In March 2009, Jane Lubchenco was confirmed by the U.S. Senate as Under Secretary of Commerce and Administrator of NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration). Prior to that, Dr. Lubchenco had been at Oregon State University in Corvallis, Oregon, where she had been an environmental scientist and marine ecologist actively engaged in teaching, research, synthesis and communication of scientific knowledge. She grew up in Colorado, received her PhD. and taught at Harvard University, and then 28 years ago moved to Oregon State University where she became the Wayne and Gladys Valley Professor of Marine Biology and Distinguished Professor of Zoology.