Rear Admiral Upper Half Chad M. Cary serves as the Director of the NOAA Commissioned Officer Corps and Director for NOAA’s Office of Marine and Aviation Operations (OMAO). Rear Admiral Cary is responsible for the direct leadership and management of OMAO’s operational assets, including the agency’s fleet of 15 research and survey vessels and ten aircraft. He has served in many operational and management assignments, most recently completing tours as the Deputy Director of OMAO and the NOAA Corps as well as the Director Commissioned Personnel Center.
RADM Cary’s command philosophy is to foster a safe work environment, form an inclusive charge, empower the experts, have each other’s backs, and to have a little fun along the way. RADM Cary’s balanced career includes nine years of sea time and 13 years of shore time. He has previous underway command experience aboard NOAA ships Reuben Lasker, Henry B. Bigelow, Nancy Foster, and John N. Cobb. Additional diverse career experiences stem from assignments in NOAA Fisheries, the National Weather Service, and NOAA Headquarters.
He is an Alaska native, born in Cordova and raised in Juneau. He earned a B.S. in Environmental Science with an emphasis in marine sciences from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill before joining the NOAA Corps. RADM Cary also earned a M.S. in Geography from Portland State University and a Graduate Certificate in Legislative Studies from Georgetown University. RADM Cary is a graduate of NOAA’s Leadership Competencies Development Program and remains committed to NOAA’s future leaders, serving formally and informally as a mentor.
RADM Cary is accompanied on this adventure by his wife, Dayna, and their three children. They are active in their community, where they engage in school activities and sports. RADM Cary volunteers as a coach whenever possible. In his spare time he enjoys almost any outdoor pursuit, especially exploring new trails.