Dr. Stephan D. Howden is an Associate Professor in the Department of Marine Science at the University of Southern Mississippi, where he has directed the Central Gulf of Mexico Ocean Observing System since 2003.  Howden has been involved with what became the GCOOS since 2003. His activities with GCOOS include:

• Member of the Board of Directors since 2010;
• HF Radar Technical Steering Team for the NOAA Integrated Ocean Observing System Program Office, 2010-present.
• Chair of the GCOOS Observing System Committee from its inception in 2005 until 2014;
• Chair of the GCOOS Gulf Glider Task Team since its inception in 2013 until 2014 (still a participating member);
• Chair of the Business Plan Working Group 2004-2005 that produced the first business plan for the organization;
• Member of the 2011 writing team for the GCOOS Build-Out Plan required for submission to the NOAA IOOS Office (led the HFR and AUV sections) and subsequent writing teams updating the plan;
• Participated as a GCOOS representative at the NFRA meeting to coordinate all of the Regional Association Build-Out Plans in spring 2011 in Portland, Maine;
• Participated in revision of GCOOS Build-Out Plan for submission to the NFRA and NOAA IOOS Office after the NFRA meeting in spring 2011.

Selected related activities include:

• Member Program Advisory Committee for the Ocean Observatories Initiative, from 2013 until it ended in 2015;
• Member of the Review Panel for the IOOS Plan for a National HF Radar Surface Current Capability, 2008;
• Members of Nutrient Priority Team of the Gulf of Mexico Alliance;
• Served as a panel member for a NOAA Town Hall Meeting on the role of the private sector in IOOS during the Oceans09 Conference in Biloxi, MS;
• Participant at The U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS) Regional Coordination Workshop, Shedd Aquarium in Chicago, Nov. 7-9, 2006.