"Elaina is the perfect fit to lead this team," said Dr. Robert Foy, science and research director, Alaska Fisheries Science Center commenting on the appointment.
Photo: NOAA Fisheries.
NOAA Fisheries Alaska Fisheries Science Center has added a new member to its leadership team with the appointment of Dr. Elaina Jorgensen as Chief of Staff. She will lead a newly organized strategic support team "to more efficiently provide products and services to both center staff and Alaska interested parties."
According to its science and research director, Dr. Robert Foy, the Alaska Fisheries Science Center has been undertaking a multi-year effort to strategically respond to climate-driven changes in the environment, improve operating efficiencies, support survey modernization efforts, and mitigate shifting survey needs.
"Creating this strategic team and realigning information flow puts us in a better position to take on these new challenges," he explained. "Elaina is the perfect fit to lead this team. She brings to the position a breadth of experience, having worked both as a scientist for the center for 28 years, and served in various management positions," he added.
Dr. Jorgensen has worked as an oceanographer, research fisheries biologist, planning officer, and most recently as deputy director of the Marine Mammal Laboratory. In addition, she has often collaborated with members of the fishing industry, coastal community members, scientists, marine educators, and Congressional staff to help convey NOAA Fisheries' scientific mission.
Moreover, Dr. Elaina Jorgensen, who earned a Masters in Fisheries and a Ph.D. in Oceanography from the University of Washington, has numerous research publications to her credit, including the Field Guide to Squids and Octopods of the Eastern North Pacific and Bering Sea.
"Throughout her career, Elaina has proven herself as a capable scientist, talented communicator, and critical thinker," Dr. Robert Foy continued, commenting on her training and experience. "She is well suited to assist me and the rest of the leadership team in successfully implementing strategic initiatives and tackling new challenges so we can continue to provide resource managers and interested parties with the best available science to support and understand our marine resources."
In her new position, Elaina Jorgensen will oversee the Strategic Support Team. This team is responsible for leading responses to external requests for information, implementing the science center's strategic initiatives, as well as coordinating the planning necessary to ensure the center succeeds in the mission set forth in its Strategic Science Plan.
This is the second appointment announced by NOAA Fisheries since the summer began. In late June, fishery policy analyst Celia Barroso was named as the new California Regional Aquaculture Coordinator, based in Long Beach, California.
