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CORVALLIS, Ore. - Shelby Walker, a marine scientist and administrative leader with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, has been named director of the Oregon Sea Grant College Program.

She will assume leadership of Oregon Sea Grant, the Oregon State University-based marine research, outreach, education and communication program, on July 7.

Walker has been the strategic planning team leader for the Office of Policy, Planning and Evaluation in NOAA's Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research since August 2009. In that role, she has been responsible for the agency's research and development planning efforts.

She also has been associate director for the NOAA RESTORE Act Science Program, an initiative funded through civil penalties resulting from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill that aims to increase scientific understanding of the Gulf of Mexico ecosystem and improve the region's sustainability.

"Oregon Sea Grant deals with a range of marine issues that impacts the lives and livelihoods of Oregonians," said Rick Spinrad, vice president for research at Oregon State. "Shelby Walker is an experienced leader and a superb collaborator who will be able to develop partnerships in research, education, communications and outreach to address these issues, which include natural hazards, climate change and managing our marine resources in a responsible and sustainable manner."

Prior to joining NOAA, Walker was associate program director in the National Science Foundation's Ocean Sciences Division, where she worked in the Ocean Technology and Interdisciplinary Coordination Program. She served as program officer for the Ocean Observatories Initiative, one of the largest oceanographic infrastructure investments in history. The OOI is a $386 million project to monitor the world's oceans for environmental changes and their effects on biodiversity, coastal ecosystems and climate, led by several universities including OSU.

Walker also has been project manager for the Joint Subcommittee on Ocean Science and Technology, a group of 25 federal agencies with responsibilities for ocean research and technology development.

Her research has focused on organic contaminants in coastal systems, including highly industrialized urban estuaries. Walker received her Ph.D. in marine science from the College of William and Mary, and worked as a post-doctoral researcher at the Naval Research Laboratory.