Agenda (all times listed in Eastern Standard Time)
Day 1: February 8th
12:30-12:50 (20 min)
Welcome and Opening Remarks
- Vaughn Noga, Chief Information Officer and Deputy Assistant Administrator for Environmental Information, Office of Mission Support, EPA
- EPA Senior Leadership (invited)
- Rob Willis, Principal, Ross Strategic
12:50-1:20 (30 min)
Strategic Direction of the Quality Program at EPA
- Katherine Chalfant, Director, Enterprise Quality Management Division (EQMD), EPA
1:20-2:20 (60 min)
Collaboration with State and Tribal Partners for the QMP and QAPP Standards
- Linda Himmelbauer, Lead Author for Quality Directives, EQMD, EPA
- Darrel Williams, Ninilchik Tribe
- Kelly Poole, Senior Project Manager, Environmental Council of the States
2:20-2:40 (20 min)
Office of Mission Support, Freedom of Information Act Quality Assurance
- Justin Bossard, FOIA Coordinator, Office of Mission Support, EPA
- Michael Perrin, FOIA Coordinator, Office of Mission Support, EPA
2:40-3:00 (20 min)
OIG’s Audit of the EPA Quality System
- Erin Barnes Weaver, Deputy Assistant Inspector General for Evaluation, EPA Office of Inspector General
3:00-3:05 (5 min)
Intro to Next Session and Day Two Preview
- Katherine Chalfant, Director, EQMD, EPA
3:05-3:15 (10 min)
Break
3:15-4:15 (60 min)
Quality Programs Assessments Reboot (Participation in this session is limited to EPA staff only.)
- Connie Thoma, Quality Program Assessment Lead, EQMD, EPA
Day 2: February 9th
12:30-12:40 (10 min)
Welcome and Get Settled
- Rob Willis, Ross Strategic
12:40-1:10 (30 min)
Scientific Integrity: Including the Recent OSTP Report
- Dr. Francesca Grifo, EPA Scientific Integrity Official
1:10-2:00 (50 min)
QA Grant Lifecycle: Panel Discussion
- Julie Milazzo, Program Analyst, EPA Office of Grants and Debarment
- Audrey L. Johnson, Manager, Quality Assurance Branch, Region 9, EPA
- Roberto Gutierrez, Project Officer, Air and Radiation Division, Region 9, EPA
- Emma Ruppel, Air Quality & Meteorology Specialist, Bishop Paiute Tribe
2:00-2:10 (10 min)
Break
2:10-2:40 (30 min)
Defensible Data for Small Agencies
- Melinda Ronca-Battista, Health Physicist, Tribal Air Monitoring Support Center, Northern Arizona University
2:40-3:05 (25 min)
Promoting QA in Academic Research Environments
- Rebecca Davies, PhD, Emeritus Associate Professor, University of Minnesota, College of Veterinary Medicine
3:05-3:15 (10 min)
Wrap Up and Get to Next Session
- Rob Willis, Ross Strategic
The following sessions are concurrent individual training sessions and separate registration is required to attend.
3:15-4:15 (60 min)
Training: Using R in the QA Process
- Michael Dumelle, Mathematical Statistician, Office of Research and Development, EPA
3:15-5:15 (120 min)
Training: How to be a Project Management Practitioner
- Katherine Chalfant, Director, EQMD, EPA
- Niki Bryant, PMP, Communications Lead, EQMD, EPA
Day 3: February 10th
12:30-12:40 (10 min)
Welcome and Get Settled
- Sarah Sarfaty Epstein, Ross Strategic
12:40-1:05 (25 min)
Understanding The Omicron Variant of SARS-CoV-2: A Microbiologist’s Perspective
- Dr. Jafrul Hasan, Quality Assurance Manager/Senior Advisor, OPPT, EPA
1:05-1:30 (25 min)
EPA’s Office of Pesticide Program (OPP) Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic
- Dr. Kristen Willis, Antimicrobials Division, OPP, EPA
1:30-1:45 (15 min)
Q&A with Dr. Willis & Dr. Hasan
1:45-2:00 (15 min)
Thank You and Closing Plenary
- Katherine Chalfant, Director, EQMD, EPA
2:00-2:15 (15 min)
Break and Get to Next Session
The following sessions are concurrent individual training sessions and separate registration is required to attend.
2:15-3:15 (60 min)
Training: Using R in the QA Process
- Michael Dumelle, Mathematical Statistician, Office of Research and Development, EPA
2:15-4:15 (120 min)
Training: How to be a Project Management Practitioner
- Katherine Chalfant, Director, EQMD, EPA
- Niki Bryant, PMP, Communications Lead, EQMD, EPA
If you have questions, please contact ssarfatyepstein@rossstrategic.com.