U.S. President Donald Trump has selected AccuWeather CEO Barry Myers to lead the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which oversees management of the country’s fisheries.
Myers has served as the chief executive of State College, Pennsylvania-based weather forecasting firm AccuWeather since 2007. In his new role, he will head an agency with a broad range of responsibilities, including NOAA Fisheries (also known as the National Marine Fisheries Service), which manages U.S. fisheries and aquaculture, as well as conservation of marine mammals, endangered species, and their habitats.
In addition to its role overseeing fisheries, NOAA also controls the National Weather Service, conducts and funds weather and climate research, operates weather satellites and runs a climate data center.
The appointment of Myers, a businessman and lawyer, breaks from the recent precedent of scientists leading the agency, according to the Washington Post.
However, Myers will be assisted by two other recent Trump appointees with science backgrounds: former Navy oceanographer Rear Admiral Timothy Gallaudet and Panasonic Avionics Corporation Chief Atmospheric Scientist Neil Jacobs. Both were named assistant secretaries in the Department of Commerce, which is the governmental department where NOAA is based.
