Diana Josephson
Diana H. Josephson | |
|---|---|
| Deputy Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere | |
| In office February 26, 1993 – 1997 | |
| President | Bill Clinton |
| Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere Acting | |
| In office February 26, 1993 – May 28, 1993 | |
| President | Bill Clinton |
| Preceded by | John Knauss |
| Succeeded by | D. James Baker |
| Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Installations and Environments | |
| In office 1997 – September 5, 2000[1] | |
| President | Bill Clinton |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1936 London, England |
| Died | March 6, 2006 Boulder, Colorado |
| Alma mater | Oxford University George Washington University |
| Occupation | Lawyer, Bureaucrat |
| Awards | Navy Distinguished Public Service Award, Department of Commerce Gold Medal |
Diana H. Josephson (1936-March 6, 2006) was the first woman to lead the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) when she became the acting Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere in 1993.
Biography
Josephson was born in London, England and started out as a lawyer, earning a B.A. and M.A. from Oxford and and a law degree from George Washington University Law School. She became a member of both the Bar of England and Wales and the District of Columbia Bar. She moved to Washington, DC in 1959 and became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1962. She worked for the Washington law firm of Covington and Burling from 1963 until 1968.[2][3][4]
In 1968 she went to work for the government of the District of Columbia coordinating youth programs citywide and then overseeing programs run by 22 agencies. She moved on to the American Civil Liberties Union for the National Capital Area in 1975 and then joined NOAA in 1978 as the deputy assistant administrator for policy and planning. In 1979, she became the acting deputy assistant administrator for satellites and in that role managed the weather satellite service, worked on NASA and NOAA ground systems and communications, and spearheaded the commercialization of the Landsat satellite system. She left NOAA in 1982.[2] In October 1981, she was awarded the Department of Commerce Gold Medal for Exceptional Service.[3][5]
She then spent time in the aerospace industry in a variety of positions with Martin Marietta Commercial Titan, Inc., Arianespace, Inc., Space America, Inc., and American Science and Technology Corporation and served as a member of the National Research Council's Space Applications Board and as a member of the Board of Directors of the American Astronautical Society.[3] By 1992, she was Martin Marietta Corporation's Director for Mission to Planet Earth Studies.[5]
On February 26, 1993 she was appointed by President Clinton to serve NOAA as Chief Operating Officer and Deputy Undersecretary for Oceans and Atmosphere.[6] After John A. Knauss retired in March of 1993, Josephson became acting director for nearly three months, becoming the first woman to lead the agency. In the following years and during the modernization of the National Weather Service, she led development of a $2 billion annual budget and developied NOAA's first strategic plan. Her contributions led to major improvements in climate forecasting and earned her a NOAA Special Recognition Award for lifetime service.[2]
In 1997 she went to the U.S. Navy as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Installations and Environments. In that position she had status equivalent to a three-star admiral and was recognized as such aboard naval vessels. Among other things she was responsible for finding an environmentally friendly way to dispose of napalm left from the Vietnam War. Her contributions at the Navy garnered her the Distinguished Public Service Award, the Navy's highest civilian honor.[2]
From 2000 to 2004 she was Senior Vice President for Environmental Defense. She reorganized it to bring in new talent and to help create marketing campaigns that increased its endowment by almost 40%. At the time of her death, she was one of five associate directors of the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder. She died on March 6, 2006 from complications of cancer.[2]
Josephson was involved with her partner, Jim Alexander, for 30 years until he died in 2001. They were avid sailors.[2]
References
- ^ "Josephson Joins Environmental Defense As Chief Operating Officer". Retrieved 28 April 2018.
- ^ a b c d e f "Obit: Diana H. Josephson, 1936-2006". Retrieved 26 April 2018.
- ^ a b c "Special News Announcement". American Meteorological Society. 74 (3). March 1993. Retrieved 27 April 2018.
- ^ "Diana H. Josephson; Had Leading Roles With NOAA, Navy". 13 March 2006. Retrieved 28 April 2018.
- ^ a b Departments of Commerce, Justice, and State, the Judiciary, and related agencies appropriations for 1994: hearings before a subcommittee of the Committee on Appropriations, House of Representatives, One Hundred Third Congress, first session. U.S. G.P.O. 1993. pp. https://books.google.com/books?id=FeyWQUEQ9SgC. ISBN 0160409985.
{{cite book}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help) - ^ Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States, William J. Clinton, 1993, Book 1, January 20 to July 31, 1993. Government Printing Office. 1994. p. 1259. ISBN 0160450098.
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