Margaret Miller is the Research Director for SECORE International, a conservation nonprofit dedicated to creating and sharing the tools and technologies to sustainably restore coral reefs worldwide.  She leads SECORE’s research strategy and fosters research collaborations with scientific partners. Margaret serves on the US-Acropora Recovery Implementation Team (ARIT) and as a Councilor-At-Large for the International Coral Reef Society.

Mary Glackin was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1954.  She graduated from the University of Maryland, College Park, in 1982 with a degree in computer science and coursework in meteorology.  Mary started her career with General Electric before coming to the National Weather Service in 1997, where she worked for twenty years, working her way from Computer Specialist to Meteorologist to Program Manager for the Advanced Weather Forecast Information System.

Mary Kicza was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico in 1959.  She earned a bachelor’s degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from California State University and a masters degree in Business Administration from the Florida Institute of Technology.  Mary started her federal career as a coop student working as a civil servant for the Air Force at McClellan Air Force Base in Sacramento, California.  She worked at McClellan as an engineer developing software for automated test systems supporting Air Force satellite systems.  In 1982, Mary came to work for NASA where she

Captain Maureen Kenny was born in 1953 in Richmond, California. She graduated from Michigan State University in 1975 with a degree in Mathematics, and immediately joined the NOAA Corps when she was twenty-two. After training at Kings Point Maritime Academy, Captain Kenny reported to the NOAA Ship Davidson in Anchorage, Alaska. Her assignments took her all over the country throughout her career. She also attended Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California, and earned her master's in Oceanography/Hydrography.

Max Mayfield was born on September 19, 1948, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. He attended the University of Oklahoma, earning a Bachelor of Science in Meteorology. He began his career with the National Weather Service in 1972 and held various positions within the organization before becoming the director of the National Hurricane Center in 2000. Mayfield pursued further education at Florida State University, obtaining a Master of Science degree in Meteorology. During his tenure, he provided expertise and guidance during numerous significant hurricanes, including Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

In his role as Director of the Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, Dr. Seki provides the science direction and oversight of research activities that support stewardship of living marine resources in the vast expanse of the Pacific Islands Region. Since joining NOAA Fisheries in 1980, Dr. Seki has conducted extensive fisheries, oceanographic, and ecosystem research on many marine species in the Pacific. He has authored or co-authored more than 40 scientific papers and participated in over 20 domestic and international research surveys.

On October 19, 2021, Molly Graham interviewed Nezette Rydell remotely for the NOAA 50th Oral History Project. Rydell, born in 1955 in San Antonio, Texas, pursued a career in meteorology, influenced by early experiences with extreme weather events. She earned a degree in meteorology from Texas A&M University, where she was among the few women in the program. In the interview, Rydell discusses her formative years, family background, and the influence of the space race on her educational interests.

Nir Barnea was born in Israel in 1956. Nir’s father, Daniel Barnea, survived the Holocaust, while his grandparents were deported and killed in Auschwitz in 1945.  Nir graduated in 1974 from Har Vagai High School in Upper Galilee, Israel, and served in the Israel Defense Forces until 1977.  Nir immigrated to the United States and earned his BS in Microbiology from the University of Washington, in Seattle.  He continued his graduate education at UW, earning a master’s degree in Environmental Health.  Nir is also a Certified Industrial Hygienist.

Otto Rutten is the Associate Operations Director at the Aquarius Reef Base underwater laboratory in Key Largo, Florida. Born and raised in Key Largo, Rutten developed a passion for marine biology from a young age, inspired by watching Jacques Cousteau on television. Despite his early fascination with marine science, Rutten pursued engineering at North Carolina State University and later worked for the North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries while completing a master’s program at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington (UNCW).

Commander Pamela Chelgren-Koterba, born in 1950 in Annapolis, Maryland, grew up in various places across the United States. She was the third of seven children in the family of Captain John Chelgren, a distinguished U.S. Navy officer, and Ruth Henderson, a talented singer. Growing up, Pam played the piano and flute.  She studied bioengineering at the University of California, Berkeley, and graduated in 1972. During her time at Berkeley, she worked at the Space Sciences Laboratory, contributing to the OGO 5 satellite data verification. In 1972, Pamela joined the NOAA Corps.