Peter DeCola named superintendent at Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary

September 2018

NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries has named Peter DeCola as the new superintendent of Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary. He succeeds Craig MacDonald, who retired in 2017.

DeCola is a retired U.S. Coast Guard Captain with 26 years of experience overseeing federal government programs and four years working in the private sector for a marine environmental consulting firm. He has a strong background in living marine resource management, developing teamwork and collaboration initiatives, and partnering with local, state, federal, tribal, and international organizations. From 2009 to 2014, he served as a member of the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council and the New England Regional Fishery Management Council.

DeCola received a master's in education from the University of Massachusetts as well as a master's in marine affairs from the University of Rhode Island. He earned his Bachelor of Science at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy.

DeCola lives in Plymouth, Massachusetts, with his wife and children.