Devany has served aboard NOAA ships Chapman, Discoverer, Miller Freeman, and Hi’ialakai in various capacities, and as commanding officer of NOAA ships Oscar Elton Sette and John N. Cobb. Prior to serving with NOAA, he sailed as a U.S. Navy surface warfare officer on the destroyer USS John Young. Ashore, Devany has served as commanding officer of NOAA’s Marine Operations Center-Atlantic in Norfolk, Va., and director of OMAO’s Marine and Avation Operations Centers in Silver Spring, Md.
Devany has been recognized on numerous occasions for his outstanding service, receiving multiple NOAA Corps achievement medals and NOAA Corps commendation medals. While serving in the U.S. Navy, he was awarded the Navy Achievement Medal and the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal for service in the Persian Gulf.
Devany holds a master’s degree in public health from the University of South Florida and a bachelor of science degree in biology from the University of Washington. He is a graduate of the NOAA Leadership Competencies Development Program and the Harvard Senior Managers in Government Program. He is a qualified NOAA working diver, and holds a U.S. Coast Guard 1,600-ton masters license for ocean vessels.