On The Capitol Beach, host Derek Brockbank, speaks with NOAA Deputy Assistant Administrator for the National Ocean Service (NOS), Paul Scholz, about the recently released NOS strategic plan. Paul has worked within multiple parts of NOAA, implementing programs and advancing NOAA’s operations, for nearly 30 years. He shares his excitement for where NOAA is heading and the current opportunities to improve NOAA’s service delivery to be more equitable, even as some of the coastal and ocean challenges get more dire with sea level rise and other climate impacts. Paul outlines what’s included in the NOS strategic plan and talks about how it provides guidelines for NOS to work with partners, increase coastal resilience in the U.S.; accelerate growth of the ocean enterprise and the blue economy; conserve, restore, and connect healthy coastal and marine ecosystems; all while making equity central to the NOS mission.