**Coastal America Ocean Art Contest**

**Honorary Chair of National Ocean Art Contest (non-voting)**

![](media/image1.jpeg){width="1.5625in"
height="1.9479166666666667in"}**VADM Conrad C. Lautenbacher, Jr.    **

> Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere, Department of
> Commerce (NOAA Administrator) 

Retired Navy Vice Admiral Conrad C. Lautenbacher, Ph.D., is the
undersecretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere. He was appointed
Dec. 19, 2001. Along with this title comes the added distinction of
serving as the eighth administrator of the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration. He holds an M.S. and Ph.D. from Harvard
University in applied mathematics.  

VADM Lautenbacher oversees the day-to-day functions of NOAA, as well as
laying out its strategic and operational future. As NOAA Administrator,
he spearheaded the first-ever Earth Observation Summit, which hosted
ministerial-level representation from several dozen of the world\'s
nations in Washington July 2003. Through subsequent international
summits and working groups, he worked to encourage world scientific and
policy leaders to work toward a common goal of building a sustained
Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS) that would collect
and disseminate data, information and models to stakeholders and
decision makers for the benefit of all nations individually and the
world community collectively. The effort culminated in an agreement for
a 10-year implementation plan for GEOSS reached by the 55 member
countries of the Group on Earth Observations at the Third Observation
Summit held in Brussels February 2005. Lautenbacher was selected to
serve as co-chair to the Group on Earth Observations at GEO-I in Geneva,
Switzerland in May 2005.

He also has headed numerous delegations at international governmental
summits and conferences around the world, including the U.S. delegation
to the first and second Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Ocean
Ministerial Meetings in Korea 2002 and Indonesia 2005, and the annual
meetings of the World Meteorological Organization, Intergovernmental
Oceanographic Commission and the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate
Change, as well as leading the Commerce delegation to the 2002 World
Summit on Sustainable Development in South Africa.

Before joining NOAA, Lautenbacher formed his own management consultant
business, and worked principally for Technology, Strategies & Alliances
Inc. He was president and CEO of the Consortium for Oceanographic
Research and Education (CORE). This not-for-profit organization has a
membership of 76 institutions of higher learning and a mission to
increase basic knowledge and public support across the spectrum of ocean
sciences.

Lautenbacher is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy (Class of 1964),
and has won accolades for his performance in a broad range of
operational, command and staff positions both ashore and afloat. He
retired after 40 years of service in the Navy.  During his distinguished
military career he held numerous positions including Commanding Officer
of USS HEWITT (DD-966), Commander Naval Station Norfolk; Commander of
Cruiser-Destroyer Group Five with additional duties as Commander U.S.
Naval Forces Central Command Riyadh during Operations Desert Shield and
Desert Storm  and Commander U.S. Third Fleet. During his final tour of
duty, he served as Deputy Chief of Naval Operations (Resources, Warfare
Requirements and Assessments) in charge of Navy programs and budget.

**Coastal America Ocean Art Contest Judges**

![](media/image2.jpeg){width="1.75in" height="1.75in"}**Jean-Michel
Cousteau**

President, Ocean Futures Society

Since first being thrown overboard by his celebrated father at the age
of seven with newly invented SCUBA gear on his back, Jean-Michel
Cousteau has led a life synchronous with the ocean. Explorer,
environmentalist, educator, film producer--- for more than four decades,
Jean-Michel has used his vast experiences to communicate to people of
all nations and generations his passion and concern for our water
planet.

The son of ocean pioneer Jacques Cousteau, Jean-Michel spent much of his
life with his family exploring the world\'s oceans aboard Calypso and
Alcyone. Honoring his heritage, Jean-Michel founded Ocean Futures
Society in 1999 to carry on this legendary work, including his role as
Executive Producer of Jean-Michel Cousteau: Ocean Adventures.
Jean-Michel has produced over 75 films, received the Emmy, the Peabody
Award, the 7 d\'Or, and the Cable Ace Award, among others.

Ocean Futures Society, a non-profit marine conservation and education
organization, functions as an ambassador for the ocean by communicating
worldwide its critical bond with humanity and the importance of wise
environmental policy. As Ocean Futures' president, Jean-Michel serves as
a diplomat for the environment, reaching out to the public through a
variety of media.

Traveling the globe, Jean-Michel meets with leaders and policymakers at
the grassroots level and at the highest echelons of government and the
private sector. He is dedicated to educating younger generations,
documenting stories of change and hope, and lending his reputation and
support to energize alliances for positive development.

In 2006, Jean-Michel's initiative to protect the Northwest Hawaiian
Islands took him to The White House where he screened his PBS-KQED
documentary, Voyage to Kure, for President George W. Bush, First Lady
Laura Bush and other dignitaries. The President was inspired and in June
2006, he declared the 1,200-mile chain of islands a National
Monument---the largest marine protected area in the world.

Jean-Michel has been recognized for his work with the following awards:
first recipient of the Ocean Hero Award from Oceana in 2003; first
person to represent the Environment in the Opening Ceremonies of the
2000 Olympic Games; Environmental Hero Award, presented by Vice
President Al Gore, 1998; the Poseidon/Lifetime Achievement Award from
Reef Check; appointed Global Marine spokesperson for British Virgin
Islands, 2003; elected to the Global Green Board of Directors.

![](media/image3.jpeg){width="1.2173611111111111in" height="2.0in"}**Dr.
Sylvia Earle**

Oceanographer and "Ocean Ambassador" National Geographic Society

Explorer-in- Residence

Sylvia Earle, called \"Her Deepness\" by the New Yorker and the New York
Times, \"Living Legend\" by the Library of Congress, and the first
\"Hero for the Planet,\" is an oceanographer, explorer, author, and
lecturer with experience as a field research scientist. She also is
executive director for corporate and nonprofit organizations, including
the Aspen Institute, the Conservation Fund, American Rivers, Mote Marine
Laboratory, Duke University Marine Laboratory, Rutgers Institute for
Marine Science, the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, National
Marine Sanctuary Foundation, and Ocean Conservancy.

Former chief scientist of NOAA, Earle is president of Deep Search
International and chair of the Advisory Council for the Harte Research
Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies. She has a B.S. from Florida State
University, an M.S. and a Ph.D. from Duke University, and 15 honorary
degrees. She has authored more than 150 scientific, technical, and
popular publications, lectured in more than 60 countries, and appeared
in hundreds of television productions.

Earle has led more than 60 expeditions and logged more than 6,000 hours
underwater, including leading the first team of women aquanauts during
the Tektite Project in 1970 and setting a record for solo diving to a
depth of 1,000 meters (3,300 feet). Her research concerns marine
ecosystems with special reference to exploration and the development and
use of new technologies for access and effective operations in the deep
sea and other remote environments.

Honors include the Netherlands Order of the Golden Ark, inclusion in the
National Women\'s Hall of Fame and the American Academy of Achievement,
and medals from the Explorers Club, the Philadelphia Academy of
Sciences, the Lindbergh Foundation, the National Wildlife Federation,
Sigma Xi, Barnard College, the New England Aquarium, the Seattle
Aquarium, the Society of Women Geographers, and the National Parks
Conservation Association.

![](media/image4.jpeg){width="1.3291666666666666in"
height="1.99375in"}**Michael Lawrence**

Chief of Exhibit Design

Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History

Michael Lawrence is the Chief of Design in the Department of Exhibits at
the Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History. As a
registered architect in Washington, DC, Mike has worked as a senior
architect and exhibit designer for MFM Design, Inc; senior project
architect and manager for LLD Inc. Architects; sole proprietor of M
Lawrence Architects; architect at A+B+S Architects Group; and instructor
and Assistant Exhibit Designer at the Cleveland Museum of Art at MFM
Design.

At MFM Design, Mr. Lawrence was project architect and/or senior designer
for

numerous projects, including: Visitor gateway facilities, Mount Vernon
Estate and Gardens; Smithsonian American Art Museum, second-floor
galleries, Mystic Seaport Master Plan with SmithGroup Architects;
Frazier Historical Arms Museum, Louisville, Kentucky; Tomo Kikuchi
Museum, Tokyo, Japan; Mall-wide Signage Program, Smithsonian
Institution, Washington, DC; Vikings: The North Atlantic Saga,
Smithsonian Institution, Washington DC; and the Mount Vernon Museum,
Mount Vernon Estate and Gardens, Virginia.

Mike received his Master of Architecture with AIA Gold Medal from
Catholic University of America in Washington, DC and his Bachelor of
Arts and Education from Case Western Reserve University and the
Cleveland Institute of Art located in Cleveland, Ohio.

![](media/image5.jpeg){width="1.2381944444444444in"
height="1.823611111111111in"}

**Bob Talbot**

Marine Photographer and Filmmaker

As a world-renowned marine photographer, award-winning filmmaker and
dedicated environmentalist, Bob Talbot has combined his unique visual
style and storytelling ability with state of the art entertainment
technologies to create intimate ocean experiences on film.

His photographs of whales and dolphins have been reproduced into
millions of lithographs distributed around the world, and his motion
picture work has appeared in many television, film and special venue
productions. Talbot filmed the wildlife sequences for the Warner Bros.
series of FREE WILLY feature films and Universal Pictures' FLIPPER. He
directed and photographed the IMAX® Ridefilm™ motion simulation system
film DOLPHINS -- THE RIDE, and acted as a director and cinematographer
for sequences in the Academy Award-nominated MacGillivray Freeman IMAX®
film, DOLPHINS. Talbot also directed and photographed the award-winning
IMAX® film OCEANMEN-EXTREME DIVE about world champion free divers Pipin
Ferreras and Umberto Pelizzari.

Talbot is a recipient of the Environmental Hero Award presented by the
United States Department of Commerce, as well as the Ark Trust Genesis
Award. In 2004 he was presented with International SeaKeppers Society's
prestigious SeaKeeper Award by HSH Prince Albert of Monaco.

Talbot has worked on several Cousteau Society productions, and continues
to collaborate with Jean Michel Cousteau on Ocean Features projects. He
serves on the board of governors for Oceana, on the Board of Trustees
for the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation. Talbot also works with
many other environmental groups on marine conservation issues.

![](media/image6.jpeg){width="1.7291666666666667in"
height="1.5520833333333333in"}**Jim Toomey**

Syndicated Cartoonist -- "Sherman's Lagoon"

Jim Toomey is a syndicated cartoonist best known as the creator of
[Sherman\'s Lagoon](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sherman's_Lagoon) ,
distributed by [King Features
Syndicate](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_Features_Syndicate).
[Sherman\'s Lagoon](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sherman's_Lagoon)
appears in over 250 newspapers in North America, including the
[Washington Post](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington_Post), the
[Chicago Tribune](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago_Tribune), and the
[San Francisco
Chronicle](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Francisco_Chronicle). It
also appears in over 30 foreign countries, in French, Portugese,
Spanish, Norwegian and Swedish. Jim illustrated *50 Ways to Save the
Ocean*, authored by David Helvarg, and has just completed his fourteenth
book, entitled Yarns & Shanties, published by [Andrews McMeel
Publishing](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrews_McMeel_Publishing).

[Sherman\'s Lagoon](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sherman's_Lagoon) is a
combination of his two life-long passions: drawing and the sea. Jim's
been engaged in the former activity since he could hold a crayon, and
his love affair with the sea dates back to his early childhood. The
inspiration for the comic strip can be traced back to a family vacation
in the Bahamas where he saw a real shark swimming in a remote lagoon.
Jim became a certified diver at the age of twelve, and, as an adult, has
logged dives all over the world, including Asia, Africa, the
Mediterranean, Latin America, and extensively in the kelp forests of
California. Jim\'s also an avid sailor.

He received a [B.S.E.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B.S.E.) from [Duke
University](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duke_University)\'s [Pratt
School of
Engineering](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pratt_School_of_Engineering)
in [1983](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1983), an M.L.A. from [Stanford
University](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanford_University) in 1995,
and a Master\'s of Environmental Management from the [Nicholas School of
the Environment and Earth
Sciences](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicholas_School_of_the_Environment_and_Earth_Sciences)
in 2008.

![](media/image7.jpeg){width="1.4270833333333333in"
height="2.03125in"}**Wyland**

Painter and Sculptor -- "Artist of the Sea"

Marine Life Artist Wyland has earned the distinction as one of America's
most unique creative influences, and a leading advocate for marine
resource conservation. An accomplished painter, sculptor, photographer,
writer, and SCUBA diver, he has traveled the farthest reaches of the
globe for more than twenty-five years, capturing the raw power and
beauty of the undersea universe.\
\
His non-proﬁt Wyland Foundation has supported numerous conservation
programs since 1993, including Wyland's monumental Whaling Wall mural
project --- an epic series of more than ninety-one life size marine life
murals that spans twelve countries on four continents, and is viewed by
an estimated 1 billion people every year. The artist's efforts,
moreover, have been recognized by the United Nations, Sierra Club, the
Underwater Academy of Arts and Sciences, where he is listed among its
Diving Hall of Fame, and private and public institutions throughout the
world.

Hailed a "Marine Michaelangelo" by USA Today, Wyland's work is sought by
millions of collectors and his galleries throughout the United States
are considered a must-see on the itineraries of travelers everywhere.
His equally successful Wyland Foundation, in partnership with the
Scripps Institution of Oceanography, is actively engaged in teaching
millions of students around engaged in teaching millions of students
around our oceans, rivers, lakes, streams, and wetlands.\
\
Listed in Who's Who in American Art, the Guinness Book of World Records,
and many other national and international publications, the
multi-faceted artist has even hosted several series for television,
including, "Wyland's Ocean World" on the Discovery Channel's Animal
Planet Network. Today, he is considered one of the most influential
artists of the 21st Century, with artwork in museums, corporate
collections, and private homes in more than one hundred countries.