- Billy Causey
- Superintendent
NOAA’s Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary.
Billy Causey is currently the Superintendent of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. He was appointed to the position in 1993, following two years as Sanctuary Project Manager. As the lead National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) official in the development of the management plan for this 2800 square nautical mile marine protected area, he serves as the liaison with local, state and other federal agencies responsible for management of natural resources in the Florida Keys. Mr. Causey received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Corpus Christi in 1967, and a Master of Science degree from Texas A&I University in 1969. Three years of post graduate work at the University of South Florida introduced him to the Florida Keys coral reef ecosystem. Causey has served with the National Park Service as a Park Ranger and has also worked as a commercial diver and research assistant. From 1972 until 1983 Mr. Causey owned and managed Aplysia Aquarium Collecting and Research Center in partnership with his wife Laura.
Causey was appointed by Governor Chiles to the Governor’s Commission for Sustainable South Florida in 1994. He served as the Chairman of the South Florida Ecosystem Restoration Task Force’s, Interagency Working Group in 1995. Currently he is the Chairman of the Public Outreach Support Steering Team for the Interagency Working Group. All of these groups are involved in planning for ecosystem management for South Florida.
In March of 1992, in recognition of his efforts in the field of marine sanctuary management and resource protection, Mr. Causey was awarded the Coral Reef Coalition's annual award for the "Greatest Individual Contribution to the Protection of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary." NOAA presented Causey with the first annual award for excellence in Marine Sanctuary Management in September 1992. In 1994, he was presented the annual Chairman's Award by Florida's Chapter of The Nature Conservancy. In 1995, he received NOAA's National Ocean Service Outstanding Employee of the Year Award and in 1997 received, on behalf of the Florida Keys Sanctuary Team, the Department of Commerce’s Bronze Medal. In 1998, The Everglades Coalition recognized Mr. Causey’s achievements by presenting him with the annual Jim Webb Award.
Mr. Causey recognizes that it is because of his team of dedicated Sanctuary staff that his accomplishments have been singled out over the years.
