Silver Spring, MD/Press/January 28, 2019 – Maria C. Krug, Communications Specialist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration was recognized as a Top Professional of North America 2019 – 2020 by The Who’s Who Directories. The accomplishments attained by Ms. Maria C. Krug in the field of Federal Government Environmental Services, warrants inclusion into the Top Professionals of North America.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is an agency under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Department of Commerce dedicated to oceanic and atmospheric science and stewardship. Through science, the agency focuses on the surface of the sun to the depths of the ocean floor, predicting changes in daily weather forecasts, severe storm warnings, and climate monitoring to fisheries management, coastal restoration and supporting marine commerce, NOAA’s products and services support economic vitality and affect more than one-third of America’s gross domestic product. NOAA’s dedicated scientists use cutting-edge research and high-tech instrumentation sharing knowledge and information with citizens, planners, emergency managers and other decision makers. with reliable information they need when they need it.

Maria C. Krug serves as a Communication Specialist in NOAA’s Business Management Division, Office of Human Capital Services.  She was a former System Administrator for NOAA’s Learning Management System serving a user population of over 17,000 NOAA employees and contractors.  Ms. Krug also served as a Learning Coordinator Training instructor for a cadre of 250 Learning Coordinators worldwide and was NOAA’s former Freedom of Information Act/Privacy Act Officer. In this position, she won a NOAA Administrator’s Award for development of NOAA’s FOIA Home Page. NOAA’s FOIA Program was also recognized by the Defense Mapping Agency as having a “first in class FOIA Program.”  The U.S. Department of Justice has featured NOAA’s FOIA Program prominently in its national FOIA Update.  NOAA’s FOIA Home Page was also recognized by Links-to-Go as #23 of the top 50 FOIA web sites worldwide.   Maria was elected to the Board of Directors for the American Society of Access Professionals, a national FOIA organization.

Ms. Krug is also an outstanding proponent for Diversity and Inclusion initiatives at NOAA. She has received a DOC Bronze Medal for her work in establishing a worldwide diversity curriculum for National Weather Service employees. She is a certified Diversity Change Agent and aggressively champions the causes of people with disabilities. Maria has also served as a reading tutor for underprivileged children in Washington, DC schools.

After reviewing an article from Harvard University’s Extension School, Exposing Bias: Race and Racism in America, Maria shared her story regarding her experiences with race beginning as a child when an individual put a knife to her throat and she did not expect to live. She did not let this affect her judgment as she grew into an adult when she defended a Black coworker who was the victim of continuing harassment. Her story merited this response from Harvard: “You are an amazing person!  If we could all drop our biases learned from biased people, we could learn to love and respect others even if we are different. I hope that many people read your response and are empowered to change.”

During her tenure at the Department of Health and Human Services,  as a GS-2, she took issue with Dan Rather’s portrayal of Federal employees depicted in a CBS News 60 Minutes broadcast, in particular, a person with a disability that was not given sufficient time to express himself. Her advocacy caught the attention of the Commissioner for Social Security and the Associate Commissioner for Program Operations, citing her for “saying what had to be said, for say it so well, and moreover, for being the kind of employee who takes pride in her own job, and in the missions of the agency.  May your kind multiply and fill the world.” She was also showcased in the OASIS, a national Federal magazine for rising to the defense of SSA employees.

Ms. Krug graduated from the University of Baltimore with a B.S., Summa Cum Laude in Corporate Communications and an A.A., Magna Cum Laude, Business and Industrial Management, Dundalk Community College. Maria is a member of the Sigma Tau Delta International English Honor Society and the Alpha Chi Honor Society. She also received a Certificate of Achievement from TIME magazine for her nonfiction writing entry for the 1990 TIME College Achievement Awards.

Maria has been recognized by a number of Who’s Who organizations. The University of Baltimore Dean successfully nominated her for the Who’s Who among Students in American Universities and Colleges in 1990-91.  She is also featured in the International Who’s Who of Professionals in 2000 “as a testament to her professional, academic, and civic achievement,” and is an honored member of The Heritage Registry of Who’s Who, 2010-2011 Edition.

The Who’s Who Directories, a New York based biographical publication company, distinguishes and profiles leading professionals who demonstrate recognizable success and leadership in their field. The directory is valued for promoting awareness of individual accomplishments and achievement within the North American community.

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