Stephanie Watson Email & Phone Number

Augusta, Maine, Us

I am managing a comprehensive floating offshore wind program for the State of Maine in the Governor’s Energy Office. The current program focus includes the development of an extensive, multi-faceted offshore wind roadmap with hundreds of public and private sector stakeholders and several teams of technical contractors. The goal of the roadmap is to identify the best course for Maine to maximize the benefits of the thriving offshore wind sector to meet climate, clean energy, and economic goals, while sustaining existing ocean users and the environment. My work regularly involves coalition building and active cooperation between government, private sector developers and supply chain companies, and vital Gulf of Maine ocean stakeholders. Topics of focus include the alignment of offshore wind energy research and technology development, economic development, supply chain and workforce opportunities, energy markets, and co-existence with fisheries and the environment, with public and private sector stakeholders.

Satellite Beach, Florida, Us

Strategic leadership/program management consulting for public-private organizations on ocean issues, incl. offshore permitting & response:*CETACEAN Program Manager, NOAA/Gulf of Mexico Coastal Ocean Observing System (GCOOS)-On leadership team to deliver $5.8M project to meet diverse stakeholder requirements for marine mammal protection & restoration from oil spills*Gulf of Mexico Data Synthesis Center, Baton Rouge Area Foundation-Developed roadmap with diverse public-private stakeholders, including the offshore energy industry, across 5 Gulf of Mexico states, to establish a center to synthesize ocean data for socioeconomic & ocean applications*Strategic Planner, Gulf Offshore Research Institute-Developed strategy with public-private funding sources to repurpose offshore energy infrastructure for research, technology testing, workforce training, & education-Co-authored scientific paper to OCEANS ’18, “New Opportunities for Offshore Oil and Gas Platforms: Efficient, Effective, and Adaptable Facilities for Offshore Research, Monitoring, and Technology Testing”*Strategic Program and Communications Manager, GCOOS-Developed strategic plans with diverse stakeholders across 5 states, lead author on 10-year requirements-based plan for a Gulf of Mexico-wide observing system-Developed public-private partnerships & secured significant investments.-Co-authored 9 peer-reviewed journal articles on ocean observing systems, ocean technologies, data, & STEM education.-Managed a Gulf-wide communications team, developed membership, provided data expertise.*Critical Coastal & Ocean Infrastructure Communications, U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS) Association-Developed materials for national public-private partnership on benefits of Congressional investments in critical coastal & ocean infrastructure*Ocean Observing Systems Specialist, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution/SURA -Provided project management & technical expertise in ocean data interoperability

Hattiesburg, Ms, Us

-Helped establish the new coastal and ocean restoration Center of Excellence for Mississippi with Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill funding by cultivating public-private partnerships throughout the State of Mississippi, with public and private state research institutions, with seven federal agencies, and with large corporate partners.-Led communications activities, managed partnerships, developed governance documents, and coordinated data policy.

Moss Landing, Ca, Us

CeNCOOS is one of the 11 regional Ocean Observing Systems in the U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS). • Provided coalition-building and leadership of nearly 40 corporations, academic and research institutions, governmental agencies, and non-governmental organizations between the California-Oregon border and San Luis Obispo around coastal ocean observing. • Awarded more than $12M in grants as a co-PI, helped develop a business plan, led the development of a data management system, and led the development of a database-driven system for program management that was later adopted by NOAA to provide public transparency and effective management of all coastal ocean observing and monitoring. • Coordinated the regional ocean observing system, managed federal grants, appointed to several regional and national committees, managed budgets, led workshops, gave presentations, drafted testimony to U.S. Congress, and facilitated discussions on priorities for coastal and ocean observing.

Sacramento, California, Us

I coordinated the Marine Mapping Users Group, a nationwide group of ocean and coastal Geographic Information Systems professionals across diverse agencies, institutions and private corporations. I implemented interactive web mapping applications, as well as provided technical leadership in spatial data interoperability and metadata. My initiatives resulted in successful GIS training programs, as well as a nationwide ocean data interoperability and metadata project, funded through a National Science Foundation award.

Augusta, Maine, Us

I served as a Technical Coastal Planner in the Coastal Zone Management office, coordinating and providing technical assistance to coastal water quality and other coastal zone management initiatives (within federal legislation, such as the Coastal Zone Management Act, Clean Water Act, and National Environmental Protection Act). I administered grant programs under the Clean Water Act and Coastal Zone Management Act.

Us

I was awarded a competitive, national post-graduate fellowship from NOAA to provide expertise in coastal management and community-based coastal hazard mitigation initiatives. I helped Florida’s coastal communities mitigate the environmental and economic impacts of hurricanes, other severe weather, and long-term climate variability. I also reviewed proposals and project plans for concurrence with federal legislation, such as the Coastal Zone Management Act, Clean Water Act, and National Environmental Policy Act.

M.S., Spatial Information Science And Engineering

Certificate In Entrepreneurship

M.S., Ecology And Environmental Sciences