The Commerce Department has elevated NOAA Chief of Staff Laura Grimm to lead the agency, replacing acting Administrator Nancy Hann, who will remain with NOAA as deputy undersecretary for operations.
The leadership change, first reported by Axios, was confirmed Wednesday by two NOAA employees who had knowledge of the move but were granted anonymity because they are not authorized to speak about it. One other agency staffer said news of the move was circulating among staff but no official announcement of the changes had come as of Wednesday morning.
Grimm, who formerly worked for the nonprofit World Wildlife Fund as director of ocean markets and the Pew Charitable Trusts as an international fisheries specialist, has been at NOAA since January, according to her LinkedIn page.
Hann is a career civil servant and vice admiral who rose through NOAA’s Commissioned Officer Corps. She was appointed deputy undersecretary in June 2024 during the Biden administration. She will continue in that role, said the two NOAA employees with knowledge of the leadership change.
