NOAA Fisheries is pleased to announce the selection of a new Director for its Operations, Management and Information Services Division for the Alaska Fisheries Science Center. Ms. Tracy Sims joins the center from the Department of Defense where she served as the Business Manager for offices in Germany and Bahrain. Ms. Sims replaces Lori Budbill who retired at the end of 2021 after 42 years in federal service.
“We are excited to have Tracy join the Alaska Fisheries Science Center management team. Tracy has extensive leadership experience in budget management, and administrative and logistical operations. She gained this experience through a variety of roles with the Department of Defense, NOAA’s National Weather Service and the U.S. Naval Academy,” said Jeremy Rusin, deputy director, Alaska Fisheries Science Center. “Tracy’s expertise, philosophy and management approach makes her a perfect fit to lead and continue the success of our Operations, Management, and Information Services team.”
Prior to joining the Department of Defense Logistics, she was an Executive Officer for the Analyze, Forecast, and Support Office at NOAA’s National Weather Service in Silver Spring, Maryland.
Sims joined the National Weather Service from Singapore, where she was the first civilian Navy Husbanding Officer, working for the U.S. Navy’s Military Sealift Command (MSC).
Prior to Singapore, she was the Executive Assistant to the Military Sealift Command Director, Total Force Management, stepping into a more globally-focused career path from her first federal civilian job as the Director of Finance at the U.S. Naval Academy Office of Admissions. She retired from active duty with the Navy as a helicopter pilot in 2007.
On aviation duty, Sims flew the UH-3H Sea King helicopter, providing fleet combat support operations both domestically and abroad.
Ashore, Sims served in a variety of positions, including Director of Nominations and Appointments at the U.S. Naval Academy. She is most proud of driving admissions board process changes that resulted in a 22 percent increase in the number of women appointed over previous classes.
Sims earned a M.S. in Management from the Naval Postgraduate School and a B.S. in Political Science from the U.S. Naval Academy. She is also a certified Project Management Professional.
