Shannon Aneal Estenoz is an American environmental activist and government official who is the current

assistant secretary of the interior for fish and wildlife and parks The Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks is appointed by the President of the United States and confirmed by the United States Senate. The Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks reports to the United States Secretary of t ...

in the

Biden administration Joe Biden's tenure as the 46th president of the United States began with his inauguration on January 20, 2021. Biden, a Democrat from Delaware who previously served as vice president under Barack Obama, took office following his victory ...

Early life and education

Estenoz is a native of

Key West Key West ( es, Cayo Hueso) is an island in the Straits of Florida, within the U.S. state of Florida. Together with all or parts of the separate islands of Dredgers Key, Fleming Key, Sunset Key, and the northern part of Stock Island, it cons ...

. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in international affairs and Bachelor of Science in civil engineering from

Florida State University Florida State University (FSU) is a public research university in Tallahassee, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida. Founded in 1851, it is located on the oldest continuous site of higher education in the st ...

Career

Estenoz previously served as a member of the South Florida Water Management District Governing Board. She also worked for the

World Wildlife Fund The World Wide Fund for Nature Inc. (WWF) is an international non-governmental organization founded in 1961 that works in the field of wilderness preservation and the reduction of human impact on the environment. It was formerly named the Wo ...

and

National Parks Conservation Association The National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) is the only independent, nonpartisan membership organization devoted exclusively to advocacy on behalf of the National Parks System. Its mission is "to protect and enhance America's National Pa ...

. She most recently worked as the CEO of the Everglades Foundation and served as director of 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 ...

's Office of Everglades Restoration Initiatives during the

Obama administration Barack Obama's tenure as the 44th president of the United States began with his first inauguration on January 20, 2009, and ended on January 20, 2017. A Democrat from Illinois, Obama took office following a decisive victory over Republican ...

Interior Department Nomination

Estenoz was nominated by President Biden to serve as

on April 27, 2021. Hearings on her nomination were held before the Senate's Environment Committee on May 12, 2021. Another hearing was held before the Senate's Energy Committee on May 18, 2021. Both the Environment Committee and Energy Committee favorably reported the nominations on May 26, 2021, and May 27, 2021, respectively. On June 24, 2021, she was confirmed in the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

voice vote In parliamentary procedure, a voice vote (from the Latin ''viva voce'', meaning "live voice") or acclamation is a voting method in deliberative assemblies (such as legislatures) in which a group vote is taken on a topic or motion by responding vo ...

. She was sworn in on July 12, 2021.

Personal life

Estenoz and her husband, Richard Grosso, have two children. Grosso is an environmental attorney.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Estenoz, Shannon A. Living people People from Key West, Florida Florida State University alumni Obama administration personnel Biden administration personnel United States Assistant Secretaries of the Interior Year of birth missing (living people)