From 2017-2021, Rear Admiral Gallaudet served as the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere / Deputy NOAA Administrator (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration), and from 2017-2019 he also served as the Acting Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere / NOAA Administrator. As Acting Administrator, he led the agency comprised of 20,000 federal employees and contractors managing the nation’s fisheries, coastal resources and waterways, weather satellites, weather services, and environmental research. Overseeing a $6B annual budget, he headed the daily operations of 18 environmental satellites, 16 oceanographic ships, 9 aircraft, 450 boats, 400 technical divers, 6 supercomputers, over a dozen laboratories, and several hundred field sites across the country. As the Deputy Administrator, he led NOAA’s Blue Economy activities to advance marine transportation, sustainable seafood production, ocean exploration and mapping, marine tourism and recreation, and coastal resilience in the United States and with its partners. He also directed NOAA’s support to the Administration’s INDOPACOM-Pacific Strategy; oversaw NOAA’s Arctic research, operations, and engagement; and led the execution of the NOAA science and technology strategies for Artificial Intelligence, Uncrewed Systems, ‘Omics, Cloud, Data, and Citizen Science.

Prior to NOAA, Gallaudet served for 32 years in the U.S. Navy, completing his career as the Oceanographer of the Navy on the staff of the Chief of Naval Operations. His assignments involved combat operations on a Navy aircraft carrier, counterterrorism activities with Navy SEAL Teams, antisubmarine warfare support, and deep sea research and development. Gallaudet has a Bachelor’s degree from the U.S. Naval Academy, and Master’s and Doctoral degrees from Scripps Institution of Oceanography, all in oceanography.