Washington, DC
Jon White joined the Consortium for Ocean Leadership in Sep 2015 and was instated as president and CEO in Jan 2016. Prior to this he had a distinguished 32-year career in the U.S. Navy and retired at the rank of Rear Admiral. White’s passion for the ocean and science began at a very early age as he grew up near Florida’s Gulf coast. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Oceanographic Technology from the Florida Institute of Technology in 1981 and holds a master’s degree in Meteorology and Oceanography from the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School. After working at sea as a civilian oceanographer on board a seismic survey vessel, he was commissioned through Navy Officer Candidate School in 1983, and served for as a surface warfare officer for four years. White joined the Navy’s Oceanography Community in 1987, and had numerous operational assignments at sea and ashore. White commanded the Naval Training Meteorology and Oceanography Facility, Pensacola, Florida, and was the 50th superintendent of the United States Naval Observatory in Washington, DC. White was selected as a flag officer and honorary chief petty officer in 2009 and served as Commander, Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command at Stennis Space Center, MS. He was promoted to the rank of rear admiral (upper half) in August 2012 as he assumed his duties as the Oceanographer and Navigator of the Navy, which included duties as director of Navy’s Task Force Climate Change, and Navy deputy to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. White earned numerous personal and unit awards throughput his career, which are all a tribute to the Sailors, Marines, Airmen, Soldiers, Coast Guardsmen, and civilians with whom he served.