Dr. John Marra is the NOAA Climate Services Director for the Pacific Region, based in Honolulu, HI. He started working in this capacity in July 2010. He also serves as an Adjunct Fellow at the East-West Center. For nearly 20 years Dr. Marra has been working to bridge science, policy, and information technology to address issues related to natural hazards risk reduction and climate adaptation planning. His particular area of expertise is the development and dissemination of data and products associated with coastal inundation and erosion. Dr. Marra worked for the NOAA Integrated Data and Environmental Applications (IDEA) Center in Honolulu, Hawaii starting in August 2006, where he spearheaded a project on extreme storms – strong winds, heavy rains, and high seas – in the Pacific. For the four years prior to that he worked at the NOAA Pacific Services Center providing technical assistance to Pacific Island jurisdictions and supporting the integration of multi-disciplinary research and observations to address issues associated with coastal natural hazards and community resilience. Before arriving in Hawaii in April 2002 he worked independently for almost 10 years in Newport, Oregon as a consulting geologist for a broad range of private and public sector clients. Prior to that, he was the North Coast Field Representative for the State of Oregon’s Department of Land Conservation and Development. Dr. Marra received his Ph.D. in geology from the University of Canterbury, in Christchurch, New Zealand.
