To support a graduate student on a Knauss Fellowship in Washington D.C. gaining valuable first-hand experience of our nation's government by working on the staff of a federal agency dealing with marine affairs.

The National Sea grant College Program's Federal Fellows program is designed to provide our country's superior young graduate students or recent graduates with an opportunity to share their expertise and to gain experience on marine affairs and issues at the national level. This will accelerate the student's career development and help to assure that the brightest minds are working on marine issues.

LeAnn R. Southward, who recently received her MS degree from The Ohio State University's Department of Evolution, Ecology and Organismal Biology, has been selected as a Knauss/National Sea Grant Marine Policy Fellow. She will spend a year in Washington working for the US State Department. This is a great opportunity for LeAnn. She will receive a monthly salary and living allowance while in Washington.

Knauss Fellowship Final Report – Class of 2004

Your name: LeAnn Southward
Host Office name: Office of Marine Conservation, US Department of State Host {person(s) overseeing your work}: Stetson Tinkham Sponsoring Sea Grant program: Ohio Sea Grant

Education
1) What was/is your anticipated graduation date? December 2003, Master of Science

General Knauss Fellowship Program
2)a) How did you first hear about the Knauss Fellowship?
From Melissa Haltuch a former Sea Grant fellow from Ohio Sea Grant

b) What compelled you to apply?
Because of the science and policy components, and I wanted experience working for the federal government. I was also told by past Knauss fellow, that I would be well suited for this type of fellowship.

c) Of the expectations you had for the program, which were met?
Gaining international marine policy experience, exciting fast paced work, amazing travel opportunities, and learning how the federal government works.

d) Which expectations were not met?
All my expectations were met.

e) If you were recruiting students, what would you tell them about the experience?
In terms of career decisions this is the best decision I have ever made because it has opened many doors to future opportunities.

f) How do you expect to benefit in the future from your Knauss experience?
I will continue to benefit from this experience for many years due to all of the contacts I have made in the US and around the world in this field,

g) How could the marketing of the Knauss program to future applicants be improved?
I think making sure the state sea grant directors get the word out to college graduate students is very effective, and having current Knauss fellows speaking to other interested students at their home universities also helps.

h) Would you recommend the Knauss program to others (would you do it all over again? If so, would you change anything about it?).
Absolutely! I would do it over again and I would recommend the program to others interested in marine science and policy.

Knauss Activities
3) What was your favorite Knauss event this year?
During my fellowship year with the State Department I traveled to Chile twice, Malaysia, Tuvalu (South Pacific), Panama, Venezuela, Australia and Alaska. Therefore I did not have much time to participate in Knauss class activities, however I would not change this experience and the world travel for anything!

4) Many of the Fellows, as well as other groups around DC, scheduled events and activities throughout the Fellowship year. a) Did you take advantage of these activities? No

Projects
5) Please describe in a few paragraphs or as a list the projects you worked on over the year.
See job description below.

Host/Fellow Relationship and Experiences
6) a) What aspects of the Host/Fellow relationship worked smoothly?
All aspects of this relationship worked great. I was treated with respect and was given a high level of responsibility and many opportunities to do important projects.

b) What aspects of the Host/Fellow relationship did not work smoothly? What are your suggestions to make the relationship more comfortable?

7) Which of your talents do you feel your Host office utilized?
Efficiency, organization, writing skills, people skills.

Knauss Manager Position
8) Knauss Program Manager a) What did you expect the Manager's job to be?
Organize and run placement week, support current fellows, answer questions about program, plan class trip, etc...

b) How often did the Manager assist your needs?
Always. The manager helped things run well and smoothly, which is not an easy task. My needs were always met by the Program Manager.

c) What should the Manager do that was not done? What should the Manager change?

d) What should the Manager keep doing?
The current manager is great and makes this program a success. Keep up the good work!!

Post-Fellowship Plans
9) After this Fellowship is completed, what are your plans?
I will be working as a consultant for NOAA's Office of the Assistant General Counsel on issues that pertain to the International Monitoring, Control and Surveillance Network for Illegal, Unregulated, and Unreported Fishing. I will also be planning a Global Fisheries Enforcement Conference in conjunction with the State Department and the Fisheries Department at the UN FAO. This meeting will take place in July in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia.

10) Will you be a full-time student, contractor, Federal employee, Private employee?
I will be a consultant for the federal government.

Foreign Affairs Officer/Sea Grant Fellow Job Description
The following provides examples of work completed and issues for which I was responsible during my tenure as a Knauss Sea Grant Fellow in the Office of Marine Conservation in the Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs at the US Department of State.

1. • Represented the United States in international conferences, meetings and negotiations on oceans issues.
   • Represented the US at the UNGA during the 2004 Sustainable Fisheries Resolution Negotiations, and negotiated in support of U.S. foreign policy goals and objectives on multiple complex issues such as illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing activities, marine debris, shark conservation and deep sea bottom trawling
   • Head of the US delegation to the Asian Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Marine Resources Conservation Working Group meeting on Aquaculture held in Iquique Chile.
   • Member of US delegation to US Tuna Treaty Consultations, and worked directly with senior State Department officers to draft US negotiation positions and statements.
   • Member of US delegation to Inter-American Sea Turtle COP; liased with conference parties to reach US objectives and outcomes that could be agreed by consensus. Prepared US negotiation positions and briefing papers for senior State Department officers.
2. • Prepared time critical official and diplomatic communications, briefing materials for senior State Department officials
   • Developed briefing materials and talking points for OES Assistant Secretary John Turner for meeting with the non-governmental organization (NGO) community on the highly contentious issue of deep sea bottom trawling.
   • Assisted in development of testimony for a congressional committee hearing on international fisheries issues for Deputy Assistant Secretary David Balton.
   • Drafted a range of official diplomatic correspondence, liased with other Federal agencies and DOS Embassy personnel during preparation, clearance, and finalization.
   • Composed Aquaculture project paper to respond to the Ocean Commission Policy Report and worked with the Administrations' Committee on Environmental Quality, National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), US Fish and Wildlife Service, and US Geological Survey during drafting of paper.
3. • Reviewed and implemented approved APEC Fisheries Working Group (FWG) projects, such as coastal fisheries development in Vietnam and a seafood auditor-training program.
   • Project Manager for the APEC FWG project to establish an Aquaculture Network in the Americas, which involved collaboration with Chilean government officials, UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the WorldFish Centre for budget oversight, project development and meeting organization
4. • Experienced in liaison and communication with foreign governments particularly among the 21 APEC economies, embassies, representatives of NGOs and industry, members of Congress, and the public.
   • Coordinated international symposium with NGO community and National Marine Fisheries Service for a UN FAO Fisheries meeting to promote the conservation of seabirds.
5. • Acquired a detailed knowledge of the organization and operation of global bodies (e.g., the United Nations or U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization), regional fisheries management organizations and other entities related to the conservation and management of living marine resources.
   • UN General Assembly delegate for the 2004 Sustainable Fisheries Negotiations.
   • Organized Global Fisheries Enforcement Conference to be held in Malaysia in July 2005, in conjunction with FAO and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS).
6. • Developed an interagency process, including organizing interagency working groups, relating to the development of U.S. policy on conservation and management of living marine resources.
   • Organized US delegation conference calls, meetings and briefings that included other Federal agencies, NGO's and foreign government officials, to prepare for US Tuna Treaty negotiations, the UNGA Fisheries Resolution negations, and Aquaculture meetings in Malaysia, Chile and Panama.
   • Coordinated visit of foreign technical experts from the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution to the United States in conjunction with IUCN, NMFS and other NGO's.