United States of America Technical Focal Point for the Project SAP GoM LME, joined the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in 1998 and became the Director of NOAA Fisheries’ Southeast Fisheries Science Center in 2008.

She and her interdisciplinary team of scientists conduct monitoring and research and generate scientific products and advice used to guide management and policy decisions on living marine resources and their habitats in the Gulf of Mexico, South Atlantic and Caribbean. Prior to joining NOAA, Dr. Ponwith held federal, state, academic and private industry positions focused on marine ecology and fisheries biology in ecosystems in the mid-Atlantic, Pacific Northwest, equatorial South Pacific, Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean regions.