Patricia Townsend is a Regional Extension Specialist for Washington State University (WSU) Extension and is the head of the Natural Resources Division. In this position, Patricia works with stakeholders throughout the Pacific Northwest on issues related to renewable energy, ecosystem services, and green infrastructure. She recently joined WSU’s Metropolitan Center for Applied Research and Extension. Patricia also leads outreach for Advanced Hardwood Biofuels Northwest, which includes energy literacy, stakeholder research, and connecting poplar growers with market opportunities. In her dissertation research, she worked closely with landowners and local conservation practitioners to find realistic solutions to land degradation and planning for climate change in Costa Rica. Currently, she is happy to be doing research and outreach on poplar trees and green infrastructure to build sustainable systems in the Pacific Northwest. Patricia received a Ph.D. from the University of Washington and a M.S. from the University of Florida.
Associate Professor and Natural Resources Regional Extension Specialist
Snohomish County Extension
Urban Natural Resources Specialist
Metropolitan Center for Applied Research & Extension
Washington State University
Snohomish County WSU Extension
600 128th St. S.E.
Everett, WA 98208
(425) 357-6020
Nhi Irwin has been with Washington State Department of Ecology for 14 years and has been involved in the development of legislation, rule writing and implementation of many of the oil spill regulations in Washington State. She is involved in local, state and cross border issues as a member of the Northwest Area Committee and Pacific States/British Columbia Oil Spill Task Force. Nhi currently supervises areas of work in enforcement, investigations, research and data management, performance measurement and training. Nhi’s education background includes degrees in political science and economics.
Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife
600 Capitol Way N.
Olympia, WA 98501
E-mail: Donald.Noviello@dfw.wa.gov
Lieutenant Commander Jamie Rosenberg is the Scientific Support Coordinator (SSC) for the Northwest Continental U.S. Jamie has worked for NOAA for eight years as a Corps Officer. Previous assignments in NOAA include the Aircraft Operations Center, Office of Response and Restoration HQ, Office of Marine and Aviation Operations HQ, and the research vessel Ronald H. Brown.
Prior to joining NOAA, Jamie was the Operations Manager for a marine Oil Spill Removal Organization (OSRO) that supported offshore oil exploration in the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas. Earlier positions in the private sector involved emergency preparedness in Alaska’s maritime and energy industries. Jamie also served in the U.S. Coast Guard before joining NOAA, serving in various positions in afloat operations and Marine Safety. Jamie has also taught safety and environmental studies as an adjunct instructor at University of Alaska Anchorage. Jamie earned a Master’s of Science in Environmental Management, and is also a graduate of the U.S. Coast Guard Academy.
Contact: james.e.rosenberg@noaa.gov, 206.526.6322
LCDR Jamie Rosenberg, NOAA
Scientific Support Coordinator (Northwest U.S.)
Office of Response and Restoration
Emergency Response Division
7600 Sand Point Way
Seattle, WA 98115
Cell: 206.348.2429
Office: 206.526.6322
24-Hour Spill Emergency Support: (206) 526-4911
David Byers is a chemist and the Spill Response Manager for the Washington State Department of Ecology, managing 24-hour hazardous materials response operations from six regional offices statewide. He oversees Ecology’s statewide spill response and cleanup activities to over 4,200 oil spills, hazardous material releases, and clandestine drug labs reported each year. David also oversees Washington State’s Oil Spill Natural Resource Damage Assessment, Restoration, and Hazmat/Firefighting Equipment Grant units. Prior to working for Ecology, David supported the US Environmental Protection Agency Hazardous Materials Emergency Response Unit in Region 10 as the Superfund Technical Assessment and Response Team Program Manager. Throughout his career, David has been responsible for responding to over 85,000 oil and hazardous materials spills, including over 12,000 illegal drug manufacturing facilities. Concurrent with his work at Ecology, David served his community for 24 years as Battalion Chief and Chief Medical Officer for the North Olympia and South Bay Fire Departments in Thurston County.
Response Section Manager, Department of Ecology, Spill Prevention, Preparedness & Response Program
Nora Haider is an Oil Spill Preparedness Planner at Washington State Department of Ecology. Her primary responsibilities include working with industry partners as they plan and prepare for potential spills and creating response strategies to protect sensitive resources across the state. Prior to joining Ecology, Nora worked for eight years at WSU Extension on the Advanced Hardwood Biofuels Northwest project. Nora received her Masters Degree in Public Administration from the University of Washington. Nora is a lifelong resident of Snohomish County and enjoys camping, fishing, and playing at the beach.
Ed Madura is currently the Security Director for the Port of Everett. He is a member of the National Maritime Security Committee and chairman of the Snohomish County LECP (local Area Planning Committee). He is a private pilot and advanced ground instructor and Coast Guard 100-ton master’s license. In his spare time, he provides service through his church affiliation and enjoys the outdoors, fishing, boating, hiking, kayaking, and motorcycle riding.
Marla Steinhoff is a Regional Resource Coordinator with the Assessment and Restoration Division of the Office of Response and Restoration (NOAA). The Assessment and Restoration Division (ARD) is responsible for conducting Natural Resource Damage Assessments (NRDA) to evaluate and restore coastal and estuarine habitats damaged by hazardous waste releases, oil spills, and vessel groundings. She typically conducts assessments in the Pacific Northwest, but also led the shoreline assessment for the Deepwater Horizon NRDA. Prior to ORR, she began her career with NOAA in the National Marine Sanctuaries Program in D.C. She has an undergraduate degree in biology (Southwestern University) and a master’s in environmental management (Yale University). In between studies, she served in the Peace Corps on Kosrae, Federated States of Micronesia, working with local communities to develop a marine protected area and implement a coral reef monitoring program.
Marla.Steinhoff@noaa.gov 206.526.6341 https://www.darrp.noaa.gov/
Geoff Baran is the agency technical and policy expert for Natural Resource Damage Assessments (NRDA) for the Washington State Department of Ecology. With over 9 years of experience in the environmental conservation field, Geoff is responsible for preparing damage claims for oil spills to water and directing settlement discussions, litigation, and enforcement actions related to natural resource losses. In this capacity, Geoff is also the chair of the Resource Damage Assessment Committee and leads interagency interdisciplinary teams statewide to conduct NRDA work.
Tim Archer is a Region Response Manager for Marine Spill Response Corporation’s (MSRC) Pacific Region. He has served as an MSRC Response Manager since 2009, and has managed MSRC’s Gulf of Mexico, Pacific, Atlantic, and Caribbean-based operations at various periods during this time. Tim led MSRC operations at the Deep Water Horizon Mobile, Alabama Command Post and responded to other large incidents in the Gulf of Mexico. His current primary areas of responsibility include the states of Washington, Oregon and Hawaii. Tim began his career in incident response in 1983 and has worked for other response organizations serving the private sector and government. Incidents managed included tank truck roll overs, train derailments, drug lab responses, Superfund remediation work for mining and wood treating sites, chemical releases, marine casualties, and oil spill responses on land and water. He has responded to over 800 incidents in his career.
Linda Pilkey-Jarvis manages the oil spill preparedness program for the Washington State Department of Ecology, overseeing the approval of contingency plans and the state’s evaluation of industry drills. The program also approves response contractors, spill management teams and wildlife response service providers to be cited in oil spill plans. She is the co-author of Useless Arithmetic, a critical review of applied mathematical modeling and Retreat from a Rising Sea. Linda is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, spent 8 years in the United States Coast Guard working in the marine safety field. She is a past recipient of the Washington State Governor’s distinguished leadership award.
Dr. Elliott Taylor has a PhD in Oceanography from Texas A&M University and is a Principal with Polaris Applied Sciences, Inc. Dr. Taylor is recognized as a leader in oil spill response preparedness, development and implementation of contingency plans, and technical support for environmental issues in oil spill response. He has 30 years of experience in oil spill response and was a technical advisor for the shoreline program on the Deepwater Horizon spill. He has managed the preparation of comprehensive spill preparedness programs for international operations in North and South America, Africa, Middle East, and Russia entailing risk assessment, prevention measures, coordination with national to local officials, shoreline and sensitive area mapping, and training and exercises. Dr. Taylor is on the IMO roster of technical experts and consultants for oil spill response having led international IMO/OPRC workshops and activities in training, planning, and response capacity assessment in the Caribbean, South and Central America, and West Africa. His work with the American Petroleum Institute and ARPEL has led to the international oil spill readiness assessment program RETOS v2.1.
Cindy Murphy is an Associate Governmental Program Analyst with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Office of Spill Prevention and Response (OSPR). She received her B.A. in Communication Studies from California State University, Sacramento. As OSPR’s Local Government Outreach and Grants Coordinator, she works closely with the local and state government agencies in offering Area Contingency Plan and Response Equipment Grants, assist with developing county-specific oil spill contingency plans, and is OSPR’s Statewide Volunteer Coordinator. During oil spill/drill responses, Cindy fills the Volunteer Unit Leader or Liaison Officer roles.
Cindy has responded to several oil spills in California; the Cosco Busan Oil Spill in San Francisco, Refugio Incident in Santa Barbara, and more recently the Grove Incident in Ventura County.