NOAA Names Sarah Malloy to Lead Fisheries’ Pacific Islands Region

NOAA has selected Ms. Sarah Malloy as the Regional Administrator for NOAA Fisheries' Pacific Islands Regional Office. Ms. Malloy will officially assume her new role on September 9. As the new Regional Administrator, Ms. Malloy will continue to focus the region's work on the protection of endangered and threatened species and marine mammals, the sustainable use of marine life, and the conservation of the habitats on which these resources depend.

She will also continue to work with the Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center to integrate cutting-edge science into policy and management decision-making. They will work together - and with the great diversity of people across the region - for the conservation and management of domestic and international marine resources.

"Sarah's depth of experience in policy and management in the U.S. Pacific Islands is a tremendous asset to the region and the agency," said NOAA Fisheries Director Janet Coit. "In addition to her tremendous experience, Sarah makes a concerted effort to listen to others, is open to new perspectives, and seeks long-term solutions to the issues confronting the people and natural resources of the western Pacific. We are thrilled to have her step into this important leadership role."

Ms. Malloy will manage the largest geographical area within NOAA Fisheries' jurisdiction. It is bounded by the Hawaiian Archipelago in the north, American Samoa and U.S. Pacific Remote Island Areas in the south, and the Mariana Archipelago in the west. The U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone within the region includes more than 1.7 million square nautical miles of ocean -roughly equal to the total EEZ around the continental U.S., including Alaska. Specific land areas in the regional office's jurisdiction are:

• Hawaiʻi
• American Samoa
• Guam
• Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands
• Pacific Remote Island Areas of Kingman Reef
• Howland, Baker, Jarvis, and Wake islands
• Johnston and Palmyra atoll

For the last 10 years, Ms. Malloy served as the Deputy Regional Administrator at the Pacific Islands Regional Office. She led the region in a temporary capacity for the last 2 years. During her tenure, she has:

• Fostered healthy U.S. fisheries that ensure food security and economic prosperity for the Pacific Islands
• Provided endangered species and essential fish habitat consultations for major coastal infrastructure projects to avoid jeopardizing protected species and fish habitat
• Represented U.S. goals for sustainable management of multinational Western Pacific stocks of tuna, protected resources, and corals
• Led the implementation of state-of-the-art electronic technologies to monitor Western Pacific fisheries

"The Pacific Islands portfolio encompasses the largest geographical area within the agency's jurisdiction and presents many complex challenges, whether it's fisheries and protected resources management or international resource management issues. Over the last decade, Sarah has shown that she is capable of helping to lead the region and skillfully tackling these challenges head on," said Sam Rauch, NOAA Fisheries' Deputy Assistant Administrator for Regulatory Programs.

Prior to joining the Pacific Islands Regional Office, Ms. Malloy served as the strategic planner for NOAA's Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center. She was named the director of the Economics and Social Science program during her tenure there. She first joined NOAA Fisheries as an analyst within the regional office's Protected Resources Division, working on Hawaiian monk seal response and Endangered Species Act Section 7 analysis.

Ms. Malloy had an extensive career as an environmental economics consultant before joining NOAA. In that capacity, she focused on analyzing a range of issues, such as the economic effects of climate change; the economic benefits of national parks; and the economic impacts of critical habitat designation under the Endangered Species Act.

Sarah has a B.A. in economics and public policy from Georgetown University and a graduate degree in public policy and economics from Princeton University, focused on environmental economics and science and technology policy.

Ms. Malloy is a native of New Hampshire. And even though she has lived in Hawaiʻi for more than 20 years, she still loves winter sports in small doses-including visits to the Ice Palace in Honolulu, where she enjoys ice skating. She enjoys traveling with her family, baking, and spoiling her chocolate Labrador retriever, Rosabelle.

"We have an extraordinary team in the Pacific Islands Regional Office. They are dedicated, innovative, and passionately committed to sustaining our marine resources for generations to come," Malloy said. "It's truly an honor and a privilege to continue to lead them in this new capacity. I look forward to our future accomplishments as we strive to enhance ecosystem resilience to climate change; foster greater inclusion and equity in our work with the many Pacific Islands communities; and ensure healthy and abundant seafood resources for our island homes."

Public link

Please use the above public link if you want to share this noodl on another website.