Kim Damon-Randall has been appointed by NOAA Fisheries as the organization’s new director of the Office of Protected Resources, filling the vacancy left when Donna Wieting retired in March.
Damon-Randall assumed her new duties on Aug. 29. She was most recently the deputy regional director of NOAA’s Greater Atlantic Regional Office. She grew up in Deep River, Conn., where as a child she visited the Mystic Aquarium in Mystic, Conn., on a regular basis. She holds a bachelor’s degree in biology and a master’s degree in marine affairs, both from the University of Rhode Island.
Prior to coming to work for NOAA, Damon-Randall worked on marine conservation and outreach at the Norwalk Maritime Aquarium and J.L. Scott Marine Education Center.
Sam Rauch, NOAA Fisheries deputy assistant administrator for regulatory programs, said that Damon-Randall had helped the agency grapple with some of the most difficult species recovery issues faced on a regional level, including North Atlantic right whale and Atlantic salmon.
“That experience will serve her well in her new job,” Rauch said.
