A Leadership Journey: From the Depths of the Ocean to the Surface of the Sun

Date: June 23, 2021

Title: A Leadership Journey: From the Depths of the Ocean to the Surface of the Sun.
Part of the NOAA Environmental Leadership Seminar (NELS) Series.

Speaker: Joseph A. Pica, Deputy Director, NOAA NESDIS National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI)

Sponsor(s): The NOAA Environmental Leadership Seminar (NELS) series was created to provide insight into NOAA’s leadership in environmental science, by those who lead it and make it happen. NOAA leadership, Subject Matter Experts, and NOAA partners speak on topics relevant to NOAA’s mission. Sponsored by the NOAA Science Council.

Seminar Contacts: Hernan.Garcia@noaa.gov, Tracy.Gill@noaa.gov, Sandra.Claar@noaa.gov, or Katie.Rowley@noaa.gov

Abstract: Mr. Pica’s career has spanned NOAA’s full portfolio of science, service and stewardship from the depths of the ocean to the surface of the sun. Whether conducting fisheries stock assessments in the Gulf of Mexico, exploring the oceans in Indonesia, supporting international climate negotiations at the White House Office of Sci.nce and Technology Policy, or conveying the benefits of our newest generation geostationary satellites to the press; Mr. Pica’s journey is tied together by the themes of leadership and environmental information, with the former aimed at enhancing the value provided by the latter. As Mr. Pica discusses his experience, he will share examples of NOAA’s valuable environmental information as well as how he grew his leadership capabilities along the way that continue to be focused on the provision of NOAA’s environmental information to serve the Nation.

Bio: Joseph A. Pica currently serves as the Deputy Director for the National Centers for Environmental Information that provides access to one of the most significant archives on earth, with comprehensive oceanic, atmospheric, and geophysical data from million-year-old ice core records to near-real-time satellite images. His prior role was Director of the NWS Office of Observations, responsible for the portfolio of space, atmosphere, water, and climate observational data owned or leveraged by the NWS to support forecasts and warnings for the protection of life and property and enhancement of the National economy. Before he entered the senior executive service, Captain Pica served as a NOAA commissioned officer for over 23 years, including responsibility as Commanding Officer of two ships - NOAA’s flagship and only global class vessel (Ronald H. Brown) and the fleet’s most technologically advanced ship for deep sea exploration (Okeanos Explorer). Mr. Pica has completed the Leadership for a Democratic Society program at the Federal Executive Institute as well as the Senior Executive Fellows program at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government. He earned a Master's degree in Civil Engineering from Portland State University and a Bachelor's degree in General Engineering from the University of Illinois. Mr. Pica resides in Asheville, North Carolina with his wife and two children.