Polly A. Penhale
For thirty years, Polly A. Penhale has helped shape the way science is conducted in the Polar Regions. She has been at the crossroads of research, education, conservation and advocacy, working both nationally and internationally to preserve the Arctic and Antarctic ecosystems while facilitating valuable scientific research.
Penhale began her career as a marine biologist, earning an M.S. and Ph.D. at North Carolina State University. She spent the next ten years doing field research in several oceans and coastal regions, including coastal Alaska, the Caribbean, Florida, and the Chesapeake Bay. In 1986, she moved to the National Science Foundation, where she became the program manager for Polar Biology and Medicine. In 2004, Penhale became Senior Advisor, Environment in the Office of Polar Programs. She is responsible for environmental stewardship for the U.S. Antarctic Program and also has responsibilities in the Arctic.
On the U.S. Delegation to the Antarctic Treaty, she serves as the U.S. Representative to the Committee for Environmental Protection. As a member of the U.S. Delegation to the Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR), she was one of a team instrumental in the establishment of the Ross Sea Region Marine Protected Area in the Southern Ocean, the world’s largest marine protected area.
Penhale served as Chair of the Explorers Club Washington Group and serves as the Chair of the ECWG Grants Committee. In 2011, she was awarded the Finne Ronne Award by the Explorers Club.