Professional Affiliation

Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Conservation and Management and Deputy Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Project Summary

Mark Schaefer is working to apply science and technology innovations in global conservation strategies.

He is focusing his efforts on the application of ecosystem services principles and information technologies to advance ocean and terrestrial conservation. He has served in the federal government as Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Conservation and Management, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Water and Science, Acting Director of the U.S. Geological Survey, and Assistant Director for Environment in the Office of Science and Technology Policy in the Executive Office of the President. Early in his career he was a Congressional Science Fellow in the Office of Technology Assessment of the U.S. Congress and a staff member in the Environmental Protection Agency. In the private sector he was the founding President and CEO of NatureServe and a staff member of the Carnegie Commission on Science, Technology, and Government. A biologist by training, he received a B.A. from the University of Washington and a Ph.D. from Stanford University.