John Tomczuk coordinates coral activities for the Office of Ocean and Atmospheric Research (OAR). He resides in the Ocean Acidification Program (OAP) and is responsible for representing OAR in matters pertaining to shallow coral ecosystems through the NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program (CRCP). The CRCP is a matrix-managed program consisting of four NOAA line offices (OAR, the National Ocean Service, the National Marine Fisheries Service, and the National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service) that work cooperatively to conserve and protect coral ecosystems. John’s tasks and duties include tracking budgets; responding to internal and external requests for information; critically reviewing documents for scientific merit, quality, and balance; and coordinating with other CRCP representatives to implement program activities for shallow coral ecosystems. Additionally, John manages the CRCP’s Coral Reef Management Fellowship Program and coordinates their climate pillar activities. The fellowship is a two-year program to address coral reef management capacity needs in the US coral reef jurisdictions while providing recent college graduates with an opportunity to gain professional experience in resource management at the jurisdictional level. His climate responsibilities involve working with internal and external partners to develop implementation plans and projects to address priority research and monitoring needs in the US coral jurisdictions to address climate impacts. The focus is to provide targeted tools, products and services to inform on-the-ground management of coral reef ecosystems. Prior to joining OAP, John worked in NOAA’s Office of Ocean Exploration and Research coordinating shallow and deep-sea coral activities, and Guam and Micronesia on grassroots coral reef conservation issues.

email: john.tomczuk@noaa.gov