Honorary Co-Chairs

For each annual OCEANS Conference, the presidents of the Marine Technology Society (MTS) and the IEEE Oceanic Engineering Society (OES) invite key leaders in the ocean community to serve as Honorary Co-Chairs to provide their wisdom, insight, and leadership to the Conference Committee.

In previous conferences, this has typically been 2-3 leaders in the venue location. For OCEANS 2005 and the theme "One Ocean," we recognize the complexity of our current and future ocean situation. We will invite a substantially greater number of Honorary Co-Chairs so that we can benefit from their guidance across the broad spectrum of government, industry, academia, public organizations, and others.

Note: Invitations are in progress to several other leaders in the U.S. and international ocean community, and that information will be updated as it becomes available.

The Conference Committee is privileged that the following leaders have accepted invitations to serve as OCEANS 2005 MTS/IEEE Honorary Co-Chairs:

Dr. Robert B. Gagosian
President and Director, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

John R. Kreider
Senior Vice President, Advanced Technologies, Oceaneering International

Vice Admiral Conrad C. Lautenbacher, U.S. Navy (Retired)
Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere
Administrator, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Roger T. Rufe
President, The Ocean Conservancy

Dr. Lydia W. Thomas
President and CEO, Mitretek Systems

Rear Admiral Steven J. Tomaszeski, U.S. Navy
Oceanographer of the Navy

Admiral James D. Watkins, U.S. Navy (Retired)
Chairman, U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy

Rear Admiral Richard D. West, U.S. Navy (Retired)
President, Consortium for Oceanographic Research and Education

Sponsored by the Marine Technology Society (MTS) and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)/Oceanic Engineering Society (OES).