Congratulations to our 2019 Champions of the Ocean!
The Urban Coast Institute (UCI) hosted its 15th annual Future of the Ocean Symposium and Champion of the Ocean Awards Luncheon on Oct. 22 at the historic Great Hall at Shadow Lawn. With a theme of “An Ocean for All: Ecosystems, Economies & People,” the symposium gathered nationally recognized experts to share insights on the future use and conservation of our oceans, including how science and technology can inform our choices.
Monmouth University President Emeritus and UCI Ocean Policy Fellow Paul G. Gaffney II moderated a panel discussion with perspectives from the ports/maritime, offshore wind, ocean sciences and marine conservation communities. Rear Admiral Timothy Gallaudet, deputy administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), delivered plenary remarks. The panel included Bradley Campbell, Conservation Law Foundation president and former New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection commissioner; Scott Glenn, distinguished professor in the Rutgers University Department of Marine and Coastal Sciences and co-director of the Center for Ocean Observing Leadership; Clint Plummer, Head of Market Strategies and New Projects – US, Ørsted U.S. Offshore Wind; and Bethann Rooney, deputy director, Port Department, Port Authority of New York & New Jersey.
At its subsequent Champion of the Ocean Awards Luncheon, the UCI presented its highest honor, the National Champion of the Ocean Award, to Gallaudet; the Regional Champion of the Ocean Award to Campbell; and the Coastal and Ocean Leadership Award to Glenn.
Scroll down for videos, speaker bios and other event materials.
VIDEOS
Welcome and Introductory Remarks
Patrick Leahy, Ed.D., President, Monmouth University
Tony MacDonald, Director, Urban Coast Institute
Paul G. Gaffney II, Monmouth University President Emeritus/UCI Ocean Policy Fellow
Plenary Remarks
Timothy Gallaudet, Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Deputy Administrator
Symposium Presentations
Clint Plummer, Head of Market Strategies and New Projects – US, Ørsted U.S. Offshore Wind
Bethann Rooney, Deputy Director, Port Department, Port Authority of New York & New Jersey
Bradley Campbell, President of the Conservation Law Foundation
Scott Glenn, Co-Director of the Rutgers University Center for Ocean Observing Leadership
Champion of the Ocean Awards Ceremony
Additional Links/Resources
Symposium Speaker/Honoree Bios
National Champion of the Ocean: Rear Admiral Timothy Gallaudet, U.S. Navy (Ret.)
Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere and Deputy NOAA Administrator
Dr. Gallaudet was confirmed by the U.S. Senate in 2017 as the assistant secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere for the Department of Commerce in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Gallaudet was previously a rear admiral in the U.S. Navy, where his most recent assignment was oceanographer of the Navy and commander of the Navy Meteorology and Oceanography Command. During his 32 years of military service, Gallaudet has had experience in weather and ocean forecasting, hydrographic surveying, developing policy and plans to counter illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing, and assessing the national security impacts of climate change. He has led teams of Navy sailors and civilians performing such diverse functions as overseeing aircraft carrier combat operations, planning and conducting humanitarian assistance and disaster response efforts, assisting Navy SEAL Teams during high visibility counter-terrorism operations, and developing the Navy’s annual $52 billion information technology, cyber security and intelligence budget. He holds a bachelor’s degree from the U.S. Naval Academy and master’s and doctoral degrees from Scripps Institution of Oceanography, all in oceanography.
Regional Champion of the Ocean: Bradley Campbell, Esq.
President, Conservation Law Foundation
For the past 25 years, Bradley M. Campbell has been at the forefront of shaping the country’s most significant environmental policies and laws. A former White House senior appointee during the Clinton administration, Campbell was the regional administrator at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Mid-Atlantic Region, and served as commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP). In 2006 he launched a law firm with a focus on issues involving the environment, energy, entrepreneurship and science. A year later, he co-founded Swan Creek Energy, which went on to develop several of the largest net-metered commercial solar projects in the U.S. As commissioner of the NJDEP, a post he held for four years, Campbell set the toughest standards in the nation to protect coastal areas, streams and rivers from stormwater pollution; initiated and negotiated the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) to control greenhouse gas emissions from power plants; and developed and secured permanent protection for more than 800,000 acres of watershed lands under threat of development in New Jersey’s Highlands region.
Coastal and Ocean Leadership: Dr. Scott Glenn
Distinguished Professor, Rutgers University Department of Marine and Coastal Sciences, and Co-Director, Center for Ocean Observing Leadership
After graduating from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Joint Program in 1983 with a Sc.D. in Ocean Engineering, Glenn began an over 30-year research career of implementing sustained real-time ocean observation and forecast systems, first for offshore oil exploration at Shell Development Company (1983-1986), then for the Naval Oceanography Command supporting fleet operations while at Harvard University (1986-1990), and, since 1990, for a wide range of scientific and societal applications at Rutgers University. In the only U.S. national program to recognize excellence in undergraduate teaching, Glenn was named one of the U.S. Professors of the Year representing the State of New Jersey by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education.
Symposium Panelists
Clint Plummer
Head of Market Strategies and New Projects – US, Ørsted U.S. Offshore Wind
Clint Plummer manages project planning, origination and development activities for Ørsted U.S. Offshore Wind. He joined Deepwater Wind (since acquired by Ørsted) in 2007 and has
worked to grow the U.S. market for offshore wind energy and to position the company as
a respected and responsible market leader. In 2008, he was instrumental in the company’s
selection as the preferred offshore wind developer for the state of Rhode Island. From 2009
to 2011, he led the pre-construction development of the Block Island Wind Farm, the first of
its kind in the U.S. In 2013, he led the company’s successful efforts to acquire the Bureau of
Ocean Energy Management’s first competitively leased offshore wind site, and to scope the
projects now known as South Fork Wind Farm, Revolution Wind and Sunrise Wind. He lead the company’s successful efforts to secure a Power Purchase Agreement with the Long Island Power Authority for the South Fork Wind Farm, and he lead the company’s successful application to the Maryland Public Service Commission, resulting in the first-in-the-nation award of Offshore Wind Renewable Energy Credits. Following Ørsted’s acquisition of Deepwater Wind, Plummer co-lead the development of master plans for the company’s two major clusters of assets, and the successful bids for the Sunrise Wind and Ocean Wind projects in New York and New Jersey, respectively. Prior to joining Deepwater Wind in 2007, he served as vice president of asset development and underwriting for Endurant Energy (now GI Energy US), a distributed energy developer he co-founded.
Bethann Rooney
Deputy Director, Port Department, Port Authority of New York & New Jersey
Bethann Rooney, a 28-year veteran in the maritime industry, began her career as a port captain/vessel agent for General Steamship Corporation. Since joining the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey in 1993, she has held a series of progressively responsible management positions including port operations, property management, intermodal and technology planning. In the immediate aftermath of 9/11, Bethann was named manager, port security, a position she held for 14 years, developing and managing a best-in-class port security program. Rooney is a graduate of the State University of New York Maritime College with a master’s in international transportation and a bachelor’s in marine transportation with qualifications as a third mate. She is also an accredited marine port executive from the International Association of Maritime and Port Executives.
Moderator
Vice Admiral Paul G. Gaffney II, U.S. Navy (Ret.)
Monmouth University President Emeritus and Urban Coast Institute Ocean Policy Fellow
VADM Paul G. Gaffney II is an ocean policy fellow with the UCI and president emeritus of Monmouth University. He also served as president of the National Defense University. He is a former chief of naval research and former commander of naval meteorology and oceanography. He was appointed as a commissioner with the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy and served during its full term, chaired the Ocean Research Advisory Panel and currently chairs the Ocean Exploration Advisory Board. Along with Rockefeller University Professor Jesse Ausubel, he co-chaired the Decadal Review of the National Ocean Exploration Program. The National Academy of Engineering selected him as a member and he serves on the National Academies Gulf Research Board.