Current PCO Staffers
Click on the photos above to read about the current PCO staff.
Katya Wowk
National Ocean Service (NOS)
EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE
Kateryna (Katya) Wowk is an expert in multidisciplinary approaches to problem solving in the sustainable use of ocean and coastal environments. She has over seven years' experience working with international and domestic ocean policy, sustainable marine resource management, and has written extensively on the impacts of climate change in the ocean and on regional oceans governance. Among other positions, she worked as a Knauss Fellow and subsequently as Policy Specialist for the NOAA/NOS National Marine Protected Areas (MPA) Center. For years she also worked as a Researcher and Consultant for the Global Ocean Forum, an international non-governmental organization that focuses on advancing the global oceans agenda. Most recently, Katya gained private sector experience working as the NOS/NMFS Deputy Program Manger for ERT, Inc, a major contractor to NOAA. Katya holds a Ph.D. in Marine Policy and International Relations from the University of Delaware, and a Master’s in Environmental Science and Policy from Columbia University.
Henry DeBey
National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS)
EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE
Henry DeBey recently replaced Danielle Rioux (Feb 12) and hails from California but earned his master’s degree in Marine Ecology and Policy from Yale University. For the last year, he has worked as a sea grant fellow in the Office of International Affairs at NOAA Fisheries and has been the staff lead on international relations pertaining to fisheries with the European Union and West African nations, such as Morocco and Senegal.
Kate Becker
National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS)
EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE
Kate Becker took over for pat O'Brien as NESDIS PCO in May 2012. Kate came from the NESDIS International and Interagency Affairs Division, where she served as a graduate assistant working on issues ranging from negotiating interagency agreements to facilitating international data dissemination efforts. Prior to joining NOAA in October 2011, Kate worked in space science education at the Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center. Kate holds a BS in physics and mathematical sciences and an MA in International Science and Technology Policy with a focus in space policy.
Megan Mueller
NOAA Research
EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE
Megan Mueller has just assumed the role of OAR PCO (Feb 12) from Chris Moses and came to NOAA in 2011 as a Knauss Sea Grant Fellow in Marine Policy. She served as Special Assistant to the OAR AA, working on the breadth of OAR's research portfolio, including NOAA's response to the Fukushima nuclear incident, engagement and innovation with the X Prize Foundation, and FOIA policy issues. Before coming to NOAA, Megan worked on ocean and environmental policy issues in the non-profit sector and with the federal, state, and local governments. Megan is a member of the Maryland Bar and a graduate of the University of Maryland, School of Law where she earned a Certificate in Environmental Law concurrently with her J.D. She also holds a B.S. in marine science and biology from the University of South Carolina.
LT Adrienne Hopper
Office of Marine and Aviation Operations
EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE
LT Hopper has been with PCO since October of 2012 and was appointed into the NOAA Corps in February 2008. LT Hopper completed one sea assignment aboard NOAA Ship Gordon Gunter where her last operational mission was in response to Deep Water Horizon. LT Hopper then worked for OMAO in Hawaii and most recently at OMAO Headquarters. She received her Bachelor of Science degree in Zoology, with a concentration in Marine Biology, from Michigan State University in 2007.
Michaela Clemence
Dean John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship
EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE
Michaela recently replaced Kristin Carden (Feb 12) as the 2012 PCO Sea Grant Fellow. She received her BS in biology and environmental studies from the University of Richmond and her MS in coastal marine resources management from the Bren School of Environmental Science and Management at UCSB. Her graduate work focused on marine spatial planning and bio-economic modeling for offshore shrimp aquaculture in Mexico. Michaela has previously worked with the National Marine Fisheries Service investigating the role of marine protected areas in resource management in the U.S. Virgin Islands and as a corporate recruiter for bio-pharmaceutical companies in Boston.
Paul Schlatter
National Weather Service
EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE
Paul recently relieved James Peronto (Feb 12) and has spent 10 months as an executive advisor to Dr. Jack Hayes. Previously, Paul worked for 8 years at the NWS Warning Decision Training Branch (WDTB) in Norman, OK. While with WDTB, he designed and delivered a wide range of training modules for the NWS, focusing on high impact weather warnings. He was the project lead for the dual-polarization radar operations course and was instrumental to the success of the development and current deployment of the upgrade to the nation’s fleet of 159 radars. Paul graduated from Westmont College in Santa Barbara, CA with a B.S. in Engineering Physics, and received an M.S. in Meteorology from the University of Oklahoma.