Adrienne Simonson '04

Director, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Open Data Dissemination

Adrienne Simonson ’00 had her eyes set on law school after undergrad when her political science professor complained that she should get a Master of Public Administration degree instead.

“I had never heard of an MPA degree, but as I learned more, I realized good government really spoke to me,” Simonson shares. “So, I decided to apply to both the MPA and JD degrees at UNC, a decision that has really worked for me.”

Distinguishable from the JD, Simonson found the MPA curriculum to provide a foundation for people management, offering coursework and experiential learning opportunities that exposed her to the challenges of working in small groups. The MPA program provided strategies for management, which she explains accounts for the “bulk of her career in government.” The small group experiences helped her appreciate that the individuals involved are as important as the material at issue.

Since obtaining her JD and MPA degrees as a single mother, Simonson spent the last 15 years working in public service for the federal government. She supported Congress on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives and played a significant role in ensuring that the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Reauthorization Act (2006) requirements were fully funded. The Act and Reauthorization has been particularly successful, resulting in 41 fish stocks having been rebuilt, 84 percent of which are no longer overfished.

“I have been honored to lead committed teams of truly remarkable individuals,” Simonson says. “I also made critical decisions and recommendations that ensured a more efficient method for sharing government data would persist to the benefit of the taxpayer: the Big Data Program.

When asked how the UNC MPA program has impacted her success, Simonson highlighted the value of not only the program’s substance but the network she joined. For example, as a Presidential Management Fellow in the U.S. Department of the Interior, Office of Budget, it was MPA colleagues that provided her with rotational opportunities in the Senate and the House, the latter of which she chose to pursue. She admits that the pace of the MPA was initially frustrating, and while she complained incessantly through all those classes and assignments, she has “been grateful ever since.

“Moreover, the MPA reinforced my confidence in my ability to grasp complicated concepts and work to resolve issues without being the subject matter expert in the room,” Simonson said. “That’s how I became acting director of the NOAA Data Program within the Office of the Chief Information Officer, without having significant data science or information technology skills.”

Professional Experience:

  • Acting Director of the NOAA Data Program, Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO), National Oceanic and
  • Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and Big Data Program Business Director
  • Chief, Plans and Programs Branch, NOAA/NESDIS/National Center for Environmental Information
  • Acting Division Director and Budget Analyst, U.S. Department of Commerce
  • Professional Staff, U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on Appropriations, Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies Subcommittee
  • Detailee, U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on Appropriations, Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration and Related Agencies Subcommittee
  • Budget Analyst, U.S. Department of the Interior, Presidential Management Fellow 2005

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