Hi, I'm Nicole LeBoeuf,
assistant administrator for the National Ocean Service.
I am pleased and excited to share with you the new NOS
strategic plan.
Coastal communities are facing a myriad
of environmental and climate change threats; placing
lives, livelihoods and ecosystems at risk.
From sea level rise, marine debris, hurricanes and more.
Our planet is changing
faster in the ocean
and along our coasts than anywhere else, requiring
innovative and thoughtful solutions to complex challenges.
Aging infrastructure and growing
coastal populations exacerbate risk to communities.
And all of these pressures
can have a disproportionate impact
on underserved and underrepresented populations.
The critical role
that NOS plays in support of our coastal communities
and the entire nation is needed now more than ever.
NOS provides a diverse suite of products and programs
that bolster, protect
and restore our natural resources and economy.
We produce integral data to ensure safe and efficient
maritime transportation and commerce; provide expert
scientific support
and response to environmental threats;
manage marine protected areas; and work directly
with regional and local managers
to help communities prepare for the future.
The services we provide play a critical role
in the daily lives of tens of millions of Americans,
whether they're taking a vacation at the beach
or wearing sneakers that were delivered to the local mall
after coming into our country via one of our ports.
Our new strategic plan focuses on meeting our nation's
coastal challenges by utilizing the broad expertise
across NOS program offices, playing to our strengths
and uniting our workforce in common purpose
more than ever in the history of the organization.
This new plan focuses on four overarching priorities.
Within this document are NOS-wide priority pathways
and operating principles
for leveraging our trusted partnerships
and proven
expertise to meet increasing demands for what we do
across agencies,
economic sectors, communities and geographies,
including providing leadership on the world stage.
Through the priorities and objectives
laid out in this document,
NOS will remain true to our workforce and our core values
as they are the foundation upon which our mission
and service to the nation firmly rests.
On behalf of the National Ocean Service,
thank you for your interest in
and contributions to the development and implementation
of our new strategic plan.