair, Korea Joint Project Agreement
- U.S. Focal Point, Sargasso Sea Commission
- Chair, USAID Senior PAPA Engagement Team (SPET)
- Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ)
- Convention on Biological Diversity
- United Nations Environment Program (UNEP)
- Marine Debris
- NOAA Climate Council
- NOAA Ocean & Coastal Council
Dann Karlson
Deputy Director
- Geographic Regions: Oceania (Australia, New Zealand & the Pacific Islands)
- Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP)
- Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC)
- Indo-Pacific Strategy and Quad Partnership
- International Disaster Risk Reduction, Resilience, and Response
- U.N. Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR)
- Co-Chair, SDR International Working Group
- NSTC Subcommittee on Resilience S&T (SRST) Task Team 1
- International Disaster Coordination
- NSTC Subcommittee for International S&T Coordination
- International Visitors Leadership Program (IVLP) Gatekeeper
- NOAA Executive Panel
- OIA Business Processes and Communications
- OIA Website
Heather Coll
Senior International Affairs Specialist
- Geographic Regions: Asia
- Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC)
- Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)
- IAC China Team Lead
- IAC Indonesia Team Lead
- IAC India Team Lead
- Korea Joint Project Agreement
- Food Security
- Aquaculture
- Convention on Migratory Species (CMS)
- International Visitors Leadership Program (IVLP) Keymaster
Caitlin Blair
Senior International Affairs Specialist
- Geographic Region: Canada and Mexico
- NOAA Americas Team Co-Lead
- North American Leaders Summit
- Summit of the Americas
- Trade Agreements & FTA Environment Cooperation
- USMCA Interagency Environment Committee for Monitoring & Enforcement (IECME)
- Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC)
- World Trade Organization
- Wildlife Trafficking
- Blue Economy
- High Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy
- G7 & G20 Ocean, Climate, Environment, and Science Agendas
- Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC)
- UN Decade of Ocean Science
- Freshwater Issues
- Interagency Water Working Group
- Global Water Strategy
- NOAA Water Team
- Embassy Science Fellows
Rakhi Kasat
Senior International Affairs Specialist
- Geographic Region: Europe
- Climate Change
- IAC Climate Team Lead
- UNFCCC Conference of the Parties (COP)
- Nature Based Solutions
- Blue Carbon
- International Maritime Organization (IMO)
- Underwater Noise
- USAID Liaison
- Environmental Justice and DEI Initiatives
Sammi (Dowdell) Ebersole
Senior International Affairs Specialist
- Geographic Region: Caribbean
- Cartagena Convention, SPAW Protocol
- NOAA Caribbean Executive Team
- NOAA Americas Team Co-Lead
- US-Caribbean Partnership to Address the Climate Crisis (PACC)
- Partnership for Atlantic Cooperation
- Regional Seas / Large Marine Ecosystems (LMEs)
- Caribbean & North Brazil Shelf
- Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (support)
- UN Environment Program (support)
- Marine Debris (support)
- Sargassum
Geoff Dipre
International Affairs Specialist
- Geographic Region: Arctic and Antarctic
- Arctic Council & PAME (support)
- Arctic ExCom (support)
- Arctic Action Team
- Arctic Science Ministerial
- Antarctic Treaty System
- UN Ocean Conference and Our Ocean Conference
- Sustainable Development Goals and 2030 Agenda
- UNGA Oceans Resolutions
- Marine Scientific Research
Shella Biallas
International Advisor, U.S. Department of State
- Geographic Regions: Central and South America
- NOAA Americas Team Co-Lead
- Seabed Mining and Critical Minerals
- International Seabed Authority
- London Convention / London Protocol
- Marine and Atmospheric Geoengineering & Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR)
- Pollution & Air Quality Issues
- Montreal Protocol
- Minamata, Stockholm, & Rotterdam Conventions
Lila Ardor Bellucci
Knauss International Policy Fellow
- Geographic Regions:
- Africa and Middle East
- Cuba (support)
- Arctic (support)
- Pacific Islands (support)
- IUCN & World Conservation Congress
- U.N. Informal Consultative Process on Oceans and the Law of the Sea (UNICPOLOS)
- Convention on Biological Diversity (support)
- Sargasso Sea Commission (support)
- International Seabed Authority (support)
- Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES)
- Working Group for Multilateral Assistance (WGMA) and Global Environment Facility (GEF)
- IAC Secretary
Sharon Burroughs
Program Support Specialist
- Travel Management for OIA Staff
- Travel Authorizations, Travel Vouchers
- Reservations, Country Clearances, Visa/Passport Support
- Security Support (SIPRNET, Safe, Storage Room)
- Property Custodian
- Controlled Correspondence (Data-by-Design)
- Misc. Administrative Duties (phone coverage, mail/package deliveries, etc.)
Doreen Pearson
Program Support Specialist
- Admin Support to Director and Deputy Director
- Calendar and Travel Management
- WebTA Manager
- Office Purchase Card Holder
- Documentation/File Management
- Misc. Administrative Duties (phone coverage, mail/package deliveries, etc.)
Note: Portfolio issues listed above are those covered by NOAA OIA. Other agencies or NOAA offices may serve as the US Government lead (i.e. WMO, IOC).