Michael S. Devany

Michael S. Devany
Vice Admiral Michael S. Devany, NOAA
Allegiance	United States of America
Service/branch	United States Navy NOAA Commissioned Officer Corps
Years of service	1986–1990 (U.S. Navy)[1] 1990–2016 (NOAA Corps)
Rank	Vice Admiral
Commands held	NOAAS John N. Cobb (R 552) NOAAS Oscar Elton Sette (R 335) Director, NOAA Marine and Aviation Operations Centers Director, NOAA Commissioned Corps Deputy Under Secretary for Operations, NOAA
Awards	NOAA Corps Meritorious Service Medal (2) NOAA Administrator's Award NOAA Commendation Medal (3) NOAA Achievement Medal (5) Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal

Michael S. Devany is a former vice admiral in the NOAA Corps who last served as the Deputy Under Secretary for Operations at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration from January 2, 2014 to April 2016. He previously served as director of the NOAA Commissioned Officer Corps from August 13, 2012 to January 1, 2014, succeeding RADM Jonathan W. Bailey. As Deputy Under Secretary for Operations at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, he was NOAA’s chief operating officer. VADM Devany was responsible for the day-to-day management of NOAA’s national and international operations for oceanic and atmospheric services, research, and coastal and marine stewardship. He is a key advisor to the Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere/NOAA Administrator on NOAA program and policy issues. Devany was the first NOAA Corps officer to achieve the rank of vice admiral since VADM Henry A. Karo in 1965, and the second NOAA Corps officer overall. Devany retired from NOAA in April 2016 after over 30 years of combined uniformed service.

Career

VADM Devany is an officer in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Corps (NOAA Corps), one of the nation’s seven uniformed services. He is a graduate of the NOAA Leadership Competencies Development Program and the Harvard Senior Managers in Government program.

As Director, MAOC, RDML Devany was responsible for the safe, efficient and effective operation of the NOAA ship and aircraft fleet. He oversaw NOAA’s multi-purpose oceanographic, fisheries, and hydrographic survey vessels and aircraft that operate across the globe in support of the program requirements of NOAA.

VADM Devany has been an officer of the NOAA Commissioned Officer Corps since January 1990, when he transferred from the United States Navy. While in the Navy, Devany served as a surface warfare officer aboard the destroyer USS John Young (DD-973) in the Pacific and the Persian Gulf. VADM Devany received a bachelor's degree from the University of Washington in biology, a master's degree from the University of South Florida in environmental health, and a graduate certificate from City University in project management. He was promoted to lieutenant in April 1994, lieutenant commander in September 1999, commander in September 2004, and captain in May 2008.^[2][3][4][5]

VADM Devany has served aboard six NOAA ships: NOAAS Chapman (R 446), NOAAS Discoverer (R 102), NOAAS Miller Freeman (R 223), and NOAAS Hi’ialakai (R 334) in various capacities, and as commanding officer of NOAAS Oscar Elton Sette (R 335) and NOAAS John N. Cobb (R 552). These vessels were involved in fisheries and oceanographic research operations in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Gulf of Mexico. Ashore, VADM Devany has served in a variety of staff, scientific, and management positions in the NOAA line offices National Marine Fisheries Service, Oceans and Atmospheric Research, Office of Marine and Aviation Operations, and National Ocean Service. He has spent a majority of his career working in assignments that directly interfaced with state and other federal agencies, using his project management and consensus building skills to achieve program objectives. VADM Devany has spent the last several years in senior Fleet operational positions, most recently as Commanding Officer, Marine Operations Center – Atlantic. He was promoted to rear admiral (lower half) in June 2011 and appointed Director, Marine and Aviation Operations Centers (MAOC), the operational arm of NOAA’s Office of Marine and Aviation Operations (OMAO).^[6] He was promoted to rear admiral in February 2012 and assumed command of the NOAA Commissioned Corps in August 2012. He was promoted to vice admiral on 2 January 2014 upon assuming dutiy as deputy undersecretary for operations, only the second officer to reach this rank in the combined history of the NOAA Commissioned Officer Corps and its predecessors, and the first since the promotion to vice admiral of H. Arnold Karo in 1965.

VADM Devany has been recognized for his outstanding performance of duties, receiving multiple NOAA Special Achievement Awards and the NOAA Corps Commendation Medals. Additionally, while serving in the U.S. Navy he received the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal and the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal for service in the Persian Gulf. VADM Devany is a NOAA diver, and holds a United States Coast Guard 1,600-gross-ton Master, Oceans license.

Personal life

VADM Devany is from the State of Washington, and he and his wife Tracy Bishop reside in Virginia with their three boys: Brendan, Kieran and Colin.

Dates of rank

Ensign	Lieutenant (junior grade)	Lieutenant	Lieutenant Commander	Commander	Captain
O-1	O-2	O-3	O-4	O-5	O-6
1990	1992	April 1994	September 1999	September 2004	May 2008

Rear Admiral (lower half)	Rear Admiral	Vice Admiral
O-7	O-8	O-9
July 15, 2011[7]	August 15, 2012[8]	January 2, 2014[9]

Awards and decorations

Navy Surface Warfare Officer badge
NOAA Deck Officer
NOAA Small Craft Command Badge
NOAA Diver

	NOAA Corps Meritorious Service Medal with one gold award star[10]
	NOAA Administrator's Award
	NOAA Commendation Medal with 2 award stars
	NOAA Achievement Medal with 4 award stars
	Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal
	NOAA Units Citation Award
	Navy "E" Ribbon
	Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal
	Navy Sea Service Deployment Ribbon with 3 bronze service stars
	NOAA Corps Atlantic Service Ribbon
	NOAA Corps Pacific Service Ribbon
	NOAA Corps International Service Ribbon
	Navy Expert Pistol Shot Medal

External links

• This article incorporates material taken from the public domain website of the NOAA Corps.

• NOAA Corps
• RDML Michael S. Devany's OMAO Bio
• NOAA's Website
• NOAA Corp's Website
• NOAA Office of Marine and Aviation Operations