SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES

**NOAA -- USLA Rip Current Media Conference**

**24 May 2004**

![](media/image1.jpeg){width="2.375in" height="2.90625in"}A native of
Philadelphia, Pa., and a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy (Class of
\'64), **Vice Admiral Lautenbacher** has served in a broad range of
operational, command and staff billets. Operational tours include
Division Officer in USS WASP (CVS-18), and USS HENRY B. WILSON (DDG-7),
a second tour on the USS HENRY B. WILSON (DDG-7) as Department Head, and
Executive Officer of USS BENJAMIN STODDERT (DDG-22). Areas of expertise
include Anti-submarine Warfare, Anti-air Warfare, and Naval Surface Fire
Support, with expertise gained during a number of deployments to the
Western Pacific and Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War.\
\
Command experience includes tours as 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, where he was in charge of Navy planning and participation
in the air campaign. As Commander U.S. Third Fleet, he introduced Joint
training to the Pacific with the initiation of the first West Coast
Joint Task Force Training Exercises (JTFEXs). A leader in the
introduction of cutting edge information technology, he pioneered the
use of information technology to mount large-scale operations using sea
based command and control. He was the architect of the USS CORONADO
transformation to a prototype Joint Command and Control ship (JCC), a
founding father of the current Fleet Battle Experiment program, and
originator of the Sea Based Battle Laboratory concept for significantly
reducing the time to move technology to the fleet.\
\
Staff duties include higher education as well as significant assignments
in senior management. Vice Admiral Lautenbacher attended Harvard
University receiving MS and Ph.D. degrees in Applied Mathematics. He was
selected as a Federal Executive Fellow and served at the Brookings
Institution. He served as a guest lecturer on numerous occasions at the
Naval War College, the Army War College, the Air War College, The
Fletcher School of Diplomacy, and the components of the National Defense
University.\
\
As a Cost Analyst in OSD Systems Analysis, he became an expert in
building cost estimating models for major acquisition programs with
specialization in aircraft R&D and procurement. He was one of the
original members of the Cost Analysis Improvement Group (CAIG)
independent cost estimating effort. As Assistant for Strategy with the
CNO Executive Panel, and Program Planning Branch Head in the Navy
Program Planning Directorate, he continued to hone his analytic skills
resulting in designation as a specialist both in Operations Analysis and
Financial Management.\
\
As a Flag Officer he served as Deputy Chief of Staff for
Management/Inspector General on the staff of Commander in Chief U.S.
Pacific Fleet; and Director of Force Structure, Resources, and
Assessments (J-8) on the Joint Staff, where he contributed to the
development of the Base Force and was a prime architect of the Bottom Up
Review military force structure. He also served as director, Office of
Program Appraisal, on the Staff of the Secretary of the Navy and his
last assignment on active duty was Deputy Chief of Naval Operations
(Resources, Warfare Requirements and Assessments) personally responsible
for developing the Navy Future (five) Years Program and \$80B annual
budget. These positions resulted in the development of significant
expertise in federal government processes within both the Executive and
Legislative branches.\
\
After transitioning to the civilian sector, he 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) before joining NOAA Monday,
Dec. 10, 2001. This not-for-profit organization has a membership of 65
institutions of higher learning, and a mission to increase basic
knowledge and public support across the spectrum of ocean sciences\
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![](media/image2.jpeg){width="1.59375in"
height="2.2604166666666665in"}**[B. Chris Brewster]{.underline}** serves
as President of the United States Lifesaving Association
([www.usla.org](http://www.usla.org/)) and President for the Americas
Region of the International Life Saving Federation
([www.ilsf.org](http://www.ilsf.org/)). He is the former Lifeguard Chief
and Harbormaster of the City of San Diego, with 22 years of service as a
professional ocean lifeguard. Brewster is one of 25 Life Members of USLA
and a Life Member of the California Surf Lifesaving Association.
Brewster is editor of Open Water Lifesaving, The United States
Lifesaving Association Manual (2003), Guidelines for Open Water
Lifeguard Training and Standards (1993), and Guidelines for Training and
Standards of Aquatic Rescue Response Teams (1996). He is a contributor
to Lifeguard Effectiveness -- A Report of a Working Group, issued by the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2001). Brewster lectures on
lifesaving matters internationally. He has been interviewed, quoted, or
referenced in a wide variety of media, both nationally and
internationally. He has a bachelor of science in journalism from the
University of Colorado and has been an Emergency Medical Technician for
over 20 years. Further information is available at
[www.lifesaver1.com](http://www.lifesaver1.com/).\
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![](media/image3.jpeg){width="1.40625in"
height="1.6458333333333333in"}**[Sandee LaMotte]{.underline}** is the
community director for WebMD, responsible for 100+ message boards, two
dozen chat rooms, and a robust calendar of live events with acclaimed
medical experts and authors. She also manages more than 35 health
professionals, doctors, and nurses contracted to answer the public\'s
questions. She manages a staff of eight full-time and four part-time
on-site and remote employees, all with extensive community backgrounds.

Ms. LaMotte came to WebMD from CNN.com, where she helped create the
site\'s community in 1995. She fashioned a unique mix of 75 volunteers
and part-time staff that kept the 350+ message boards and 20-hour-a-day
chat room editorially updated and journalistically focused. Within two
months of launching, CNN.com became the premier news community on the
web with daily page views of 150,000-250,000 and 5,000-15,000 posts. Ms.
LaMotte is also a CNN \"original,\" having helped start the company in
1980, and moving, over the next 15 years, from editor to producer to
senior producer of the network\'s long-form documentary unit, Special
Reports (later CNN Presents and

CNN-Time). She won more than 50 awards during her television career,
including an

Emmy for \"CNN Presents: Our Planetary Police\" and a Columbia Dupont
Silver Baton for \"Iran: In the Name of God.\"\
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![](media/image4.png){width="1.6458333333333333in"
height="1.5729166666666667in"}**[Jim Lushine]{.underline}** has worked
for the National Weather Service for the past 41 years. Since 1972, he
has worked at the Miami Weather Forecast Office, the last nine as
Warning Coordination Meteorologist. In the early 1990s Jim led a
pioneering study on forecasting rip current conditions. Since then he
has been a rip current authority for local, state and national
organizations and has done numerous media interviews. He serves as a
lead subject matter expert for the NWS marine forecaster training
program. Over the past 15 years, he has worked closely with the USLA's
South Atlantic and Southeast Regions and has been honored by them for
his work on promoting rip current safety.\
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![](media/image5.png){width="2.625in" height="1.71875in"}**[Wendy
Carey]{.underline}** is a coastal processes/coastal hazards specialist
with the Marine Advisory Service at the University of Delaware Sea Grant
College program. Her job responsibilities include increasing awareness
and educating the public about issues such as coastal processes,
sea-level rise, coastal environments, coastal storms, and coastal
hazards. Additionally, she serves as a liaison between regional, state,
and local resource management agencies, coastal communities and the
general public on many coastal issues. As a Sea Grant extension
specialist, she works closely with the University of Delaware Center for
Applied Coastal Research, assisting with technology transfer of the
engineering research and coastal models being developed by the
University's coastal engineers. She is an active member of the NOAA-USLA
rip current task force, and works closely with coastal communities on
rip current education and awareness initiatives. Wendy received a B.S.
Geology from St. Lawrence University in 1976, and an M.S. (1979) and
Ph.D. (1995) degrees in Marine Studies from the Graduate College of
Marine Studies, University of Delaware.

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![](media/image6.png){width="1.625in"
height="2.0208333333333335in"}**[Peter Davis]{.underline}** has been an
open water lifeguard for 22 years and currently serves as the Assistant
Director and Training Officer for the Galveston Beach Patrol as well as
the Vice President of the Gulf Coast Region of USLA. He holds a B.A. in
Psychology from Trinity University and a M.F.A. in Studio Art from the
University of California -- Davis. Drawing upon his five years of
teaching experience, he is actively involved in training Mexican
lifeguards through Club Tortuga and coordinates a lifeguard exchange
program with Galveston's sister city, Veracruz. Peter also produced and
co-wrote the educational video "Texas Beaches -- Know the Dangers"
winner of both the National Telly and Communicators Awards. In addition
he co-edited the Spanish edition of the United States Lifesaving
Association Manual of Open Water Lifesaving for use in training Central
and South American lifeguards. He holds certifications as a peace
office, SCUBA diver, and as an EMT and currently serves as Chair of
USLA's Public Education Committee.