CONTACT:  Tim Tomastik                  FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
                                        8/28/98

A senior advisor for Arctic research efforts and deputy assistant administrator were named today by D. James Baker, administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Dr. Alan Thomas will assume new responsibilities in the Office of Global Programs as NOAA's senior advisor for Arctic research efforts and Louisa Koch will become the deputy Assistant Administrator for Oceanic and Atmospheric Research, both effective September 13.

Before joining NOAA, Koch worked at the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), most recently as Commerce Branch Chief. In that capacity she played a major role in many environmental issues including preparation for the first annual National Oceans Conference, which was held June 11 and 12, 1998. Prior to joining OMB, Koch worked for the Defense Department at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and for the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition. She began her federal career working for the Joint Economic Committee of Congress.

A native of Brookline, Mass., Koch earned a B.S in Physics from Middlebury College and a M.S. from the Electrical Engineering Department at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She has extensive knowledge of Congressional and Executive Branch budget activities and environmental issues.

Dr. Alan Thomas will assume new responsibilities in the Office of Global Programs as NOAA's senior advisor for Arctic research efforts. Since joining NOAA in 1975, Thomas has served in a number of increasingly important positions in the Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research. He will serve as a senior advisor on Arctic activities, promoting, coordinating and implementing a unified approach to the management of NOAA's Arctic research programs. He will also manage the Arctic Research Initiative to address crosscutting Arctic science needs and NOAA's participation in the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Program. Serving as NOAA's representative to the Interagency Arctic Research and Policy Committee and the Arctic Research Commission, he will serve a vital role in interacting with external institutions and bodies, both interagency and international.