| Post: | United States Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere |
| Flag: | Seal of the United States Department of Commerce.svg |
| Flagsize: | 150 |
| Insigniasize: | 120 |
| Incumbent: | Rick Spinrad |
| Acting: | no |
| Incumbentsince: | June 22, 2021 |
| Formation: | October 3, 1970 |
| First: | Robert M. White |
The under secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere, or USC(OA), is a high-ranking official in the United States Department of Commerce and the principal advisor to the United States secretary of commerce on the environmental and scientific activities of the department. The under secretary is dual hatted as the administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration within the Commerce Department.
The under secretary is appointed by the president of the United States with the consent of the United States Senate to serve at the pleasure of the president. The current under secretary is Rick Spinrad. He was nominated by Joe Biden on April 22, 2021, confirmed on June 17 and sworn in on June 22, 2021.[1]
As the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Under Secretary oversees the day-to-day functions of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, as well as laying out its strategic and operational future.[2]
Components of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration that the Administrator oversees include the National Environmental Satellite, Data and Information Service, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Ocean Service, National Weather Service, Oceanic and Atmospheric Research, Marine and Aviation Operations, and the NOAA Corps.[2]
With the rank of Under Secretary, the USC(OA) is a Level III position within the Executive Schedule[3] Since January 2023, the annual rate of pay for Level III is $195,000.[4] The Under Secretary ranks fifth in the line of succession for the office of Secretary of Commerce.[5]
The position of Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere was created by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Marine Fisheries Program Authorization Act of 1985. The position was created to serve as the Administrator of NOAA. It also created an Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere to serve as Deputy Administrator of NOAA.[6] William Evans was the first person to have the title of Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere. The position of Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration was created earlier by the Reorganization Plan No. 4 of 1970.[7]
During the Donald Trump administration, the agency never had a confirmed leader. Trump first nominated former AccuWeather CEO Barry Myers to serve as Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere on Oct 12, 2017. His nomination was returned to President Trump by the Senate on January 3, 2018,[8] resubmitted on January 8, 2018, returned again on January 3, 2019,[9] and resubmitted again on January 16, 2019.[10] In November 2019, Myers withdrew his nomination, citing health concerns.[11] A month later, Trump nominated Neil Jacobs, then the acting administrator, to be the 11th administrator.[12] Though Jacobs had Senate confirmation hearings in May 2020, he was never confirmed, in part because of the so-called Sharpiegate incident.
Officials reporting to the USC(OA)/Administrator include:
From 1970 to 1988, the head of NOAA was the NOAA Administrator. Starting with Bill Evans in 1988, that person held the title of Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere.
| No. | Portrait | Name | Took office | Left office | Tenure | President | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | October 3, 1970 | July 13, 1977 | Richard Nixon | ||||
| 2 | Richard A. Frank | July 13, 1977 | January 20, 1981 | ||||
| - | James P. Walsh | January 20, 1981 | June 10, 1981 | ||||
| 3 | John V. Byrne | June 10, 1981 | November 15, 1984 | ||||
| 4 | Anthony J. Calio | November 15, 1984 | October 4, 1985[13] | ||||
| October 4, 1985 | September 15, 1987 | ||||||
| - | J. Curtis Mack II | September 15, 1987 | March 31, 1988 | ||||
| 5 | William Eugene Evans | March 31, 1988 | August 7, 1989[14] | ||||
| 6 | John A. Knauss | August 7, 1989 | February 26, 1993 | ||||
| - | Diana Josephson | February 26, 1993 | May 28, 1993 | ||||
| 7 | D. James Baker | May 28, 1993[15] | January 20, 2001 | ||||
| - | Scott Gudes | January 20, 2001 | December 10, 2001[16] | ||||
| 8 | Conrad C. Lautenbacher | December 10, 2001 | October 31, 2008 | ||||
| - | William J. Brennan | October 31, 2008 | March 19, 2009 | ||||
| 9 | Jane Lubchenco | March 20, 2009 | February 28, 2013 | ||||
| 10 | March 1, 2013 | March 6, 2014 | |||||
| March 6, 2014 | January 20, 2017 | ||||||
| - | Benjamin Friedman | January 20, 2017 | October 25, 2017 | ||||
| - | Timothy Gallaudet | October 25, 2017[17] | February 25, 2019[18] | ||||
| - | Neil Jacobs | February 25, 2019 | January 20, 2021 | ||||
| - | Benjamin Friedman | January 20, 2021 | June 22, 2021 | ||||
| 11 | Rick Spinrad | June 22, 2021[19] | Present | ||||