Robert L. Mairs of NOAA’s
National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service
has been named chief information officer of NESDIS.
NESDIS operates the nation’s civil and
military environmental satellites and operates three data centers.
The agency has offices in Silver Spring, Md., and facilities
in Suitland, Md.; Wallops, Va.; Fairbanks, Alaska; Asheville,
N.C.; and Boulder, Colo.
"It is exciting and challenging to
be selected for this position," Mairs said. "I am
really excited about the challenges ahead, and I am looking forward
to working with NOAA and the
Department of Commerce’s team
of IT professionals in making the most efficient and cost effective
use of technology. NOAA has an incredible cadre of people who
are dedicated and truly energized by the work that NOAA carries
out. Technology is a key component in ensuring that what NOAA
does meets the public’s needs.
Mairs has served with NESDIS for the past
two decades. He has held several technical and managerial positions
in NOAA and was formerly the deputy director of the Office
of Satellite Data Processing and Distribution, where he managed
one of NOAA’s largest data processing facilities, ensuring that
data users around the world would have access to NOAA’s data
and information. In addition, Mairs has led the development of
several NOAA IT systems including the NOAA
Satellite Active Archive; a system which allows users to
search, browse, peruse, and order environmental satellite data
in a timely manner from the Web.
Mairs holds a bachelor’s degree from the
University of California, Santa
Barbara and a master’s degree in engineering from the Catholic University of America,
Washington, D.C. He has also completed a graduate development
program in computer systems management from the University
of Maryland. He lives in Annapolis, Md., with his wife Diane.
