Dr. Billy Causey
Billy Causey is the Southeast Regional Director for the
National Marine Sanctuary Program of the National Oceanic
and Atmospheric Administration. Previously, he had managed
National Marine Sanctuaries in the Florida Keys since 1983,
when he became the Manager of the Looe Key National Marine
Sanctuary. As the manager of this marine protected area he
developed the education, science and enforcement programs
and sustained an interagency partnership between the state
and federal governments. He served as the Superintendent of
the 2900 square nautical mile Florida Keys National Marine
Sanctuary from August 1991 to September 2, 2006, when he
assumed his current position. Billy has been the lead
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
official in the development of the management plan for the
Keys Sanctuary, including development of this nation’s first
comprehensive marine zoning plan. He led efforts to
establish the largest network of fully protected areas in
the continental US. He serves as the liaison with local,
state and other federal agencies responsible for management
of natural resources in the Southeast Region. Billy’s
academic interests are in coral reef ecology, coral reef
fishes, sustainable management, impacts from climate change,
marine policy and marine zoning. He received a Bachelor of
Arts degree from the University of Corpus Christi in 1967,
and a Master of Science degree from Texas A&I University in
1969. Three years of post graduate work at the University of
South Florida introduced him to the Florida Keys coral reef
ecosystem. On May 6, 2006, Billy Causey was bestowed with an
Honorary Doctorate in Science from the University of South
Florida. Billy has served on the Governor's Commission for
Sustainable South Florida and on the Working Group for the
South Florida Ecosystem Restoration Task Force. Most
recently, he was appointed to serve on the State of
Florida’s Ocean and Coastal Resources Council. He has
received numerous national and international awards for his
work in marine protected areas.
|
