In a media release, BOEM noted the bureau is one of Alaska’s largest funders of marine research, with 20-30 studies ongoing at any given time in the Alaska Region. Since BOEM’s Environmental Studies Program was established in 1973, more than $450 million has been invested to better understand and protect Alaska’s important marine ecosystems, it said.
"I am thrilled to join BOEM and to contribute to the Environmental Studies Program”, Parker said. “Alaska’s environment is incredibly diverse and challenging, and I look forward to advancing science and partnerships that support responsible resource management on the OCS”.
Alaska OCS Region Director Givey Kochanowski said, “Heather brings a wealth of hands-on experience and a real passion for Alaska’s marine environment. Her background in science, oil spill response, and working with various agencies and stakeholders will help us continue to learn about and protect Alaska’s unique offshore areas”.
Parker started her marine career with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), where she held the roles of both a deck officer and a science officer on NOAA ships, BOEM said. Parker also worked as a NOAA diver in the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary and eventually became a physical oceanographer, overseeing data management for the National Marine Fisheries Service.
BOEM said Parker’s career in oil spill response took her to NOAA’s Office of Response and Restoration and later as NOAA’s Scientific Support Coordinator for the California, Nevada, and Arizona regions. She also coordinated regional oil spill preparedness with the U.S. Coast Guard’s 13th District and recently served as the on-scene coordinator and regional oil spill program manager for Navy Region Northwest, BOEM said.
Parker has a bachelor’s degree in science, ecology, and evolutionary biology from the University of Connecticut, and a master's degree in physical oceanography/fisheries oceanography from the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California.
