Mr. Mason is the Deputy Director, Commissioned Personnel Center which is part of NOAA's Marine and Aviation Operations. As Deputy Director of the Commissioned Personnel Center, Mr. Mason is responsible for providing NOAA with the men and women who operate NOAA's fleet of ships and aircraft. The Commissioned Personnel Center is a unique personnel system within NOAA. The Commissioned Personnel Center is responsible for approximately 300 NOAA Corps officers and associated human resource activities which include: recruitment, appointment, training, assignments, promotion, separation, retirement, officer entitlements (pay and benefits) etc.

Mr. Mason is a retired Coast Guard officer who has over 30 years of Human Resource and Information Systems experience. His career includes personnel assignments at

• Coast Guard Marine Safety Office Corpus Christi, TX
• Coast Guard Group Lower Mississippi River, Memphis, TN
• Coast Guard Training Center Petaluma as an Instructor
• Coast Guard Cutter POLAR STAR
• Coast Guard Officer Board Section, Officer Personnel Management Division, CGHQ
• Coast Guard Assignments Branch
• Coast Guard Office of Military Personnel

Prior to assuming the Deputy Director position at the NOAA Commissioned Personnel Center in August 2004, Mr. Mason was assigned to the Coast Guard's Office of Military Personnel. While assigned to the Office of Military Personnel, he served as the Assistant Chief, Policy and Standards Division, Director of Personnel Management's Resource Manager, Chaired the Assistant Commandant for the Human Resources' Workforce Management Team and was the program manager for the Coast Guard Recruiting Command and the Coast Guard Personnel Command.

Mr. Mason holds a Masters Degree from the University of Maryland in Human Resources Management and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Human Relations and Organizational Behavior from the University of San Francisco.