Mississippi Department of Marine Resources Executive Director Bill Walker has been appointed to the Obama administration’s National Ocean Council’s Governance Coordinating Committee -- a group of state, local and tribal officials across the country who will work on ocean-policy issues.

President Barack Obama signed the executive order creating the council in July. The administration says this is the nation’s first “comprehensive, integrated” group to work on stewardship policies involving oceans, coasts and the Great Lakes, which affects tens of millions of jobs and contributes trillions each year to the U.S. economy. The group will work on a collaborative, regionally based planning process to “ensure healthy ocean, coastal and Great Lakes resources for the many communities and economies that rely on and enjoy them.”

The council’s 18-member Governance Coordinating Committee was announced Wednesday. Walker, who will represent the Gulf of Mexico region on the committee, is chair of the Gulf of Mexico Alliance Management Team, in addition to being head of DMR. Walker said Wednesday his main focus will be as a voice for states along the Gulf Coast, to make sure the council’s work reflects the wishes of leaders in the region.

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