Conrad C. Lautenbacher

A native of Philadelphia, retired U.S. Navy vice admiral Conrad C. Lautenbacher most recently served as undersecretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and as administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). At NOAA, he oversaw the agency’s day-to-day operations, as well as its strategic and operational future. The agency includes the National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Services; National Marine Fisheries Service; National Ocean Service; National Weather Service; Oceanic and Atmospheric Research; Marine and Aviation Operations; and the NOAA Corps, the nation’s seventh uniformed service. As NOAA administrator, Lautenbacher spearheaded the first-ever Earth Observation Summit, which hosted ministerial-level representation from several dozen nations in Washington in July 2003. Through subsequent international summits and working groups, he worked to encourage world scientific and policy leaders to work toward a common goal of building a sustained Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS) that would collect and disseminate data, information, and models to stakeholders and decisionmakers for the benefit of all nations individually and the world community collectively. The effort culminated in an agreement for a 10-year implementation plan for GEOSS reached by the 55 member countries of the Group on Earth Observations at the Third Observation Summit held in Brussels in February 2005. Lautenbacher was selected to serve as cochair of the Group on Earth Observations at GEO-I in Geneva in May 2005.

Lautenbacher has also headed numerous delegations at international governmental summits and conferences around the world, including the U.S. delegation to the first and second Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Ocean Ministerial Meetings in Korea in 2002 and Indonesia in 2005 and the annual meetings of the World Meteorological Organization, Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission, the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, and the Commerce Department delegation to the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development in South Africa. Before joining NOAA, he formed his own management consultant business and worked principally for Technology, Strategies & Alliances Inc. Lautenbacher is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and holds M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from Harvard University in applied mathematics. He retired after 40 years of service in the U.S. Navy.