Jonathan W. Bailey

Who is Jonathan W. Bailey?

Jonathan W. Bailey is a retired rear admiral in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Corps and the former Director, NOAA Commissioned Officer Corps and Director, NOAA Office of Marine and Aviation Operations. He was appointed by Secretary of Commerce Carlos M. Gutierrez on October 1, 2007, after nomination for the position by President George W. Bush, confirmation by the U.S. Senate, and subsequent promotion by the Secretary to the two-star rank of rear admiral. On August 15, 2012, Bailey was succeeded as Director, NOAA Corps by RADM Michael S. Devany, and formally retired on September 30.,

A commissioned officer for over 30 years, Bailey has had a balanced operational career, with seven years of sea duty aboard five NOAA ships and almost nine years of flight duty piloting three NOAA aircraft.

From 2005 to 2007, Bailey served as Executive Director to the Deputy Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere. In 2003, he became Director of the Commissioned Personnel Center, where he directed the management of a complex system of policies, including compensation and benefits. His efforts had positive impact across the Service. RADM Bailey played a critical role in developing innovative strategies to improve the NOAA Corps workforce. These strategies included the establishment of NOAA Corps core values, new officer evaluation and billet systems, deployment of technological improvements, and new training to educate officers and supervisors about NOAA Corps policies.