Jonathan Pennock is the director of the National Sea Grant College Program and the National Sea Grant Office. He oversees the strategic direction of the Program, the support and integration of the work of the 34 state Sea Grant Programs, and the growth of the Program as codified in Sea Grant’s authorizing legislation.

Jon is a nationally-known coastal scientist with expertise in oceanography and estuarine sciences and has a long list of administrative experiences at both university and federal levels. In addition to his Sea Grant responsibilities, Jon serves on the executive boards of the NOAA RESTORE program and Ocean Acidification Program, and as a member of the Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research Senior Research Council.

Jon holds a Ph.D. degree in Oceanography and a Master’s degree in Marine Studies from the University of Delaware, and a bachelor’s in Biology from Earlham College. Previously he served as the director of the New Hampshire Sea Grant Program and the deputy director of the School of Marine Science and Ocean Engineering at the University of New Hampshire, and as a faculty member at the University of Alabama and the Dauphin Island Sea Lab where he served as Chair of University Programs.

In his spare time, Jon enjoys sailing and kayaking, photography, working in his shop and yard and playing with his grandchildren.

Email: jonathan.pennock@noaa.gov