NOAA's North Atlantic Regional Team, State Roundtables and Thematic Engagement of Congressional Staff

In 2006, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) established eight Regional Collaboration Teams in part to better coordinate and inform the activities among NOAA line offices in the field. This effort has been a success, leading to greater awareness and coordination of NOAA activities. To date, the efforts of the teams have largely been focused on engaging NOAA and specific external stakeholders.

In FY14, NOAA's North Atlantic Regional Collaboration Team (NART), launched a congressional roundtable project. Highlighting collaboration and the interdisciplinary nature of local decision-making, NOAA has been working with our other federal, academic, state, municipal, and non-governmental partners to educate our congressional delegation on the latest science, successful partnerships and known gaps. Collaborating across government, the scientific community and industry to solve issues, then sharing this intelligence with our legislators is the essence of good government. This paper will describe the NART's methods and approach to congressional staff engagement in the North Atlantic, reveal progress to date, and demonstrate products - like a regional expertise directory - designed to support sustained engagement with delegation staff. “We have an overwhelming need for irrefutable data,” one staffer said after our second congressional roundtable in Maine. “NOAA's approach to developing the agenda, and convening the right people and information, is just what we need.”