Manny Antonaras

Manny Antonaras is the Deputy Director of NOAA’s Office of Law Enforcement, overseeing law enforcement, mission, and investigative support teams across the continental United States, Puerto Rico and US Virgin Islands, and the Pacific Islands.

Prior to his current role, he served as the Assistant Director and Deputy Special Agent in Charge for NOAA’s OLE, Southeast Division. In this capacity, he managed enforcement operations for the Southeastern United States, spanning from North Carolina to Texas, as well as Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands. His responsibilities included managing divisional staff and enforcement programs such as the Vessel Monitoring Systems and the special operations program. A notable achievement during this time was his instrumental role in significantly increasing the uniformed enforcement officer program across the Southeast, which enhanced OLE’s visible presence on docks and offshore, and improved collaboration with state and US Coast Guard partners.

He began his career with OLE in 2002 as a student while attending Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, FL. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree with a double major in Environmental Studies and Sociology. In 2003, he accepted a position as a special agent, working as a field investigator out of the St. Petersburg, FL Field Office. His investigative work covered both criminal and civil cases related to the Marine Mammal Protection Act, the Endangered Species Act, the Lacey Act, and the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation Management Act. While in the field, he also served as a Field Training Officer and was deeply involved with the Southeast Regional Office’s Individual Fishing Quota (IFQ) policy formulation and implementation team.