Operational Program Manager

Paul Scholz began his career at the NOAA Office for Coastal Management in 1994, serving as division chief of Coastal Management Services for 11 years. He also guided several NOAA-wide efforts, including the Coastal Storms Program, the Coasts, Estuaries, and Ocean Program, and the first-ever NOAA-wide hurricane assessment. In 2005, he became head of the Center's Management and Budget division, becoming the organization's chief financial and administrative officer.

A longtime coastal resource and management professional, Scholz got his start as a Peace Corps volunteer in Ecuador working on finfish aquaculture. Since that time, he has spent 24 years working on various natural resource training and technical assistance projects within the U.S. and in Central and South America.

Scholz earned a master's degree in marine science from the University of South Carolina and a bachelor's degree in wildlife management from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale.