NOAA Has #PrideInTheOcean

My path to Washington Sea Grant was winding, but one thing was a constant: my love for the ocean. I grew up in Southern California and then Carmel Valley with a mother who learned to scuba dive for fun. I went from swimming in the ocean whenever I could to acting as beach support for my mom when she dove, to scuba diving myself. I love anywhere the land touches water with a special place in my heart for tidepools and the creatures that live in them.

Professionally, I started out as an engineer working in the Space Shuttle program then became a web programmer in the early days of the World Wide Web. I switched to teaching before I washed up at Washington Sea Grant as their all-around IT person and webmaster. My experience as a queer person in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) led me to view my IT work through an equity lens, which led to the opportunity to co-chair the Washington Sea Grant Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Workgroup. I’m now the co-lead of the DEI Development Circle, where we make space for all staff to learn, share, and teach.

The ocean has always been that thing bigger than me that I turn to when I need comfort or healing or joy. I feel honored to work for and with other people who care for it as much as I do.

I have always loved the weather and the water! Growing up in Northeast Ohio brought a lot of fun trips exploring what Lake Erie had to offer. I started my NOAA career by volunteering at the National Weather Service (NWS) offices in Charleston, West Virginia, and Bismarck, North Dakota. As a full-time meteorologist at NWS San Diego, I feel a connection with the ocean and those who enjoy it's pristine features across Southern California. I have pride in the ocean by how I am able to provide weather forecasts and preparedness information to workers and the public. It is not only a place of pride at work, but also in daily life, where we are able to find peace in the ocean's beauty.

Aloha mai. I'm Dr. Robyn Walters, an 84 year-old transgender volunteer (she/her) with Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary, and 2014 National Volunteer of the Year. Working with a diverse group of talented staff and volunteers, I am happiest when sharing with the public both science-based knowledge about our sea life and NOAA's involvement in protecting our ocean home for future generations.

I’m Kenneth Walker and I have #PrideInTheOcean. As Chair of NOAA Pride, an Employee Resource Group formed in 2019 to focus on the needs of the LGBTQ+ community and its allies, I lead NOAA’s efforts to recruit, retain, and advance members of the LGBTQ+ community. I work for the NOS Office for Coastal Management, and manage a portfolio of community resilience tools, case studies, and trainings available via NOAA’s Digital Coast.

While in my 20’s, I circumnavigated the North Atlantic while serving as first mate and cook on a 59-foot sailboat. Along the way, I visited many coastal communities – some well-planned, but most not, which piqued my interest in city planning and coastal management. After pursuing a bachelors and master’s degree in city planning, I started with NOAA in 1994. I enjoy developing NOAA products and services that are used by local planners and decision-makers to help make their coastal communities more resilient to hazards and climate change.

I joined the NOAA Finance Office in July of 2010. At the time of the interview, we lived in Indiana and my girlfriend was being transferred to Maryland. I could have done a phone interview, but I chose to do it in person. The main reason was to get a feel of the environment and see if they were “gay friendly.” I figured I would know pretty quickly in the interview as they would ask me why I was moving (which they did). I told them my significant other was transferring with her job, and did not receive one look of surprise or hesitation. I already knew I wanted to work for NOAA, as I love their mission, however I would not have worked for them if there had been any indication in the interview that I would not be welcome. I was offered the position one month later and have moved forward ever since. I am currently a member of the NOAA Pride Employee Resource Group!

Aloha, my name is Allen Tom, and I am the superintendent of Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary. I am so proud to work to protect our marine ocean environment for future generations to enjoy and cherish. I was a graduate student at the University of Hawai'i at Manoa, when I first learned about NOAA. I had some vague idea about what NOAA was (they do weather, right?), but it was not until I went to work at the Hawai'i Sea Grant program as an extension agent that I would come to understand the full magnitude of what NOAA has to offer. Many of my fellow graduate students applied for a variety of NOAA fellowships including the NOAA Hollings Fellowship program and the Nancy Foster Scholarship program.

It would not be for another decade before NOAA and I would find each other again, but in that time I had the great fortune to work in the Hawai'i State Legislature, Bishop Museum, Hanauma Bay (to name a few). These different experiences not only prepared me for my current job as a superintendent, but helped me understand different ways of looking and dealing with issues. As a sanctuary superintendent, I am equally proud to have hired and to have supported staff and volunteers of all nationalities, religious beliefs, sexual orientations, and gender identities. I am so fortunate that being out has never been an issue for me either in my community or at NOAA.