NOAA 2002-041 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Jordan St. John 4/17/02

NOAA News Releases 2002 NOAA Home Page NOAA Public Affairs

TIMOTHY KEENEY SWORN IN AS DEPUTY ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF COMMERCE FOR OCEANS AND ATMOSPHERE Connecticut native Timothy R.E. Keeney was sworn in as deputy assistant secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere during a recent ceremony in Washington, D.C. In this capacity, Kenney will be a key member of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) managment team. NOAA is the nation's top government science and environmental management agency and is led by Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere Vice Admiral Conrad C. Lautenbacher, Jr., USN (ret.). At NOAA Keeney will work on environmental policy, strategic planning and program analysis. "Tim Keeney brings with him years of valuable experience in natural resource conservation and management as well as regulatory decision making," Lautenbacher said. "His background will be invaluable to the NOAA team. We are eager to put into action the skills that have made Tim a success in state and federal government, as well as industry." NOAA serves the nation by forecasting all U.S. weather and climate, monitoring and archiving ocean and atmospheric data, managing marine fisheries and mammals, and conducting cutting-edge oceanic, atmospheric and solar research. The agency manages the U.S. operational weather and environmental satellites, a fleet of research ships and aircraft, and 12 environmental research laboratories. It maintains a budget of more than $3.2 billion and 12,700 employees at posts in every U.S. state, at sea and many overseas locations. NOAA is home to one of the nation's seven uniformed services, the NOAA Corps. "Under VADM Lautenbacher's team-management approach, I expect to work with issues involving fisheries, coastal protected areas and coastal management," Keeney said. "Having previously worked at NOAA for several years, I know it is a preeminent scientific agency with highly trained and dedicated employees. I look forward to strengthening relationships with the multiple stakeholder groups, including conservation organizations and private industry, as well as the U.S. Congress and state and local governments." Keeney has served in numerous public and private positions throughout his career. Most recently, he served as director of environmental services for Northeast Utilities Service Company in Hartford, Conn., beginning February 1998. Keeney earned a bachelor's degree from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania in 1970 and a doctor of laws degree from the University of Connecticut School of Law in 1976. He also completed the environmental leadership program at Yale University's School of Forestry and Environmental Studies. He has held several environmental management and regulatory positions, including NOAA general counsel, and director of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management at NOAA's National Ocean Service. He served as commissioner for the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection and director of the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management. Keeney was also president of Dufrane Nuclear Services, Inc. in Avon, Conn. A captain in the United States Naval Reserve, he is currently the commander of Naval Reserve SEAL Special Boat Squadron Two, at Little Creek Naval Amphibious Base Norfolk, Va. NOAA is dedicated to enhancing economic security and national safety through the prediction and research of weather and climate-related events and providing environmental stewardship of our nation's coastal and marine resources. To learn more about NOAA, please visit http://www.noaa.gov.