NEWPORT — Oregon State University marine researcher Lisa Ballance is on course to take on some important new duties.
Ballance, who directs the university’s Marine Mammal Institute in Newport, has been nominated by President Biden to be chair and one of three members of the national Marine Mammal Commission.
If confirmed by the U.S. Senate later this year, Ballance would help provide guidance for a commission that works to “further the conservation of marine mammals and their environment,” according to the commission’s mission statement.
The commission is an independent agency of the U.S. government, which is why commissioners need Senate confirmation to serve.
“This position, if confirmed, would be added to my current portfolio,” Ballance told YachatsNews. “It would require some time management adjustment, for sure. But much of the responsibilities overlap significantly with my current knowledge base needs here.”
In addition to directing OSU’s Marine Mammal institute, Ballance is the Endowed Chair of Marine Mammal Research, and professor of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Sciences at the university. In this role, she oversees the vision and implementation of research, education and outreach for the Institute’s professors, post-doctorates, students and staff.
Prior to joining the institute, Ballance directed the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration’s Fisheries’ Marine Mammal and Turtle Research Division in La Jolla, Calif., where she provided scientific leadership and oversight for scientists conducting applied research on the endangered species and marine mammal protection acts.
