Ed Landgraf, Chairman, CAMO Pipeline Group and Director, Texas 811 Marine Damage Prevention

Ed is the founder of CAMO "Coastal And Marine Operators" Pipeline industry group and serves as Chairman of the Board. Ed is employed by Texas 811 as Director of Marine Damage Prevention.

Ed has worked in the oil and gas industry for 32 years. A native of Oklahoma and graduate of Oklahoma State Univ., his first industry assignments started in West Texas. He spent 4 years in various locations throughout Texas, New Mexico, and Colorado. The following 26 years have been dedicated to Gulf Coast Region. His assignments included further managing infrastructure protection, risks management, pipeline damage prevention, pipeline safety processes, CSR sustainability and innovative project initiatives. Ed is also an expert witness for marine pipeline accidents.

Ed has 17 years of volunteer service to the community as Vice- Chairman of Coastal Zone Management, Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, member of the National Estuary Program's Management Conference, and Coastal Conservation Assn. Board of Directors.

Ed founded CAMO "Coastal And Marine Operators" group in 2009. CAMO now has over 25 participating companies, NGO's and agencies, all working to enhance pipeline infrastructure integrity, environmental protection, public safety, coastal and marine damage prevention by designing and implementing new innovative solutions.

Dr. Tami McMullin is a senior toxicologist for CTEH, an emergency response toxicology consulting firm. She has over 15 years of multi-disciplinary experience providing scientific and risk communication solutions in the private and public sectors. For over a decade, Dr. McMullin worked as a regulatory and product safety toxicologist in the chemical industry. Prior to joining CTEH, she was the state toxicologist for the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE). In this capactiy, she developed the Oil and Gas Health Information and Response (OGHIR) Program, which started her career in generating the scientific information needed to inform public policy decisions on the potential health risks from substances emitted from oil and gas extraction. Dr. McMullin earned her B.S. degree in Biology at the University of California, San Diego and her doctorate in toxicology at Colorado State University.

Ms. Franks has over 26 years of professional experience in environmental regulatory compliance and emergency response planning, training, and exercises. She has designed and executed many large (300+ persons) and smaller focused emergency response exercises for all types of facilities and vessels around the globe. She designs tailored training courses in various aspects of emergency response including the Incident Command System, and is experienced at training different audiences from facility operators to emergency responders and company executives.

She has also developed a multitude of response plans for petroleum industry clients, including terminals, tank farms, pipelines, and tank/non-tank vessels.

D'Anne began her state career at the Texas Capitol in 1995, coordinating legislation and developing policy in both the Texas Senate and Texas House of Representatives. After leaving the capitol, she worked in Governmental Relations for the Texas Dept. of Agriculture, where she focused on rural economic development, commodity regulation and ag marketing. In 2007, she moved to the General Land Office Communications Division, and seven years later, leapfrogged to the best division in the agency, Oil Spill Prevention and Response where she coordinates Oil Spill's compliance and enforcement efforts. Although you won't see it on her business card, her title is "Spiller Biller."

D'Anne has a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Art from Oklahoma State University and a Master of Public Administration from Texas State University. She is a mom to four and enjoys running, kayaking and her Peleton.

• Retired Marine with the rank of Lieutenant Commander of the Uruguayan Navy.
• Environmental specialist. Degree in Geography (University of the Republic - Uruguay). Masters in Environmental Economic Geography and Transport (Catholic University of Leuven and Free University of Brussels - Belgium).
• Since 2021 he is the Representant of the International Spill Control Organization (ISCO) for Latin America (www.spillcontrol.org)
• He has worked on operational issues of security and management of maritime and port environmental disasters with activities in Central America (IMO, RAC/REMPEICT, COCATRAM, IDB, UNEP, UNDP, CIP-OEA) since 2002.
• Port and transport advisor in the public and private sectors in maritime, engineering and oil companies in Argentina, Aruba, Austria, Belize, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and the USA (1995-2022).
• Chief of Operations of the company OPC for Spill Control (Panama) between the years 2002-2008. Until 2010 he collaborated with OPC in the expansion of its operations throughout the Central American region.

http://mtcconsult.org/EN_CV_CS-Sept_2016.pdf

Based out of Houston, TX Ms. Purcell is a Sr. Emergency Response Consultant for Phillips 66 Company with a focus on western region emergency response regulatory liaison work, training and exercise design. Ms. Purcell graduated from West Texas A&M with a BAAS in Emergency Management, she has obtained her AEM, is a licensed drone pilot and she is also credentialed through FEMA as a Master Exercise Practitioner.

Gabrielle G. McGrath recently retired from the United States Coast Guard after serving for 26 years. In her work, Gabrielle developed numerous oil spill response plans, including Area Contingency Plans for the states of California and Massachusetts in the United States. Gabrielle responded to many oil spills and hazardous material releases - enforcing the U.S. National Oil and Hazardous Substances Contingency Plan. She served as the Operations Section Chief for the September 11, 2001 waterside security response in San Francisco, CA, as the Incident Commander and Operations Section Chief for the SS JACOB LUCKENBACH sunken shipwreck response in California, as the Planning Section Chief for the Democratic National Convention in Boston in 2004, and as the Planning Section Chief in Incident Command Post Mobile for the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, the largest spill in US history. Gabrielle is a certified Type 1 Planning Section Chief, a Type 2 Operations Section Chief, and a Type 3 Incident Commander. Gabrielle also offers extensive experience as an Incident Command System (ICS) instructor. Certified by both the US Coast Guard (USCG) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), she taught ICS to a multitude of audiences over the last 16 years. Gabrielle led the development of diverse full-scale, tabletop, and functional exercises, including many conducted under the United States' National Preparedness for Response Exercise Program (NPREP). She is certified under the Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program (HSEEP) as well as through courses from the USCG and FEMA as an exercise designer. She prepared exercises for Union Pacific Railroad, Chevron, Distrigas LNG facility, and many other industry partners as well as exercises led by the Coast Guard.

Bryan Rogers, Acting Preparedness Verification Branch Chief , Oil Spill Preparedness Division, BSEE: Mr. Rogers serves as a national expert specializing in matters related to offshore oil spill planning, preparedness, and response. He oversees an 11 person team across the Gulf of Mexico, Pacific and Alaska OCS regions responsible for ensuring offshore oil and gas operators are prepared to respond to respond. Bryan and his team ensure response capability through OSRP review, GIUEs, equipment inspections and field audits. The also work closely with their Federal and State partners at all levels of the National Response System to plan for and respond to offshore oil spills.

Profile Bio for Patrick James Bergeron Jr.
President & Partner, Forefront Emergency Management, L.P.
April 2022


Patrick James Bergeron, Jr. President & Partner at Forefront Emergency Management, L.P. received his formal education at Nicholls State University where he received a Bachelors of Science in Marine Biology. After graduation, he worked for the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality as an Environmental Quality Specialist in southern Louisiana. During his tenure with LDEQ, a large portion of his responsibilities were in the area of crude oil impact assessments, on-site supervision of remediation of crude oil releases as the State On Scene Coordinator, and site restoration. Also, during employment with LDEQ, he organized and developed a scientific study centered around new remediation techniques for crude oil impacted floating marshes working with the Louisiana Oil Spill Coordinator's Office, responsible party, and wetland scientists with the Louisiana State University. In 1996, he accepted a position as Environmental Manager for Denbury Resources, an independent oil & gas company with operations in the Gulf of Mexico Region, where he was in charge of developing and implementing their entire environmental program. During his tenure with Denbury Resources, he served in the capacity of Incident Commander for two catastrophic well control issues along with providing direct interaction with company's Vice President in the areas of property assessment due diligence and environmental liability. In 1999, with ES&H Consulting Services, Inc., he accepted the initial position of Consulting Division Manager tasked with the development of the new proactive division by selecting professional services to be offered, development of an initial client base, and the hiring of a core staff. In 2002, he coordinated the expansion of this division into the separate ES&H Consulting and Training Group as its manager. In this position, he was responsible for overseeing the development of response manuals and technical documents, held the primary Incident Commander position for the ES&H Spill/Emergency Management Team, provided supervision of all sampling and remediation projects, oversaw all aspects of the group's training program, and worked to expand the group's growing client base outside of the Gulf of Mexico Region. In 2004, he was named to the position of Executive Vice President of the ES&H Consulting & Training Group and in 2014 assisted with the firm's branding name change to Forefront where he now resides in the position of President and Partner. While serving as the firm's primary Incident Commander, his current position is responsible for the overall continued business development of the firm as its clientele and areas of operation have expanded to all active operational areas located in North America and in international areas. He is currently married to his wife of 30 years and is the father of two young adults working in the public relations field and serving our country in the Navy.


• President and Partner at Forefront Emergency Management, L.P.
• Nichols State University Bachelors of Science in Marine Biology
• Training Instructor and Exercise Facilitator for Forefront
• Primary point of contact for all new business development to include contracts and work agreements
• ICS certifications for NIMS ICS 100, 200, 300, 700, 800, HAZWOPER 40 Hour, and IC Certifications.
• 31 Years' Experience in the emergency management field working within in the Incident Command System
• Incident Commander on worst case incidents throughout the United States to include the 2007 Spill Of National Significance (SONS) Bayou Perot Incident

Carleen Lyden Walker is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of NAMEPA (North American Marine Environment Protection Association) leveraging off her experience as a marketing and communications professional in the commercial maritime industry with over 40 years of experience. She specializes in identifying, developing and implementing strategic marketing and communications programs that increase the visibility and effectiveness of NAMEPA as well as the development of educational resources promoting marine environment protection. She works to develop strategic alliances between industry, regulators, conservation groups and educators to "Save Our Seas".

In 2015, Ms. Lyden Walker was appointed an Ambassador by the International Maritime Organization (IMO). She is a member of WISTA (Women's International Shipping and Trading Association), the Connecticut Maritime Association, the Marine Society of the City of New York, The National Press Club, WIMAC (Women in Maritime Association, Caribbean) and is a Past-President of the Propeller Club Chapter of the Port of NY/NJ. She was also elected to the Board of Trustees of the Coast Guard Foundation, the Tall Ships America Foundation, New York Harbor Foundation and the New Era Academy Transportation Technologies Program in Baltimore. She was recently named one of the top 100 women in shipping globally.

Ms. Lyden Walker is also Chief Executive Officer of Morgan Marketing & Communications, is Chief Evolution Officer of SHIPPINGInsight, Founder of CARIBMEPA and the Co-Founder/Executive Director of the Consortium for International Maritime Heritage. In 2010, she was awarded the Certificate of Merit by the United States Coast Guard and in 2014 a Public Service Commendation for her work on World Maritime Day and AMVER, respectively. Ms. Lyden Walker graduated from Wellesley College with a BA in Political Science and History (minor in Economics), studied Accounting at Cornell School of Business Administration and is a trained facilitator and media trainer. She held a USCG Captain's license.

Ed Turner, President of OMI, has over 40 years of experience in emergency response, particularly in the areas of oil & chemical spill cleanup and crisis management. He has provided technical assistance and training to numerous petroleum and maritime companies. Mr. Turner has directly managed or been part of the management team for numerous emergency response incidents, ranging from natural disasters and marine casualties to hazardous materials and oil spill responses. He currently serves as Qualified Individual, Incident Commander, Operations Section Chief, response consultant, or technical advisor to numerous petroleum and shipping companies and industry cooperatives. He also has assisted the industry in numerous training programs and spill cleanup equipment development efforts.

Before joining OMI, Mr. Turner spent 19 years with Witt O'Brien's in multiple management capacities. He has a degree from Tulane University.

Graduated from Texas A&M with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Natural Resource Conservation. Worked at the Texas General Land Office as a first responder for 25 years with the last five years dedicated to the development of the Vessel Turn-In program and then retired. Rehired by the Texas General Land Office as a Project Manager to run the Vessel Turn-In Program.

The Texas General Land Office Oil Spill Prevention and Response Division's Prevention and Preparedness Coordinator. 14 years of experience with the agency previously serving a senior response officer. 8 years of experience as Marine Science Technician 2nd class with the United States Coast Guard Reserves. Bachelor of Science in Marine Biology from Texas A&M University Corpus Christi.

Sara Moore is the newly appointed Gulf Oil Spill Preparedness Section Supervisor for the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) Oil Spill Preparedness Division (OSPD), which oversees oil spill planning and preparedness for oil and gas exploration, development, and production facilities in both state and federal offshore waters of the U.S. Through both office and field verification activities, the goal of OSPD is to evaluate, test, and help advance the preparedness posture of the offshore spill response community.

Prior to this appointment, Sara worked in the private sector as a consultant and regulatory compliance specialist, and most recently as a Senior Analyst within BSEE OSPD. She has experience in a wide variety of industries, with focus in the areas of water resources, remediation and restoration, regulatory compliance, and policy development, among others.

Sharon Schmalz is the Executive Director of The Wildlife Center of Texas (WCT) located in Houston, Texas. She is a graduate of Texas A&M University with B.S. degrees in Computer Science/Mathematics. As one of the largest wildlife centers in the nation, WCT cares for over 10,000 wild animals each year and over 350 different species. WCT also educates over 50,000 adults and children about wildlife, conservation and the environment. The center is actively involved in wildlife emergency response including wildfires, hurricanes, and oil spills. Currently, Sharon works with senior fourth-year veterinary students from Texas A&M University College of Veterinary Medicine that are required to participate in a two-week, graded rotation on the Houston SPCA campus including The Wildlife Center of Texas.

For over 30 years, Ms. Schmalz has maintained the multiple state and federal permits necessary to care for injured, orphaned, endangered, educational and oiled wildlife. A founding member of the Wildlife Center of Texas Oiled Wildlife Response Team, she has acted as the director for 30 years and has responded to over 70 oil spills. The team responds to oiled wildlife in both inland and coastal areas.
She was involved in the development of the "Best Practices for Migratory Bird Care During Oil Spill Response" document in Anchorage, Alaska in 2001. For over 18 years, Ms. Schmalz has coordinated oiled wildlife response workshops for the Texas General Land Office and for industry and maintained the resulting database of potential volunteers for response.

Joyce Riesinger received her Bachelors of Science in Marine Biology in 1992 from the University of West Florida. After graduation she worked for several Environmental Consultants and State Agencies in various areas of biology including aquaculture, field biology, aquatic toxicity testing and coastal habitat restoration as well as oil spill response. She has worked within the field of biology for over 25 years, and within the realm of spill response for over 10 years.
Joyce has experience with both, large and small scale spill response and has worked in various capacities as related to spill response and wildlife capture and rehabilitation. She has served in positions within the ICP, Wildlife Rehabilitation Center and in the field, in such positions as the Wildlife Response Manager, Wildlife Rehabilitation Center Manager and Wildlife Recovery Group Supervisor. Joyce has also been an active SCAT Team member, conducting beach oiling surveys.

Liz Stratton holds an undergraduate degree in Biological Sciences from Smith College in Northampton, MA and a Master's Degree in Marine Sciences from Boston University's Marine Program in Woods Hole, MA. After many years in the field (fisheries observer, instructor on a tall ship, marine mammal field scientist) she landed a shoreside job as the Assistant Marine Mammal Stranding Coordinator for the Southeast Region with NOAA Fisheries (contractor). Now that expertise, along with knowledge gained during the Deepwater Horizon and Texas City Y responses, allows Liz to fill the role of Gulf Of Mexico Marine Mammal Disaster Response Coordinator, a position fashioned to help increase the readiness of the Marine Mammal Stranding Network in the Gulf, to create ties and open communications between agencies and to increase the visibility of marine mammal issues in the response community.

A native Texan, Jennifer Jill Heatley graduated from Texas A&M University with a doctor of veterinary medicine degree in 1995 and then practiced privately for three years as a small and exotic animal and emergency veterinarian. She completed an internship in wildlife, zoo and exotic medicine at Louisiana State University in 1999 and completed a combined residency in zoological medicine and a master of science degree program in Louisiana State University in 2002. Her master's Thesis was based on antipredator conditioning of Mississippi Sandhill Cranes for reintroduction. She served as clinical assistant professor of zoological medicine and attending veterinarian of the Southeastern Raptor Center at Auburn University from 2002-2006. She is currently associate professor of zoological medicine at Texas A&M University. Her veterinary medical research interests include application of emergency and critical care techniques, clinical pathology of zoological species and ecosystem health monitoring through native species with special emphasis on avian, reptilian and amphibian species. She is a Diplomate of the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners, Certified in Avian practice as well as a Diplomate of the American College of Zoological Medicine. She has served as Liason of Board of Directors of the Association of Avian Veterinarians to the American association of Zoo Veterinarians, Treasurer for the Association of Reptilian and Amphibian Veterinarians and President of the Horned Lizard Conservation Society. Her current research topics include lipid metabolism and health monitoring of wild populations of monk parakeets, investigation of avian bornavirus in free-living avian species and electrolyte comparisons of multiple species of free-living birds in the US and Peru.

Danene earned her B.S in Biology and Marine Sciences from Rutgers University. She also earned an A.S. in Veterinary Technology and is a Registered Veterinary Technician. She has over twenty years of spill response experience and has contributed to multiple spill response exercises, training workshops, and response plans. Danene has also held positions as a wildlife rehabilitator, veterinary technician, and as a department head at a college for Veterinary Technicians. Prior to joining the Oiled Wildlife Care Network at UC Davis, Danene was the Oil Programs Director at Tri-State Bird Rescue & Research, Inc.

J.T. Newman is the President of E3 Environmental taking the company from its founding in 2014 to one of the largest and most capable environmental companies in the Southeast. Mr. Newman has over 17 years of experience in the Environmental Response Industry and has worked on numerous projects over his career including hurricane responses, train derailments, hazardous waste facility fires, tank battery demolitions, oil spills both on land and water, and numerous responses to petroleum releases, orphaned containers, leaking containers, and material transfers for both private entities and government agencies. Mr. Newman has a Bachelors Degree in Biology and a Master's Degree in Chemistry and extensive experience in RCRA, OSHA, and many other governmental regulations.

Gordon Staples received the M.Sc. degree in ocean physics and the B.Sc. degree in honours physics and oceanography from the University of British Columbia. He joined MDA in 1993 and is currently Senior Radar Applications Scientist and Project Manager. In this role he is a technical director for development of radar applications, manages projects, develops and delivers radar training, and provides scientific expertise for business development. He has extensive experience in radar polarimetry and the development of maritime and terrestrial radar applications.

Martine Espeseth received the M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees in remote sensing of SAR with a focus on marine oil pollution and sea ice from the Department of Physics and Technology, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, in 2015 and 2019, respectively. Beginning of 2020, she was a Postdoctoral Researcher at the same department at Centre for Integrated Remote Sensing and Forecasting for Arctic Operations (CIRFA). During her PhD research, Espeseth was a visiting Ph.D. student with the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, USA. Martine is currently a project manager at Kongsberg Satellite Service (KSAT) in Tromsø within the Earth Observation group.

Juan Velasco is a physical scientist at the NOAA Satellite Analysis Branch (SAB) in College Park, MD. He earned a B.S. in Molecular Biosciences and Biotechnology (2009) from Arizona State University and an M.P.S. in Geospatial Information Sciences (2014) from the University of Maryland. As the operational lead for the Marine Pollution Surveillance Program at SAB, he is responsible for managing the 24x7-supported, satellite-based detection and reporting of unnatural oil discharges in U.S. waters. Mr. Velasco is also SAB's Ocean Remote Sensing Operations Officer, responsible for enhancing ocean-related remote sensing capabilities and products.

Dr. Fuller is the Chief Operations Officer at Research, Applied, Technology, Education Services, Inc., a 501C3 not-for-profit with offices in Edinburg, TX and Potsdam, NY. As manager of the former Shoreline Environmental Research Facility in Corpus Christi, he conducted research involving: oil spill fate-and-effects, real-time environmental observatories, and in-situ detection technologies. He spent ~2 years as a commercial oceanographer, and is currently involved in multiple projects to characterize hydrodynamics in Texas bay systems using various technologies including: High Frequency Radar, ADCP, and water-quality instrumentation.

Dr. Angie Perez is a Senior Toxicologist and Certified Industrial Hygienist for CTEH, an emergency response and disaster recovery firm. Dr. Perez earned her doctorate in Toxicology from Oregon State University and conducted postdoctoral work at the University of California, San Francisco. She has over 19 years of experience in the field of toxicology, chemical exposure assessment, and human health risk assessment. Her focal research and field experience includes evaluation of exposures and potential health risks of airborne contaminants, evaluation of impairment with drugs and alcohol, and exposure and health risk assessment of perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). Most recently in 2022, Dr. Perez was invited to present on the topic of PFAS at the National Ground Water Association meeting and was an invited panelist for Waste Water Digest. Dr. Perez and her family are based in Portland, Oregon.

Emergency Management Specialist for U. S. Coast Guard Sector Houston-Galveston. Has served over 20 years with the U. S. Coast Guard conducting emergency management and preparedness missions throughout the Gulf Coast.

Dr. Debusschere has been the Deputy Coordinator in the Louisiana Oil Spill Coordinator's Office since 1999.
She obtained her B.S. in Geography from the University of Ghent, Belgium and her Doctorate Degree in Geomorphology from LSU.
Dr. Debusschere has over 25 years of experience in oil spill response, planning, and resource management working for academia, industry and now State Government.

Jennifer Horsman is an environmental scientist specializing in Geographic Information Systems (GIS), spatial analysis, Uncrewed Aerial Systems (UAS), remote sensing, visualization, and geospatial application development. She has experience in a wide variety of applications including environmental science, geology, climate change, meteorology, forestry, and conservation. Ms. Horsman has been with RPI since 2012. She is a certified FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot and a FAA Safety Team DronePro Representative, and she manages the UAS operations at RPI.

Ryan Fulton, Sr. Solution Engineer and Meteorologist, leads DTN's Marine and Offshore O&G Weather insights and analytics programs enabling customers to minimize risk, optimize efficiencies, and boost decision-making confidence. He has worked with the organization for 15 years in various functions including consulting meteorologist, global account management, project management, and most extensively strategic product management. He holds a B.S. in Meteorology from Florida State University and a M.B.A. from the Bauer College of Business at the University of Houston.

Karen Stone serves as a Program Manager and Oil Spill Response Engineer in the Oil Spill Preparedness Division of the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE). BSEE is an agency under the U.S. Department of Interior that oversees oil production on the outer continental shelf. Her area of expertise is in situ burning (ISB) of oil as a response technique and water-in-oil emulsions. She also works on other areas of oil spill response research including a novel communication system to track response assets, characterize wave conditions, and most recently a project involving the use of K-9s to detect actionable quantities of spilled oil. Karen is actively working with the Prince William Sound Oil Spill Research Institute on a Joint Industry Program to develop a remotely operated jet ski for herding and burning operations. This project as well as several other in situ burning project have been accepted to participate in the Canadian Multi-partner Research Initiative (MPRI) burn tests in the open waters of the Atlantic Ocean offshore of Newfoundland, Canada in the summer of 2022.
Karen has published multiple technical and conference papers on in situ burning as well as her research in water-in-oil emulsions. Prior to accepting her appointment with BSEE, Karen worked for refined petroleum products pipelines focusing on emergency preparedness plans required under OPA90. She also was a secondary educator in Earth & Space Science and Geographic Information System (GIS) instructor. Karen is a graduate of Marietta College with a Bachelor of Science Petroleum Engineering degree and holds a Master's Degree from George Mason University. Karen lives in Virginia and teaches a masters geology course in her spare time.

Amy Gohres is Response Specialist and Strategic Project Manager supporting the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Marine Debris Program through a Genwest contract. Throughout her professional career, Amy has worked with private industry and all levels of government to tackle a range of issues, including disaster preparedness, resilience planning, and solid and hazardous waste management. Since 2014, Amy has led NOAA's efforts to prepare coastal communities for response to marine debris after disasters. She has a BS in environmental engineering from Louisiana State University, and an MS in environmental engineering and science from Clemson University.

Nicolle Rutherford is a response biologist in NOAA's Emergency Response Division, where she also manages the Environmental Sensitivity Index program and the Chemical Aquatic Fate and Effects (CAFE) Database software program. Nicolle has a broad background in biology and marine science, wetlands ecology, and environmental policy and permitting. Nicolle received a bachelor's degree in Marine Science from the University of South Carolina, and a Master of Science in biology with a concentration in marine and estuarine science from Western Washington University. After completing graduate school, she and her husband served in the Peace Corps in the Republic of Vanuatu. Upon her return to the States, Nicolle worked as a wetland ecologist for several years before taking a position as a biologist with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps). Nicolle has been working for NOAA since 2008.

Nimish's research focuses primarily on identifying and addressing threats to birds and their environments

Mr. Rhame is the Chief Information Officer at The Response Group and possesses more than 23 years of experience in emergency response specializing in information management and geographic information systems (GIS). Kenny provides technical leadership and is responsible for all software development, data management and information systems within The Response Group. His background includes delivering enterprise software solutions for geographic information systems and emergency response.

Ron Cantin is the President of Emergency Management Services International, Inc. (EMSI). Ron is a 27 year Coast Guard veteran who has over 25 years experience in major incident and event management, and served two tours of duty as a senior member of the Coast Guard's National Strike Force. From 2005 - 2007, he served as the Commanding Officer of the Gulf Strike Team. He has extensive experience in a wide range of local, regional, and national level incidents including Deepwater Horizon oil spill, John F. Kennedy Jr. Search and Recovery, Capitol Hill Anthrax, Typhoons in the Western Pacific, numerous other natural disasters, major maritime incidents, oil spills, National Security Special Events, and chemical releases. Ron served as the Incident Specific Federal On Scene Coordinator and Incident Commander following the impact of hurricane Katrina, leading 2000+ responders in mitigating the effects of over 8 million gallons of spilled crude oil from nine simultaneous medium and major spills, and recovering tens of thousands of hazardous materials containers from the highly environmentally sensitive areas of coastal Louisiana.

Ron has taught ICS around the world and has coached thousands of personnel on response teams in carrying out their ICS responsibilities during incidents and exercises, and advised the Unified Commands at ICP Mobile, ICP Houma, as well as the Area Command during the Deepwater Horizon response. He has served as Incident Commander on both of the Coast Guard's (Pacific Area and Atlantic Area) Incident Management Assist Teams (IMAT), and holds certifications for numerous Type I, and Type II ICS positions. He is the first person in the history of the Coast Guard to certify as a Type I Incident Commander.