Silver Spring, Md. – November 21, 2024 – The National Marine Sanctuary Foundation welcomed three new trustees in 2024 at its June and October board meetings. Nikki Buffa, Suzanne Frey and Chairman Timothy J. Greene, Sr. were elected by current trustees to serve a term of six years.
Newly elected leadership, Dawn Rodney and Laura Zagar will serve as co-chairs of the board, succeeding the outgoing co-chairs Susanna Kondracki and Mark McDade. Elizabeth Crego was elected treasurer and Mark McDade secretary.
“We are pleased to add the experience, expertise and perspective of these three accomplished and distinguished individuals to the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation Board of Trustees,” said Dawn Rodney and Laura Zagar, Co-Chairs of the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation Board of Trustees, in a joint statement. “With acknowledgment and thanks to outgoing co-chairs Susanna Kondracki and Mark McDade, the board is ready to continue working hand-in-hand with our amazing staff towards our goal of protecting and preserving our nation’s marine sanctuaries.”
“At a time of great change to our environment and economy, challenges and opportunities for America’s public waters, our Foundation’s path forward depends on the guidance of our trustees to help lead and sustain us in partnership with NOAA,” said Joel R. Johnson, president and CEO of the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation. “As the Foundation enters its 25th anniversary year, we warmly welcome Nikki Buffa, Suzanne Frey, and Chairman Greene; each are committed to America’s treasured waters and share a diversity of experiences. They join a new board leadership team, that will be invaluable to our next phase of growth.”
Nikki Buffa is a partner at Latham & Watkins, where she provides environmental counseling across all areas of environmental law. Her particular focus includes major infrastructure projects, the energy transition and renewable energy, stakeholder engagement, and crisis management. She earned her JD from UCLA and her BS from UC Berkeley. Ms. Buffa has served on the Biden-Harris Presidential Transition Team as the White House Council on Environmental Quality Transition Team Lead. She also spent eight years in the Obama Administration, where she was appointed to several roles, including positions at the Council on Environmental Quality, the White House Office of Cabinet Affairs, and as Deputy Chief of Staff at the Department of the Interior. Ms. Buffa also serves on the boards of the Irvine Ranch Conservancy and the National Parks Conservation Association, and the Advisory Board of the University of California, Berkeley Institute for Parks, People, and Biodiversity.
As Google’s Vice-President for Trust & Growth, Suzanne Frey is responsible for the privacy, security, and safety of applications on over 3B devices in the Android and Play Ecosystems worldwide. In addition, she sponsors Android’s product investments in global growth markets. Suzanne has served in a wide variety of technical, operational, and policy leadership roles across almost two decades at Google (and more within tech broadly). She received her BA from Wellesley College and her MBA from MIT. She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, the Board of Directors for The Motley Fool, and the Board of Trustees for Wellesley College.
Timothy J. Greene, Sr. is the Chairman of the Makah Tribal Council of Neah Bay, Washington located at the northwest tip of the Olympic Peninsula. Chairman Greene is in his tenth year on the Tribal Council, and his fourth year as Chairman. The Makah Tribe has a strong record of stewardship and engagement on ocean policy and fisheries management. Chairman Greene has served as Vice Co-Chair for the Governance Coordinating Committee under President Obama’s National Ocean Policy. The Makah Tribe has long been regional leaders on oil spill prevention and response, vessel traffic safety, air quality and environmental health, ecosystem management, and habitat restoration. Chairman Greene has previously worked as Chief of Police and the Manager of the Makah Forestry Enterprise.
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The National Marine Sanctuary Foundation, established in 2000, is the official non-profit partner of the National Marine Sanctuary System. The Foundation directly supports America’s national marine sanctuaries through our mission to protect species, conserve ecosystems and preserve cultural and maritime heritage. We accomplish our mission through community stewardship and engagement programs, on-the-water conservation projects, public education and outreach programs, and scientific research and exploration. The Foundation fosters innovative projects that are solution-oriented, scalable and transferable, and develop strategic partnerships that promote the conservation and recovery of species and their habitats. Learn more at marinesanctuary.org.
Contact: Chip Weiskotten
Director of Strategic Communications
301-754-6134
chip@marinesanctuary.org