Kristen Joan Sarri is an American public official who is the nominee to serve as the Assistant Secretary of State for Oceans and International, Environmental and Scientific Affairs since 2023. She was the president and chief executive officer of the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation from 2016 to 2023.

Life

Sarri received a Bachelor of Arts in biology from

Washington University in St. Louis Washington University in St. Louis (WashU or WUSTL) is a private research university with its main campus in St. Louis County, and Clayton, Missouri. Founded in 1853, the university is named after George Washington. Washington University is r ...

and her Master of Science in natural resources and master of public health from the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

. From 1993 to 1994, Sarri worked as an education coordinator for the

Cheetah Conservation Fund The Cheetah Conservation Fund is a research and lobby institution in Namibia concerned with the study and sustenance of the country's cheetah population, the largest and healthiest in the world. Its Research and Education Centre is located east ...

. She was legislative director for the bipartisan Northeast-Midwest Senate Coalition from 2001 to 2006. From 2006 to 2008, Sarri was the senior

policy advisor Political consulting is a form of consulting that consists primarily of advising and assisting political campaigns. Although the most important role of political consultants is arguably the development and production of mass media (largely tele ...

for U.S. senator Jack Reed. From 2008 to 2010, she worked as a Democratic professional staffer for the

United States Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation The United States Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation is a standing committee of the United States Senate. Besides having broad jurisdiction over all matters concerning interstate commerce, science and technology policy, a ...

. Sarri served as deputy director of the Office of Policy and Strategic Planning at the

United States Department of Commerce The United States Department of Commerce is an executive department of the U.S. federal government concerned with creating the conditions for economic growth and opportunity. Among its tasks are gathering economic and demographic data for bu ...

from 2010 to 2011. From 2011 to 2014, she was the associate director for legislative affairs at the

Office of Management and Budget The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is the largest office within the Executive Office of the President of the United States (EOP). OMB's most prominent function is to produce the president's budget, but it also examines agency programs, pol ...

. In 2014, she became the principal deputy assistant secretary for policy management and budget at the

United States Department of the Interior The United States Department of the Interior (DOI) is one of the executive departments of the U.S. federal government headquartered at the Main Interior Building, located at 1849 C Street NW in Washington, D.C. It is responsible for the mana ...

(DOI). In 2015, she was nominated by U.S. president

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...

as the DOI assistant secretary for policy, management, and budget. In 2016, she became the president and chief executive officer of the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation. She led its first corporate partnership program supporting the

National Marine Sanctuary A U.S. National Marine Sanctuary is a zone within United States waters where the marine environment enjoys special protection. The program began in 1972 in response to public concern about the plight of marine ecosystems. A U.S. National Marine ...

, expanding the foundation's budget by over thirty percent. She stepped down from the foundation on January 1, 2023. In November 2023, Sarri was nominated by U.S. president Joe Biden to work as the

assistant secretary of state for oceans and international environmental and scientific affairs The Assistant Secretary of State for Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs is the head of the Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs in the United States Department of State. The Assista ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sarri, Kris Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Place of birth missing (living people) Washington University in St. Louis alumni University of Michigan alumni United States Department of Commerce officials United States Office of Management and Budget officials Employees of the United States Senate United States Assistant Secretaries of the Interior Obama administration personnel Biden administration personnel American women civil servants 21st-century American businesswomen American women chief executives American nonprofit chief executives