Adena Leibman serves as a Senior Advisor with a focus on offshore wind across NOAA and additional issues under the agency’s Office of Marine and Aviation Operations. Prior to joining NOAA, Leibman was a Senior Manager for Federal Affairs at Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) where she led the oceans and wild-caught fisheries national policy work. Before joining EDF, Leibman worked for U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (RI) as his lead ocean and natural resources policy staffer and appropriations manager. During her tenure in the U.S. Senate, Leibman oversaw the development and passage of the bipartisan Save Our Seas and Save Our Seas 2.0 Acts, which address marine debris and plastic pollution; creation and initial funding of the National Coastal Resilience Fund; and drafting and introduction of the BLUE GLOBE Act, an ocean data and exploration bill. She previously served as plastics initiative manager and staff attorney with Ocean Conservancy, clerked with the U.S. Department of Justice and Bonneville Power Administration, and started her career in policy as a NOAA Sea Grant Knauss Legislative Fellow. Leibman has a JD from Lewis & Clark Law School, a BS and M.S. in marine science from the University of South Carolina, and a certificate in executive leadership from Cornell University.
I’m honored to serve in the NOAA Administrator’s office, and to support the President’s clean energy and emissions reduction goals. From providing foundational ocean and climate observations, to undertaking effective environmental reviews, NOAA is a key partner in climate change understanding, adaptation, and mitigation.