What is the AIC? | Vision & Mission | AIC Members
AIC Secretariat | AIC Partners | AIC Meetings

Download: Informative AIC 1-pager (PDF, 2.4 MB)

​AIC members and Secretariat in Washington D.C., February 2014. From left to right: Mike Hamnett, PhD (Advisor), Damaris Delgado (former Puerto Rico POC), Carey Morishige (former Secretariat Exec. director), Gerry Davis (Advisor), Jean-Pierre Oriol (USVI POC), Fran Castro (former CNMI POC), Bob Richmond, PhD (Advisor), Ruth Matagi-Tofiga, PhD ( former American Samoa POC), Joanna Walczak (Florida POC), Emma Anders (former Hawaii POC), and Joseph Cameron (former Guam POC). Credit: AIC

WHAT IS THE AIC?
Formed in 1996, the U.S. All Islands Coral Reef Committee (AIC) represents the combined voice of the coral reef jurisdictions of the U.S. and Freely Associated States.

AIC member jurisdictions include American Samoa, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Florida, Guam, Hawai’i, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. AIC affiliate members include Federated States of Micronesia, Republic of the Marshall Islands, and Republic of Palau.

The AIC’s strength is its ability to elevate cross-cutting jurisdictional issues and priorities within the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force (USCRTF) and federal processes related to coral reef conservation. The Committee does this in a unified voice with the support of Governors and Cabinet-level staff. The AIC does not get involved directly in coral reef management and processes at the jurisdictional level; however can support a cross-cutting issue at the local level. Efforts and activities at the local level are separate from cross-cutting efforts of the AIC, which tend to focus at the national level.

The AIC provides leadership and coordination of strategic initiatives to strengthen the conservation of coral reef ecosystems in the U.S. and is guided by its Charter, Communications Plan, and Strategic Action Plan.

For more on the history of the AIC, click here.
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AIC VISION
Thriving coral reef ecosystems, effectively managed to protect their ecological, social, and economic value for present and future generations.

AIC MISSION
To be a unified voice for the effective management of coral reef ecosystems in the U.S. and Freely Associated States.

For the AIC’s Strategic Plan, click here.
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AIC MEMBERS – Member Contact Information

Full Members

The AIC elects, by consensus, one member to serve as Chair and one member to serve as Vice Chair, who acts as Chair in the absence of the Chair. The terms of both positions are staggered and each is for 2 years.

• U.S. Virgin Islands – Jean-Pierre Oriol, Chair
• American Samoa – Taotasi Archie Soliai
• Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands – Janice Castro, Vice Chair
• Florida – Joanna Walczak
• Guam – Chelsa Muna-Brecht
• Hawai’i – Ryan Okano
• Puerto Rico – Damaris Delgado

Affiliate Members

• Federated States of Micronesia – Dave Mathias
• Republic of the Marshall Islands – Emma Kabua-Tibon
• Republic of Palau – Yimnang Golbuu

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AIC SECRETARIAT
The AIC Secretariat was established in 2002 to provide policy support and coordination for the Committee’s participation in the USCRTF. The AIC Secretariat is made up of a full-time Executive Director and three Advisors (voluntary).

The Executive Director of the Secretariat provides administrative, logistical, and policy support for the AIC. Three AIC Advisors provide guidance and expertise, in coral reef science, resource management, and policy, to the AIC members, affiliates, and Secretariat Executive Director. All three Advisors are located in Honolulu, HI.

The AIC Secretariat is based in Honolulu, HI and the Executive director position is funded by the AIC jurisdictions and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Coral Reef Conservation Program.
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PARTNERS
The Committee works closely with the U.S. Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the U.S. Department of the Interior, Office of Insular Affairs. The AIC also actively collaborates with other federal agency members of the USCRTF and numerous jurisdiction and coral reef partners, many of whom can be found on our Links webpage.
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MEETINGS
The AIC meets monthly, via phone, to discuss the progress of current Committee priorities and plan new areas for collaboration. Additionally, the Committee holds semi-annual meetings in Washington, D.C. in the spring and, on a rotational basis, in each of the AIC member jurisdictions in the fall, at the same time as the USCRTF. At these meetings, AIC members discuss key policy issues, propose new actions, present progress reports, and update the coral community on accomplishments and future plans. For more information on the AIC Meetings, click here.
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