Dr. James Kendall Departs as Co-Chair of the Interagency Working Group on Ocean Partnerships
The Interagency Working Group on Ocean Partnerships (IWG-OP) would like to congratulate Dr. James Kendall on his appointment as Acting Director of the Alaska Outer Continental Shelf Region of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (BOEMRE). The Alaska Region of BOEMRE oversees the exploration and development of oil and gas resources, including assessments, preparation of environmental analyses and research and coordination among those interested in the Alaska Outer Continental Shelf Region. Previously, Dr. Kendall was Chief of BOEMRE’s Environmental Division, where he was responsible for managing their research program.
Dr. Kendall has been the co-chair of the IWG-OP for over two years. The IWG-OP advises and assists the Subcommittee on Ocean Science and Technology (SOST) on matters related to ocean partnership programs, such as providing extramural funding of research partnerships and promoting interagency and intergovernmental collaborations involving shared resources. The IWG-OP is a continuation and expansion of the partnership efforts under the National Oceanographic Partnership Program (NOPP). Any member agency of the SOST is welcome to participate in the IWG-OP, the oversight body to NOPP. Dr. Kendall’s guidance, enthusiasm, support and leadership will be missed among the members of the IWG-OP.
Dr. Walter Johnson, also of BOEMRE, will serve as the new co-chair of the IWG-OP alongside Mr. Craig McLean of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Dr. Johnson is an oceanographer who has served the federal government since 1989. Prior to BOEMRE, Dr. Johnson was at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, at the Institute of Marine Science, where he did research on coastal ocean circulation and modeling. The IWG-OP would like to welcome Dr. Johnson into his new role as co-chair and the IWG-OP members look forward to working with him. For more information on the IWG-OP, please visit http://www.nopp.org/committees/iwg-op/.
