Penelope D. Dalton

Director

Washington Sea Grant
3716 Brooklyn Ave. NE
Seattle, WA 98105

206.685.9215
206.685.0380 fax
pdalton@u.washington.edu

Focus Areas

Experience and Education

Penny became the WSG Director in November 2005. Previously she was Vice President of the Consortium for Oceanographic Research and Education, where she was involved in efforts to strengthen ocean science and policy, including implementation of the recommendations of the U.S. Ocean Commission. Prior to CORE, she served from 1999 through 2001 as NOAA’s Assistant Administrator for Fisheries and head of the National Marine Fisheries Service. Penny also was a staff member on the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation for 13 years and directed the Democratic staff of the Oceans and Fisheries subcommittee and Science, Technology, and Space subcommittee. She was involved in enactment and reauthorization of numerous science and ocean laws, including the Sustainable Fisheries Act, the Global Change Research Act, the Marine Mammal Protection Act and the Oceans Act of 2000. She has a master’s degree in Marine-Environmental-Estuarine-Sciences from University of Maryland.

Current Activities

  1. Implementing WSG’s new omnibus grant and becoming familiar with Sea Grant program administration.
  2. Learning about the WSG staff and investigators, the College of Ocean and Fishery Sciences, organizational partners and colleagues, ocean and coastal constituencies in Washington, and the Washington ocean governance structure.
  3. Working to build new partnerships and developing a research program to assess the environmental impacts of geoduck aquaculture.
  4. Serving on the State Ocean Caucus, the U.S. Committee on the Census of Marine Life, the External Relations Committee of the Sea Grant Association, and the Board on Oceans and Atmosphere of the National Association of State Universities and Land Grant Colleges.
  5. Working with other Pacific Coast Sea Grant programs to develop a regional information and research plan and preparing for the upcoming strategic planning process.
  6. Assessing program needs and identifying and initiating investments to strengthen WSG.