Consortium Adds Leon Panetta, Robert Corell and Frank Cushing

WASHINGTON - The Consortium for Ocean Leadership is pleased to announce that the Honorable Leon Panetta, Dr. Robert Corell and Mr. Frank Cushing were sworn in as At-Large Members of the Board today.

Complete biographies: Robert W. Corell | Frank M. Cushing | Hon. Leon E. Panetta

“The at-large positions on our Board were created to attract influential, experienced and accomplished individuals who could help shape the direction of our organization and the field of oceanography. I could not imagine a more thoughtful and committed group of people to be on our Board,” said Bob Gagosian, President and CEO of Ocean Leadership.

Ocean Leadership was formed in 2007 from the merger of the Consortium for Oceanographic Research and Education (CORE) and the Joint Oceanographic Institutions (JOI).

Eric Barron, Chairperson of the Ocean Leadership Board of Trustees and Dean of the Jackson School of Geosciences at the University of Texas said, “Our new trustees add critical experience within the federal system to complement our Board’s scientific expertise. Together, we can better convey to our policymakers how ocean research helps address our most compelling societal issues such as understanding, mitigating and adapting to climate change.”

The Honorable Leon E. Panetta has a long and distinguished career in public service including serving in the U.S. House of Representatives (1977-93), Directing the Office of Management and Budget (1994-96),  and serving as President Bill Clinton’s White House Chief of Staff (1994-96). Panetta Chaired the Pew Oceans Commission and currently serves as Co-Chairman of the Joint Oceans Commission Initiative. With his wife Sylvia,he co-directs the Leon & Sylvia Panetta Institute for Public Policy, located at California State University, Monterey Bay.

“Becoming a member of the Consortium for Ocean Leadership’s Board of Trustees provides me with a valuable opportunity to build on existing efforts to elevate public and political awareness of the economic and ecologic importance of our oceans, coasts, and Great Lakes,” said the Honorable Leon Panetta. “It is critical for Ocean Leadership, in collaboration with other ocean and coastal organizations, to establish a strong vision and voice for the ocean community, which is increasingly important as our understanding of the relationship between oceans and the impacts of climate change grows.”

Dr. Robert W. Corell is the H. John Heinz III Center for Science, Economics, and the Environment Global Change Director, Global Energy Assessment Council Member, and Senior Policy Fellow at the Policy Program of the American Meteorological Society. He is the chair of the Arctic Climate Impact Assessment and chairs an 18-country international planning effort to outline the major Arcticregion research challenges for the decade ahead. Previously, Dr. Corell was the Assistant Director for Geosciences at the National Science Foundation. He has also held appointments at the Woods Hole Institution of Oceanography, the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, the University of Washington, and Case Western Reserve University.

“The merger of CORE and JOI into the Consortium for Ocean Leadership is a critical move for the ocean community as it puts together a serious force advocating for these critical issues in our nation’s capital. I could not be more pleased to be a part of this effort,” said Dr. Corell. “The ocean is the driving force behind our climate and should be at the forefront of every global warming discussion. I look forward to working with Ocean Leadership to help inform our nation’s leadership on these issues,” continued Dr. Corell.

Frank M. Cushing spent more than three decades working in the House of Representatives, the United States Senate and the Washington, DC business community. He served as the Minority Staff Director of the House of Representatives Committee on Appropriations and as the majority Clerk and Staff Director of the House Appropriations Committee. Cushing joined Oldaker, Biden and Belair, LLP and The National Group, LLP in January 2008 and has previously worked for Cornerstone Government Affairs, LLC and The Coastal Corporation, a Houston-based “Fortune 50” company.

"I am pleased to join the Board of Trustees of Ocean Leadership. During my 32-year career in Washington, DC I have learned how vital ocean science is to the future of our world," said Frank Cushing. "Helping to create policy that benefits the understanding of our Earth is exciting and a wonderful opportunity for me after working on these issues both in the House of Representatives and in the U.S. Senate.”

Dr. Susan K. Avery, President & Director of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution; Dr. Anthony D. J. Haymet, Director of Scripps Institution of Oceanography University of California, San Diego; Dr. Nancy Rabalais, Executive Director of the DeFelice Marine Center and Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium (LUMCON); and Dr. James G. Sanders, Director and Professor of Skidaway Institute of Oceanography were all sworn in as Board Trustees.

Ocean Leadership is a Washington, DC-based nonprofit organization that represents 95 of the leading public and private ocean research education institutions, aquaria and industry with the mission to advance research, education and sound ocean policy. The organization also manages ocean research and education programs in areas of scientific ocean drilling, ocean observing, ocean exploration, and ocean partnerships.