David A. Score is a former

rear admiral Rear admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, equivalent to a major general and air vice marshal and above that of a commodore and captain, but below that of a vice admiral. It is regarded as a two star "admiral" rank. It is often regarde ...

in the

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Officer Corps The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Officer Corps, known informally as the NOAA Corps, is one of eight federal uniformed services of the United States, and operates under the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administ ...

who last served as the 17th Director of NOAA Commissioned Officer Corps and NOAA Office of Marine and Aviation Operations. He retired from the NOAA Corps on September 6, 2017, after over 27 years of service.

Early life and education

Score graduated in 1990 from

Florida Institute of Technology The Florida Institute of Technology (Florida Tech or FIT) is a private research university in Melbourne, Florida. The university comprises four academic colleges: Engineering & Science, Aeronautics, Psychology & Liberal Arts, and Business. Appr ...

Melbourne, Florida Melbourne is a city in Brevard County, Florida, United States. It is located southeast of Orlando. As of th2020 Decennial Census there was a population of 84,678. The municipality is the second-largest in the county by both size and population. ...

Career

Score was commissioned as an officer in the NOAA Commissioned Officers Corps in 1990. He served aboard six NOAA vessels, among them , , and . During his sea service Score served from the

Caribbean Sea The Caribbean Sea ( es, Mar Caribe; french: Mer des Caraïbes; ht, Lanmè Karayib; jam, Kiaribiyan Sii; nl, Caraïbische Zee; pap, Laman Karibe) is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean in the tropics of the Western Hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexico ...

to the

Bering Sea The Bering Sea (, ; rus, Бе́рингово мо́ре, r=Béringovo móre) is a marginal sea of the Northern Pacific Ocean. It forms, along with the Bering Strait, the divide between the two largest landmasses on Earth: Eurasia and The Ameri ...

. Score is an accomplished diver and dive master, having supervised more than 2,000 dives. Score also served in a variety of management and operational roles at

Channel Islands The Channel Islands ( nrf, Îles d'la Manche; french: îles Anglo-Normandes or ''îles de la Manche'') are an archipelago in the English Channel, off the French coast of Normandy. They include two Crown Dependencies: the Bailiwick of Jersey, ...

Gray's Reef National Marine Sanctuary Gray's Reef National Marine Sanctuary is one of the largest near shore live-bottom reefs in the southeastern United States. The sanctuary, designated in January 1981, is located off Sapelo Island, Georgia, and is one of 14 marine sanctuaries and m ...

, and

Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary The Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary is a U.S. National Marine Sanctuary in the Florida Keys. It includes the Florida Reef, the only barrier coral reef in North America and the third-largest coral barrier reef in the world. It also has ex ...

. He served as the superintendent of Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. In 1999, Score was the NOAA Association of Commissioned Officers' Junior Officer of the Year. Score served as deputy director prior to his appointment as Director, NOAA Commissioned Officer Corps and NOAA Office of Marine and Aviation Operations beginning January 2, 2014. Prior to that assignment, he oversaw all NOAA ship fleet operations as the Director of the Office of Marine and Aviation Operations Operations Center. Score has also commanded the NOAA Marine Operations Center-Atlantic in Norfolk, Virginia and .

Awards and decorations

Score received the following awards:

NOAA Deck Officer Badge
Noaa command-at-sea

NOAA Command at Sea Badge

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Score, David A. Florida Institute of Technology alumni Living people National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Officer Corps admirals Recipients of the Department of Commerce Bronze Medal Year of birth missing (living people)