William J. Brennan, Ph.D. Deputy Assistant Secretary for International Affairs National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration U.S. Department of Commerce

For more than 25 years, William J. Brennan has dedicated his career to marine and environmental policy matters at the state, regional, national and international level. In April 2002, President Bush appointed Brennan as the deputy assistant secretary of Commerce for international affairs within NOAA. In this position he will negotiate international agreements, coordinate United States policy with respect to international oceanic and atmospheric matters, and focus on international environmental issues critical to the United States.

Brennan was raised on the Downeast Coast of Maine where his interest in the marine environment led him into the commercial fisheries, the merchant marine, and for a time he served as a survey technician aboard the NOAA Ship Albatross IV. He began his professional career in 1977 with NOAA Fisheries at the National Marine Fisheries Service laboratory in Sandy Hook, N.J., and later at the NMFS laboratory in Woods Hole, Mass. During this period, much of his time was devoted to a collaborative fisheries research program with the former Soviet Union. He continued his work with NOAA as a member of the Atlantic Environmental Group at the NMFS laboratory in Narragansett, R.I., while he pursued his graduate degree.

Following the completion of his graduate studies in 1983, Bill served in a senior staff position with the U.S. House of Representatives working primarily on issues before the Merchant Marine and Fisheries Committee. In 1987 he was appointed by newly elected Governor John R. McKernan, Jr. to serve in his cabinet as commissioner of the Maine Department of Marine Resources, a position he held for eight years. In this capacity, he managed the agency's diverse mission of research, management, enforcement and development. He also served as a member of and advisor to several marine and environmental boards and commissions.

Upon leaving his state government position, Brennan opened a private consulting firm in Portland, Maine, providing policy guidance to businesses and governments in the marine and environmental policy field. He was also appointed to several boards including the New England Fishery Management Council, the Aquaculture and Marine Technology Board, and the Maine Oil Spill Advisory Committee. In 1999, he was appointed the Sawyer Professor of Ocean Studies with the Corning School of Ocean Studies and he continues his involvement in the field of education as an adjunct professor at the Maine Maritime Academy and as a member of the Kents Hill School environmental studies committee.

Brennan holds a bachelor of science degree in marine biology from the University of Maine, a master's of arts degree in marine affairs from the University of Rhode Island, and a Ph.D. in ecology and environmental sciences from the University of Maine. He and his wife Heather were both raised in Castine, Maine, and were married there 21 years ago. Today they reside in Topsham, Maine, with their two sons Will and Tyler and their daughter Hayley.