Vice Adm. (Ret.) Nancy Hann, Former NOAA Deputy Under Secretary for Operations, Joins Pallas Advisors

Vice Adm. (Ret.) Nancy Hann

Washington, DC — Pallas Advisors is pleased to announce that Vice Admiral (Ret.) Nancy Hann is joining the firm as a Principal, following her distinguished 30-year career with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Hann brings extensive experience in large-scale operational leadership, unmanned and space systems, and organizational transformation. She concluded her career as Deputy Under Secretary for Operations at NOAA, serving as the agency’s chief operating officer.

Over her career, Hann held multiple senior leadership roles, including Director of NOAA’s Office of Marine and Aviation Operations, where she drove the first expansion of the portfolio strength, budget, and capabilities in over five decades. Most recently, as Deputy Under Secretary for Operations, she led a 12,000-person global operation overseeing satellites, research vessels, and aircraft delivering environmental intelligence supporting more than one-third of America’s GDP. Hann also served as Commanding Officer of the NOAA Aircraft Operations Center, where she led the busiest hurricane flight season on record and negotiated the first-ever blanket clearance into sensitive foreign airspace. A licensed commercial pilot, certified diver, and unmanned systems operator, she was the highest-ranking active officer in the NOAA Corps at the time of her retirement.

“Vice Admiral Hann has spent three decades making consequential decisions under pressure – managing global operations, driving institutional change, and delivering results at a scale few leaders ever experience. We are proud to welcome her to Pallas,” said Sally Donnelly, Founding Partner at Pallas Advisors.

“Thirty years in service taught me that mission always comes first,” said Vice Adm. Hann. “Joining Pallas is my way of continuing that service – helping organizations and leaders tackle the challenges that matter most.”

Hann serves on the Board of Directors of the Military Officers Association of America and has received the NOAA Corps Meritorious Service Medal and multiple Department of Commerce medals. She holds an MPA from Harvard Kennedy School and a Master’s in Aeronautical Science from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.