Lynne Mersfelder-Lewis

PROGRAM MANAGER, HYDROGRAPHIC SERVICES REVIEW PANEL, FEDERAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE, US DOC NOAA NATIONAL OCEAN SERVICE

Lynne has an international background with experience in coastal management and marine protected areas, outreach/communication efforts as well as the organization and implementation of international meetings, training and events and worked in NOS’s international program office most of her career. Lynne currently serves as the Program Manager for the Hydrographic Services Review Panel, a Federal Advisory Committee at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) that advises the NOAA Administrator. Lynne was the secretariat and manager of an annual $800k NOAA-wide partnership with the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries for the Republic of Korea. She worked closely in and as a partner with the Office of National Marine Sanctuaries international capacity building program working on training programs, including initiating a partnership with Korean marine protected areas program to share information and train a cadre of protected area professionals. She worked in the NOS Office of Coastal Management where she managed a $1 million budget/1,000 attendee Coastal Zone 2013 conference where she found partners, funds and staff as well as started the first student mentor program in the conference series. She is passionate about marine conservation and throughout her career she has worked on international and domestic training workshops, meetings, outreach initiatives, education and special events often working within NOAA, other Federal agencies and with key stakeholders and partners to develop and implement coastal and ocean policy and tell this important story.

She earned a B.S. in International Affairs from American University. She is an avid SCUBA diver, international traveler, and enjoys volunteering with her dogs as a group leader at the Armed Forces Retirement Home. She has been a WAN member, volunteer, and chaired the organization for 3 years, in the 1990’s and 2000’s where she helped reshape membership and finances. She serves as an informal mentor who has helped dozens of colleagues with jobs and career advice.