Washington Post columnist Andrew Freedman zeros in on the prospects for the top job at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The pick will oversee fisheries and atmospheric science research, among other things.
“[T]he next few years are slated to be a rebuilding phase for NOAA; similar to a sports franchise that has hit a rough patch and needs an infusion of new talent and a morale boost,” he writes. “The question is whether the agency will come out a winner next season, or if it will struggle under new management. Much of that depends on who is selected to run the agency.”
The top names, according to his sources:
- Leon Panetta, former Democratic congressman from California, chief of staff to former President Clinton, and chair the Pew Oceans Commission
- Bruce Babbitt, former Interior Secretary under Clinton
- Ralph Cicerone, president of the National Academy of Sciences
- Marsha McNutt, CEO of the Monterey Aquarium Research Institute
- Jane Lubchenco, an environmental scientist and marine ecologist at Oregon State University
- Rosina Bierbaum, professor and dean of the University of Michigan’s School of Natural Resources and Environment
- Warren Washington, senior scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research
- Michael S. Bruno, dean of the Charles V. Schaefer Jr. School of Engineering at Stevens Institute of Technology
- Richard Anthes, director of the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research
- Eileen Shea, director of a NOAA center in Hawaii
