Department of Commerce
National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration
National Marine Fisheries Service
- Office of Law Enforcement

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 24, 2007

NOAA FISHERIES OFFICE OF LAW ENFORCEMENT SPECIAL AGENT EVERETT BAXTER RECEIVES TWO BRONZE MEDAL AWARDS

Special Agent Everett Baxter has been awarded two prestigious bronze medals from the Department of Commerce. Retired Navy Vice Admiral Conrad C. Lautenbacher, Ph.D., under secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and NOAA administrator, presented Baxter with the awards at a ceremony held at the Daughters of the American Revolution Hall in Washington, D.C., on May 11, 2007.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Office of Law Enforcement (OLE) special agent received the first bronze medal for his part in the development and execution of a Continuity of Operations Program (COOP) exercise which improved NOAA's ability to maintain essential functions during all circumstances, including life-threatening weather events and terrorist attacks. He received his second award for helping to provide incident management and a unified emergency response during Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

"I am proud to have been a part of the Hurricane Katrina response team and I hope that my efforts along with those of my counterparts on the COOP Working Group result in NOAA being better prepared to respond and function when faced with the next major disaster, natural or manmade," stated Baxter.

The Tabor City, N.C. native initiated his enforcement career after obtaining a bachelor's degree in Criminology from Saint Leo University. Baxter began his career with NOAA in 2001 as a special agent working in the Southeast Division. Currently, he serves as the Homeland Security Program Manager for the Office of Law Enforcement's Headquarters in Silver Spring, Md.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, an agency of the U.S. Commerce Department, is celebrating 200 years of science and service to the nation. From the establishment of the Survey of the Coast in 1807 by Thomas Jefferson to the formation of the Weather Bureau and the Bureau of Commercial Fisheries in the 1870s, much of America 's scientific heritage is rooted in NOAA.

NOAA is dedicated to enhancing economic security and national safety through the prediction and research of weather and climate-related events and information service delivery for transportation, and by providing environmental stewardship of our nation's coastal and marine resources. Through the emerging Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS), NOAA is working with its federal partners, more than 60 countries and the European Commission to develop a global monitoring network that is as integrated as the planet it observes, predicts and protects.

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