Two of our main committees — the Outreach & Education Council and the Products & Services Advisory Council — are focused on reaching out to stakeholder communities throughout the Gulf and developing the tools they need.
Outreach & Education Council (OEC)
This committee provides guidance and assistance to GCOOS in matters of education, outreach and public awareness. The OEC plays the lead role in developing, implementing and evaluating the Outreach and Education Plan for GCOOS and ensures that the Plan is consistent with the current GCOOS Build-out Plan, Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS) Development Plan and the GCOOS Strategic Plan. The OEC collectively is expected to be familiar with the GCOOS functions and operations, ocean science education standards, outreach and education pedagogy and evaluation techniques, and constituency building techniques among diverse audiences in the Gulf of Mexico. OEC membership includes representatives from formal, non-formal and informal education communities that reside in the Gulf of Mexico region and members are appointed by the GCOOS Board of Directors. At least one member of the Board of Directors serves as a member of the OEC Council and the Chair of the OEC is selected by the Council.
OEC Council Members
Staff Liaison: Dr. Chris Simoniello
Member |
Affiliation |
Representatives from Florida |
|
Charlene Mauro | Santa Rosa School District |
Mike Spranger | University of Florida |
Debbi Stone | Florida Aquarium |
Chris Verlinde | Florida Sea Grant |
Representatives from Alabama |
|
Lei Hu | Dauphin Island Sea Lab |
Margaret Sedlecky | Weeks Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve |
Lee Yokel | Gulf of Mexico Alliance |
Representatives from Mississippi |
|
Jessie Kastler | University of Southern Mississippi Gulf Coast Research Lab |
Carol Lutken | University of Mississippi |
Angela Sallis | NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) |
Joe Swaykos* | GCOOS Board of Directors |
Representatives from Louisiana |
|
Tricia LeBlanc | Sankofa Wetland Park and Nature Trail |
Dianne Lindstedt | Louisiana Sea Grant College Program |
Jean May-Brett* | Lousiana Dept of Education—Retired |
Dinah Maygarden | University of New Orleans |
Representatives from Texas |
|
Sarah Gossett | Galveston Bay Foundation |
John O’Connell | Texas Sea Grant College Program |
Leslie Peart | Texas State Aquarium |
Rob Smith | Woods Hole Group, Inc. |
Pamela Terasaki | Texas School District-Claughton Middle School |
At Large |
|
Doug Levin | Washington College |
Rusty Low | Institute for Global Environmental Strategies |
Board Representatives on the OEC |
|
Sarah Graves | University of Alabama-Huntsville |
Renee Collini | Northern Gulf of Mexico Sentinel Site Cooperative |
*Denotes OEC Members who also serve on the GCOOS Board of Directors |
Products & Services Advisory Council (PSAC)
This council ensures that the products and services developed and shared by GCOOS are driven by the needs of end-users. Council members are appointed by the GCOOS Board of Directors and reflect the broad spectrum of users and stakeholders interested in the data and products of ocean observing systems. The council:
- Identifies potential new audiences for data, products and services;
- Identifies new products and services, and provide input to improve existing GCOOS data, products and services, necessary to meet the requirements of the GCOOS user community;
- Assesses the usefulness of products and services to users and the effectiveness of information dissemination and delivery practices to decision makers (this should include advice on needed metrics for evaluation);
- Makes recommendations to the Board on research or pilot projects that are needed to sustain and enhance the products and services and on projects to transition to operational status;
- Provides advice as may be requested by the GCOOS Board or other bodies.
The chairperson and other officers, as may be determined to be necessary by the Council members or the Board of Directors, are elected by the Council members. At least one member of the Board of Directors and one member of the Outreach & Education Council shall be appointed by the Board to serve on the Products & Services Advisory Council. The chair and other officers will work with the chairs of the Outreach and Education Council (OEC), Data Management & Communications Committee and Observing Systems Committee (DMAC) to closely link the work of the committees and councils.
PSAC Council Members
Staff Liaisons: Dr. Shin Kobara & Grant Craig
Member |
Affiliation |
State |
Andrew Reich | Florida Department of Health | Florida |
Steve Sempier | Mississippi-Alabama Sea-Grant Consortium | Mississippi |
Greg Steyer | United States Geological Survey | Louisiana |
Jerry Madden | Shreveport Sail and Power Squadron | Louisiana |
Jim Gibeaut | Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies | Texas |
Jorge Brenner | The Nature Conservancy | Texas |