[Coral-List] Susan White selected as U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Co-Manager of Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument

[Andrew_Gude at fws.gov]

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Selects Co-Manager
of Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument


The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced today the selection of Susan 
White as the new co-manager of the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National 
Monument. Mrs. White will share management duties with other co-managers 
from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the State of 
Hawai‘i.
 
"Susan's great experience in marine conservation issues and her varied 
experience with the Service will ensure that she will be an excellent 
addition to the Monument management team," said Ren Lohoefener, director 
of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Pacific Region.

As the new co-manager for the Service, White will work closely with the 
other Monument co-trustees to develop policy, implement regulations, and 
coordinate technical activities related to Service programs. She will be 
responsible for planning, leading, and administering two National Wildlife 
Refuges as part of the Monument operation with international, national, 
and local management plans, policies, and prescribed objectives.

Mrs. White was born in Okinawa, Japan, and raised in suburban Detroit. She 
has earned two Bachelor of Science degrees in marine biology and earth 
science with a concentration in oceanography from Central Michigan 
University. She also holds a teaching certificate in secondary education, 
and has completed coursework toward her masters in public administration 
from Florida Gulf Coast University.

Mrs. White’s early work began as a secondary science teacher in Michigan 
before entering the realm of conservation work. In 1989, she began work as 
the manager of the Saba Marine Park located in the Dutch West Indies. 
After 5 years at Saba, she moved on to becoming a public affairs 
specialist for various organizations such as The Nature Conservancy, the 
Center for Marine Conservation, and the World Wildlife Fund. In this 
position, she developed and implemented public advocacy and outreach 
programs for enhanced marine protection.

In 1997, she began her career with the Fish and Wildlife Service as the 
marine biologist for the National Key Deer Refuge in Florida.  After 3 
years she moved on to become the national coral reef and marine resources 
coordinator in Arlington, Virginia, where she played a key role with the 
Service and the Department of the Interior in the implementation of 
Executive orders on coral reef protection and marine protected areas.  She 
also served as the Interior staff contact to the National Commission on 
Ocean Policy.

Since 2002, Mrs. White has served as the deputy project leader for J.N. 
“Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge in Sanibel, Florida, and later as 
the deputy refuge supervisor for 28 Florida refuges.

“I am thrilled to accept this responsibility at the Monument, and my 
family and I look forward to becoming part of the Hawaiian community,” 
said Susan White.  “Being part of this unique collaboration is exciting; 
and I am humbled and honored to be given the opportunity to help conserve 
this exceptional piece of the world with our State, NOAA, Native Hawaiian, 
and community partners.”

Mrs. White is expected to begin work in July.  She will be accompanied by 
her husband David and her 12-year old son Ben, along with several dogs and 
a cat.

On June 15, 2006, President Bush signed a proclamation creating the P
apahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument.  It is the single largest 
conservation area under U.S. jurisdiction, and the largest marine 
conservation area in the world. It encompasses 137,792 square miles of the 
Pacific Ocean – an area larger than all the country's national parks 
combined – and is home to over 7,000 marine species, one quarter of which 
are found only in the Hawaiian Archipelago. 

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal Federal agency 
responsible for conserving, protecting and enhancing fish, wildlife and 
plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American 
people. The Service manages the 95-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge 
System, which encompasses 547 national wildlife refuges, thousands of 
small wetlands and other special management areas. It also operates 69 
national fish hatcheries, 64 fishery resources offices and 81 ecological 
services field stations. The agency enforces federal wildlife laws, 
administers the Endangered Species Act, manages migratory bird 
populations, restores nationally significant fisheries, conserves and 
restores wildlife habitat such as wetlands, and helps foreign and Native 
American tribal governments with their conservation efforts. It also 
oversees the Federal Assistance program, which distributes hundreds of 
millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to 
state fish and wildlife agencies.
 

____________________________________________________________
Andrew_Gude at fws.gov
     National Wildlife Refuge System Marine Program
     Office 703.358.2415;  Cell 703.622.3896