The National Academies released Science and Technology for America’s Progress: Ensuring the Best Presidential Appointments in the New Administration, advising the next President on filling up to 80 key high-level S&T appointments. The report recommends an accelerated process for appointing and confirming S&T leaders, particularly the President’s top advisor on S&T matters, whose role should be returned to a more central place in White House decision-making.
The Director of the USGS is one of the 80 positions identified. A number of other positions could be filled by geoscientists.