Meet the U.S. IOOS Program Office staff, learn about their roles and responsibilities, and view the organization chart.

Director's Office

Carl Gouldman, Director (Federal)

Email: carl.gouldman@noaa.gov   Tel: (240) 533-9454

Krisa Arzayus, Ph.D., Deputy Director (Federal)

Email: krisa.arzayus@noaa.gov   Tel: (240) 533-9455

Zack Baize, New Blue Economy Program Manager (Federal)

Email: samuel.baize@noaa.govlaura.gewain@noaa.gov

Laura (Griesbauer) Gewain, Executive Assistant to the Director (ISS)

Email: laura.gewain@noaa.gov   Tel: (240) 533-9456

Matthew Hodanbosi, IOOS Ocean Science and Technology Partnership Fellow (Sea Grant)

Email: matthew.hodanbosi@noaa.gov   Tel: (202) 556-1183

Ralph Rayner, U.S. IOOS Industry Liaison (London School of Economics) (Consultant)

Email: ralph@ralphrayner.com

Operations Division

Derrick Snowden, Division Chief (Federal)

Email: derrick.snowden@noaa.gov   Tel: (240) 533-9467

Kathleen Bailey, Oceanographer/Physical Scientist (Federal)

Email: kathleen.bailey@noaa.gov   Tel: (240) 533-9449

Mathew Biddle, Data Management Analyst (Federal)

Email: mathew.biddle@noaa.gov   Tel: (240) 533-9470

Gabrielle Canonico, IOOS Biology Lead and MBON Manager (Federal)

Email: gabrielle.canonico@noaa.gov   Tel: (240) 533-9452

Jeffrey Coogan, Ph.D., QARTOD National Coordinator (ISS)

Email: jeffrey.coogan@noaa.gov

Tobey Curtis, Ph.D., ATN Network Coordinator (Federal)

Email: tobey.curtis@noaa.gov   Tel: (978) 281-9273

Tracy Fanara, Ph.D., NOS Coastal Modeling Portfolio Manager (Federal)

Email: tracy.fanara@noaa.gov   Tel: (240) 533-9461

Michael Lalime, Technical Analyst (ISS)

Email: michael.lalime@noaa.gov   Tel: (202) 964-1232

Hassan Moustahfid, Ph.D., Marine Biologist (Federal)

Email: hassan.moustahfid@noaa.gov   Tel: (240) 533-9468

Tiffany C. Vance, Ph.D., Physical Scientist & Data Manager (Federal)

Email: tiffany.c.vance@noaa.gov   Tel: (240) 533-9445

Micah Wengren, Physical Scientist & Data Manager (Federal)

Email: micah.wengren@noaa.gov   Tel: (240) 533-9441

Brian Zelenke, Surface Currents Program Manager (Federal)

Email: brian.zelenke@noaa.gov   Tel: (240) 533-9440

Melissa Zweng, DMAC Program Coordinator (Federal)

Email: melissa.zweng@noaa.gov   Tel: (240) 533-9463

Regions, Budget, and Policy Division

Dave Easter, Division Chief (Federal)

Email: dave.easter@noaa.gov   Tel: (240) 533-9453

Becky Baltes, Strategic Planning Manager (Federal)

Email: becky.baltes@noaa.gov  Tel: (240) 533-9469

Brandon Barlow, IOOS Regional Ocean and Coast Fellow (Sea Grant)

Email: brandon.barlow@noaa.gov  Tel: (410) 541-6446

Amira Boone-Ofosu, Office Manager (ISS)

Email: amira.boone-ofosu@noaa.gov   Tel: (202) 649-0844

Kate Culpepper, Communications Specialist (Federal)

Email: kate.culpepper@noaa.gov   Tel: (240) 533-9457

Nicholas Dawson, Program Analyst for Grants and Regional Coordination (ISS)

Email: nick.dawson@noaa.gov   Tel: (202) 367-4148

Becca Derex, Legislative Affairs Lead (Federal)

Email: becca.derex@noaa.gov   Tel: (240) 533-9462

Courtney Edwards, Program Analyst (ISS)

Email: courtney.edwards@noaa.gov   Tel: (202) 936-5742

Debra Esty, Management and Program Analyst (Federal)

Email: debra.esty@noaa.gov   Tel:(240) 533-9446

Susan Fox, Regional Coordinator (Federal)

Email: susan.fox@noaa.gov   Tel: (843) 481-0288

Rosa González, Environmental Compliance Coordinator (Federal)

Email: rosa.gonzalez@noaa.gov   Tel: (240) 621-1911

Jennifer Hinden, Cooperative Programs Specialist (Federal)

Email: jennifer.hinden@noaa.gov  Tel: (202) 936-5991

Kelly Jasion, Financial Management Specialist (Federal)

Email: kelly.jasion@noaa.gov   Tel: (240) 533-9465

Erick Lee, Financial Management Specialist (Federal)

Email: erick.lee@noaa.gov   Tel: (240) 533-9460

Maria Murray, Regional Coordinator (Federal)

Email: maria.murray@noaa.gov   Tel: (202) 936-6114

Torie Ketcham, Webmaster (ISS) (Consultant)

Email: torie.ketcham@noaa.gov

Staff Duties

Director's Office:

Carl Gouldman, Director (Federal)

Programmatic Responsibilities:

  • NOAA representative to the Interagency Ocean Observation Committee (IOOC)
  • U.S. Representative to the Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS) Regional Alliances Council
  • Chair of the U.S. IOOS GOOS Regional Alliance
  • Congressional visits and legislative engagement

Krisa Arzayus, Ph.D., Deputy Director (Federal)

Programmatic Responsibilities:

  • Compliance with NOS guidelines and policies (e.g. safety, awards, IT, personnel)
  • Oversee program office Risk Management
  • Designated Federal Official (DFO) for the IOOS Federal Advisory Committee
  • Pay Pool Manager for the IOOS CAPS Paypool
  • Program Planning and Execution

Zack Baize, New Blue Economy Program Manager (Federal)

Programmatic Responsibilities:

  • Support NOS New Blue Economy activities
  • Support NOAA environmental economics activities and ocean enterprise studies

Laura (Griesbauer) Gewain, Executive Assistant to the Director (ISS)

Programmatic Responsibilities:

  • Director's and Deputy Director's calendars
  • Director and Deputy Director travel
  • Director and Deputy Director correspondence
  • Staff support to the Director for International Activities, GOOS, and AmeriGEOSS
  • Manage IOOS Social Media channels
  • Staff support to Director and Deputy projects
  • Special projects as assigned by the Director and Deputy

Matthew Hodanbosi, IOOS Coastal Enterprise/New Blue Economy Fellow (Sea Grant)

Programmatic Responsibilities:

  • Assists with IOOS New Blue Economy initiatives
  • Supports IOOS Inflation Reduction Act projects
  • Executive secretary for the NOS Water Team
  • Member of the Benefits of Ocean Observing Catalog (BOOC) development team
  • Supports the Environmental Information Services Working Group (EISWG)
  • IOOS liaison for the DOE Ocean Observing Prize
  • Supports IOOS in the Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS) Regional Alliance Council
  • Office co-lead for data call response and tracking

Ralph Rayner, U.S. IOOS Industry Liaison (London School of Economics) (Consultant)

Programmatic Responsibilities:

  • Project Lead for Benefits of Ocean Observing Catalog (BOOC)
  • Project support for the Ocean Enterprise Study
  • Global Partnerships (connecting IOOS with GeoBlue Planet, Copernicus, IMOS, etc.

Operations Division:

Derrick Snowden, Division Chief (Federal)

Programmatic Responsibilities:

  • Lead the Operations Divisions efforts to establish and maintain the national IOOS system
  • Overall lead for DMAC design and implementation activities including regional implementation and national coordination agreements

Kathleen Bailey, Oceanographer/Physical Scientist (Federal)

Programmatic Responsibilities:

  • Tracking flow of data through various elements of the DMAC system (Regional Data Assembly Centers, IOOS Catalog, NDBC, CO-OPS)
  • DMAC Implementation and user engagement
  • Lead for the Glider Program
  • IOOS Member of the QARTOD Board of Advisors
  • DMAC lead for Regional Association Certification

Mathew Biddle, Data Management Analyst (Federal)

Programmatic Responsibilities:

  • IOOS POC for NCEI data archival
  • MBON Portal and biological data and products liaison
  • DMAC project support (ERDDAP, biological data standards)
  • IOOS products and services analytics and outreach

Gabrielle Canonico, IOOS Biology Lead and MBON Manager (Federal)

Programmatic Responsibilities:

  • Program Manager for the Marine Biodiversity Observation Network (MBON)
  • Coordinating stronger representation of biological observations in IOOS
  • Development of the MBON Portal
  • USG representative for MBON to the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission and the Group on Earth Observations
  • Co-Chair, NOPP Interagency Biodiversity Working Group

Jeffrey Coogan, QARTOD National Coordinator (ISS)

Programmatic Responsibilities:

  • IOOS Point of Contact for Quality Assurance/Quality Control of Real Time Ocean Data (QARTOD)

Tobey Curtis, Ph.D., Animal Telemetry Network Coordinator (Federal)

Programmatic Responsibilities:

  • Manage the development of the Data Assembly Center (DAC)
  • Coordinate the implementation of the network and grow the network into a sustainable observing system

Tracy Fanara, Ph.D., NOS Coastal Modeling Portfolio Manager (Federal)

Programmatic Responsibilities:

  • Program Manager for the IOOS Coastal and Ocean Modeling Testbed
  • Manage the development of operational coastal models across NOS program offices
  • Stakeholder management for coastal ocean modeling and product development

Michael Lalime, Technical Analyst (ISS)

Programmatic Responsibilities:

  • Supports IOOS coastal modeling cloud sandbox development and testing
  • Stakeholder outreach planning and engagement for coastal ocean modeling
  • Project management support for Bipartisan Infrastructure Legislation Coastal modeling projects

Hassan Moustahfid, Ph.D., Marine Biologist (Federal)

Programmatic Responsibilities:

  • Serve as scientific and technical point of contact for marine biological programs
  • Facilitate partnership building between biological programs in NOS, NOAA, the Regional Associations and the larger IOOS Enterprise

Tiffany C. Vance, Ph.D., Physical Scientist and Data Manager (Federal)

Programmatic Responsibilities:

  • DMAC implementation and architecture
  • Ocean Technology Transition (OTT) Program Manager
  • Functional POC for geospatial, cloud computing, and GIS activities
  • OOS co-lead for biogeochemical, ocean acidification, and HAB related data
  • Project management for IOOS/Axiom activities
  • Transition Manager for the Pacific Northwest HAB Bulletin and IOOS representative to the HAB Tech Team
  • Project manager for the IOOS cloud computing sandbox for ocean models

Micah Wengren, DMAC System Architect (Federal)

Programmatic Responsibilities:

Brian Zelenke, Surface Currents Program Manager (Federal)

Programmatic Responsibilities:

  • Program and Technical Lead for the US HF Radar network
  • Stakeholder management for coastal circulation observing and product development
  • Point of Contact for Radio Frequency Allocation issues
  • Manage the HF Radar Data Assembly Center
  • Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR)

Melissa Zweng, DMAC Program Coordinator (Federal)

Programmatic Responsibilities:

  • Coordinates Data Management and Cyberinfrastructure (DMAC) planning, budgets, and activities
  • Supports DMAC team in project management, RA certification, stakeholder engagement, and technical coordination

Regions, Budget, and Policy Division:

Dave Easter, Division Chief (Federal)

Programmatic Responsibilities:

  • U.S. IOOS implementation and program development
  • IOOS lead for the RICE certification process
  • IOOS business manager

Becky Baltes, Strategic Planning Manager (Federal)

Programmatic Responsibilities:

  • Lead IOOS strategic planning
  • Lead IOOS program and process improvement
  • NOS representative to NOAA Observing System Committee

Brandon Barlow, IOOS Regional Ocean and Coast Fellow (Sea Grant)

Programmatic Responsibilities:

  • Supports the IOOS Advisory Committee
  • Supports data management certification for IOOS Regional Associations
  • Supports coordination among regional offices
  • Supports staffing and preparation for regional engagements
  • Serves as a New Blue Economy liaison between the NOS team, the regional coordinators, and the Regional Associations

Amira Boone-Ofosu, Office Coordinator

Programmatic Responsibilities:

  • Information and Federal Records Management
  • IOOS meeting coordination and support
  • Travel Planning
  • IT Coordination
  • Safety and Facilities Management

Kate Culpepper, Communications Specialist (Federal)

Programmatic Responsibilities:

  • Communications (e.g., press releases, media events, outreach materials)
  • Education & outreach activities
  • Coordination with NOAA Public Affairs, NOS Communications and Education Division, IOOS Association Education and Outreach Council, and external communications contacts

Nicholas Dawson, Program Analyst for Grants and Regional Coordination (ISS)

Programmatic Responsibilities:

  • Supporting the administration of Bipartisan Infrastructure Law cooperative agreements
  • Coordinating efforts and fostering relationships with the IOOS Regions, IOOS Association, interagency partners
  • Assisting with coordination of observing system assets with partners

Becca Derex, Legislative Affairs Lead (Federal)

Programmatic Responsibilities:

  • Legislative Affairs
  • Budget Formulation Lead
  • Programmatic support to the U.S. IOOS Advisory Committee
  • Supports reporting as required by the ICOOS Act

Courtney Edwards, Program Analyst (ISS)

Programmatic Responsibilities:

  • Regional Association Bipartiasan Infrastructure Law project coordination and tracking
  • Support IOOS Federal Advisory Committee
  • Support administration of IOOS cooperative agreements and other IOOS awards

Susan Fox, Regional Coordinator (Federal)

Programmatic Responsibilities:

  • Lead for Regional Association coordination for GCOOS, GLOS, NANOOS, PacIOOS, and SECOORA
  • Monitor and provide technical oversight of Regional Association cooperative agreements
  • Coordinate NOAA to Regional Association engagement

Rosa González, Environmental Compliance Coordinator (Federal)

Programmatic Responsibilities:

  • Maintain the IOOS Program Environmental Assessment
  • Review IOOS solicitations and request for applications for environmental compliance
  • Review proposed activities consistent with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)
  • Develop and maintain environmental compliance policies and procedures

Jennifer Hinden, Cooperative Programs Specialist (Federal)

Programmatic Responsibilities:

  • Federal Acquisition Certification Contracting Officer Representative
  • Grant management and cooperative agreements
  • Manage Inter-agency Agreements and Memorandums of Understanding

Kelly Jasion, Financial Management Specialist (Federal)

Programmatic Responsibilities:

  • Lead for budget execution and financial management
  • Human Resources Liaison, coordinates hiring actions
  • Manages transfers and receipt of funds to other NOAA offices

Erick Lee, Financial Management Specialist (Federal)

Programmatic Responsibilities:

  • Administrative lead for the U.S. IOOS Advisory Committee
  • Support budget execution and financial management
  • Lead for property management

Maria Murray, Regional Coordinator (Federal)

Programmatic Responsibilities:

  • Lead for Regional Association coordination for AOOS, CARICOOS, CeNCOOS, MARACOOS, NERACOOS, SCCOOS
  • Monitor and provide technical oversight of Regional Association cooperative agreements
  • Coordinate NOAA to Regional Association engagement

Torie Ketcham, Webmaster (ISS) (Consultant)

Programmatic Responsibilities:

  • Assist with web site maintenance, issues and updates
  • Collaborate with Communications team to add new site content
  • Ensure functionality and efficiency of site