Although several amazing staff have retired since the start of 2020, we want to highlight Greg Power, Port Programs Supervisor at the Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office (GARFO), who is retiring from public service on December 31, 2021. He has enjoyed a 45-year distinguished career in public service in a variety of roles—from being a sea sampler and observer to a Port Agent helping start the mandatory vessel and dealer reporting program. Greg started with NOAA Fisheries in 1977, hired as a Northeastern University cooperative student working on for-hire catch surveys in Sandy Hook, New Jersey. From there, he worked as a Port Agent, shuffling up and down the east coast from Portland, Maine to New Bedford, Massachusetts. Then in 1987, he worked at the Woods Hole facility, helping to create the sea sampling and domestic observer program. In 1995, he shifted over to the office in Gloucester, where he’s been working for the past 26 years.
Some of Greg’s most memorable experiences include being on an observer trip on F.J. O’Hara’s 120-foot stern trawler Ranger in October 1984 and fishing off the coast of Nova Scotia when the World Court’s Hague Line decision was delivered, dividing the Gulf of Maine and George’s bank between the United States and Canada. He also remembers riding out the swells and winds from Hurricane Josephine in 1984 as it tracked south of George’s Bank.
After all these years of service, what is Greg looking forward to most about retiring? The time to do what he wants! But he will miss all the amazing and dedicated people he’s worked with over the years. One thing he’s learned over his career is that communication is key. “Talk about the good, bad and otherwise, honestly, and consider input from others, it might be brilliant,” he says.
For current and new staff at NOAA, or students considering a career with NOAA Fisheries, Greg provides the following advice: “There are so many different types of jobs within NOAA Fisheries. You do not have to stay in the field you started in. Find what you are interested in and get there.”
Greg will be missed by many, but his contributions to the agency will not be forgotten. We wish him fair winds, following seas, and many, many years of excellent bird watching.
In addition to Greg, several other long-standing GARFO staff retired in 2020 and 2021. Joining him in retirement are:
- Susan Olsen - Grants Program Supervisor (October 2020)
- Mark Minton - Fisheries Information Specialist (October 2020)
- Carolyn Privitera - Secretary, Protected Species Division (March 2021)
- Ken Ortiz - Software Development Manager (July 2021)
- Laura Piscitello - Financial Management Specialist (April 2021)
- Peter Kelliher - Marine Mammal Vessel Strike and Monitoring Coordinator (December 2021)
Best wishes on everyone’s next adventure and happy retirement!
