Office of National Marine Sanctuaries Leadership

John Armor

Director, Office of National Marine Sanctuaries

John Armor is the director of NOAA's Office of National Marine Sanctuaries (ONMS), the trustee for a network of underwater parks encompassing more than 620,000 square miles of marine and Great Lakes waters from Washington state to the Florida Keys and from Lake Huron to American Samoa. In this capacity, he develops the strategic vision and overall policy direction for 15 national marine sanctuaries and Papahānaumokuākea and Rose Atoll Marine National Monuments. As the primary point of contact, he conveys the national marine sanctuaries' value to the administration, to Congress, and to the communities who rely on a healthy National Marine Sanctuary System as the basis for thriving recreation, tourism, and commercial activities driving coastal economies.

Mr. Armor has been with NOAA for over twenty years, serving as the ONMS national permitting coordinator, chief of the Conservation Policy and Planning Division, and deputy director overseeing personnel, policy, and administrative matters for the program office. In 2018, Mr. Armor served as the acting NOS deputy assistant administrator, overseeing the financial, administrative, and performance activities across the line office to address the evolving economic, environmental, and social pressures on our ocean, coasts, and coastal communities.

Prior to joining NOAA, Mr. Armor worked for the Florida Department of Environmental Protection's South District Office in Fort Myers, Florida. During his tenure, he worked to implement the state of Florida's wetland and estuarine protection and sovereign submerged lands programs.

Mr. Armor is a native of Portsmouth, Rhode Island — specifically, from along the shores of Narragansett Bay, where his passion for protecting special ocean places was born. He holds a bachelor's in marine science from the University of South Carolina and a master's in environmental science and policy from Johns Hopkins University. He is also a graduate of NOAA's Leadership Competencies Development Program.