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Decision Coordination Office (DCO)
The Decision Coordination Office serves as the Executive Secretary to the NEC and NEP. The DCO is responsible for establishing meeting agendas, procedures and attendance; distributing scheduling information; preparing, distributing, and maintaining NEC/NEP proceedings (minutes and decision memoranda); maintaining and archiving a list of outstanding action items as well as tracking completion of actions. Any persons assigned actions in a NEC or NEP meeting is responsible for providing progress updates to the DCO.
NOAA Councils
NOAA’s councils are the focal point for considering agency-wide issues (e.g., planning, resource requirements, and policy) in various functional areas. They serve as a forum for reviewing issues, formulating decision briefings, and condensing complex issues and programs into understandable terms and recommendations for decisional presentations to the NEC and NEP. Terms of Reference and contacts for all NOAA Councils are available on the DCO website (www.dco.noaa.gov).
NOAA Councils: |
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CFO/CAO Council
Chief Information Officer Council
Human Capital Council
Minority Serving Institutions Council
Ocean Council
Safety Council |
Education Council
International Affairs Council
Observing Systems Council
Fleet Council
Research Council |
NOAA Executive Panel (NEP)
The NOAA Executive Panel (NEP) provides information and advice to the Deputy Under Secretary for issues related to daily operations and management. It also oversees the planning, programming and budgeting process. It serves as the final forum ensuring that issues, programs and briefings are condensed into understandable terms and recommendations for decisions before presentation to the NEC. As with the councils, the NEP may decide a proposal needs more work before progressing. The proposal may be presented again at a later date after the feedback has been incorporated.
NOAA Executive Panel (NEP) Members:
Deputy Under Secretary (Chair)
Deputy Assistant Administrators of
NOAA Fisheries Service
NOAA Research Service
NOAA Ocean Service
NOAA Satellites and Information Service
NOAA National Weather Service
Program Planning and Integration
Director of Workforce Management Office
Director of Program Analysis & Evaluation
Director of Acquisition and Grants Office
Deputy Director of NOAA Marine and Aviation Operations
Chief Information Officer
Chief Financial Officer
Chief Administrative Officer
NOAA Executive Council (NEC)
The NOAA Executive Council (NEC) provides information and counsel to the Under Secretary for decisions on key agency issues and policies and to provide a clear and unambiguous record of the agency’s decisions and directions. Like the NEP, it may require that a proposal undergo revisions and be presented again for final approval.
NOAA Executive Council (NEC) Members:
Under Secretary (Chair)
Chief of Staff to the Under Secretary
Assistant Secretary of Oceans and Atmosphere
Deputy Assistant Secretary of Oceans and Atmosphere
Deputy Assistant Secretary for International Affairs
NOAA General Counsel
Deputy Under Secretary
Assistant Administrators
NOAA Fisheries Service
NOAA Research Service
NOAA Ocean Service
NOAA Satellites and Information Service
NOAA National Weather Service
Program Planning and Integration
Director of NOAA Marine and Aviation Operations
Decisions on Key NOAA Issues
Once a proposal has been approved by the NOAA Executive Council (NEC), there are several paths it may follow. If the proposal was for a new NOAA Administrative Order (NAO), the Under Secretary will usually sign it into effect on the advice of the NEC members. Some proposals are strategic outlooks for the agency’s future and the NEC will assign actions to be tracked by the Decision Coordination Office and require that a progress report be given at a future date. Other presentations may be given to the NEC for informational purposes to keep the members apprised of activities by a program or council.
Virtual NEC/NEP Meetings
When decision time is critical, a “Virtual” NEP and/or NEC may be used as an alternative to an in-person meeting. In these cases, the members review and provide feedback on a proposal electronically through the Decision Coordination Office (DCO). “Virtuals” have the same requirements as conventional presentations and the decisions and actions stemming from them are tracked by the DCO in the same way.
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