Dr. Larry P. Atkinson is Eminent Scholar Emeritus and Professor Emeritus of Ocean, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences in the Department of Ocean, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences and the Center for Coastal Physical Oceanography at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia. He is also a Senior Project Scientist in the ODU Research Foundation. He received his B. S. and M.S. in Chemical Oceanography in 1964 and 1967, respectively, from the University of Washington in Seattle. He received his Ph. D. from Dalhousie University in Halifax, Canada in 1972. Prior to joining the faculty at Old Dominion University, he was at the Skidaway Institute of Oceanography in Savannah Georgia. He is a member of The Oceanography Society, the American Meteorological Society, the American Geophysical Union, the Marine Technology Society and the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). He is a Fellow of the AAAS. He was editor of Oceanography (1993-1997) and Editor (1988 – 1990) and Senior Editor of Journal of Geophysical Research-Oceans (1990-1992). He is the author or co-author of over 90 reviewed publications. He served on the Department of Interior Science Advisory Committee for Outer Continental Shelf oil and gas production. He was chair of the UNOLS Fleet Improvement Committee. From 1991 to 1994 he was with the inter-agency Ocean.US office creating the integrated ocean observing system (IOOS) for the US. He is Chair of the NSF Ocean Observatory Initiative Facility Board. He is also a member of the NOAA Federal Advisory Committee Hydrographic Services Review Panel and serves as co-chair of it sea level rise sub-committee. His ocean observing activities continue both locally and nationally. He is currently assisting with the Resilience Collaborative at Old Dominion University.