NOTES:

  • All times listed are in Eastern Standard Time.
  • EPA will not be providing Certificates of Attendance for this meeting.

JUMP TO DAY:

The 2024 EPA Quality Program Virtual Meeting will bring together the Quality Assurance (QA) Community and our EPA partners to highlight and discuss the current work being performed across the Quality Program and acknowledge areas of opportunities and program growth.

SESSION TYPES: Presenation icon Presentation Listening icon Listening Breakout icon  Breakout

Day 1: Tuesday, June 25

12:30-12:40 (10 min) Welcome

  • Ross Strategic

12:40-1:00 (20 min) Opening Remarks

  • Katherine Chalfant, Director, Enterprise Quality Management Division, Office of Records, Administrative Systems and eDiscovery, Office of Mission Support, EPA
  • Sonja Lemott, Director, Office of Records, Administrative Systems and eDiscovery, Office of Mission Support, EPA
  • Vaughn Noga, Chief Information Officer and Deputy Assistant Administrator for Information Technology/Information Management, Office of Mission Support, EPA

1:00-1:30 (30 min) The Value of QA

  • Dave Campbell, Director, Laboratory Services and Applied Sciences Division, Region 3, EPA

Session Objective: To learn about the value of QA in order to better understand the impact of the Quality Directives.

1:30-2:00 (30 min) Partnership with OGD and the Grant Cycle

  • Shawnicka Snipe, Office of Grants and Debarment, Office of Mission Support, EPA
  • Christopher Kent, Office of Grants and Debarment, Office of Mission Support, EPA

Session Objective: To learn about the EPA grant cycle, from beginning to end, and the importance of incorporating QA requirements early in the grant development.

2:00-2:10 (10 min) Break

2:10-2:55 (45 min) Tribal Data Management and Sovereignty

  • Melinda Ronca-Battista, Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals

Session Objective: To learn about a recent Tribal QA project about open-source data collection, including its challenges and successes.

2:55-3:20 (25 min) Agency Standards and the E4

  • Elise Owen, Agency Standards Executive, Office of the Administrator, EPA
  • Greg Allen, Chesapeake Bay Program, Region 3, EPA

Session Objective: To gain a better understanding of how standards are updated at EPA and an overview of the American Society for Quality/American National Standards Institute E4 update.

3:20-3:30 (10 min) Wrap Up and Day 2 Preview

  • Ross Strategic

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Day 2: Wednesday, June 26

12:30-12:45 (15 min) Overview of Quality Management Plan (QMP) and QA Project Plan (QAPP) Standards

  • Kwame Mainoo, Enterprise Quality Management Division, Office of Records, Administrative Systems and eDiscovery, Office of Mission Support, EPA

Session Objective: To better grasp the changes from the R2/R5 and the QMP/QAPP Standards.

12:45-1:45 (60 min) Breakout Session: Implementing the QMP and QAPP Standards (Part I)

  • Facilitator: Ross Strategic
  • Session open to all participants.

Session Objective: To discuss in small breakouts how different organizations are implementing the QMP and QAPP Standards, including challenges, successes and any lessons learned that could aid other organizations in their implementation of the Standards.

1:45-1:55 (10 min) Transitional Break

1:55-2:35 (40 min) Breakout Session: Implementing the QMP and QAPP Standards (Part II)

  • Facilitator: Ross Strategic
  • Session open to all participants.

Session Objective: To continue the conversation and come together and share Part I discussions, and identify helpful takeaways to support implementation of these Standards.

2:35-2:45 (10 min) Break

2:45-3:30 (45 min) Success Stories of QA Trainings

2023 Technical Systems Audit Training Reflections and Where Do We Go from Here

  • Greg Noah, Ambient Air Monitoring Group, Office of Air Quality Planning & Standards, Office of Air and Radiation, EPA

Safeguarding Quality: Cultivating a QA Culture in Region 3

  • Amy McBride, Acting Regional QA Manager, Applied Science & Quality Assurance Branch, Laboratory Services and Applied Sciences Division, Region 3, EPA

Session Objective: For EPA organizations to share recent, successful QA trainings so other organizations can learn how they were accomplished and if any lessons learned can apply to future trainings of their own.

3:30-3:40 (10 min) Wrap Up and Day 3 Preview

  • Ross Strategic

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Day 3: Thursday, June 27

12:30-12:40 (10 min) Welcome and Get Settled

  • Ross Strategic

12:40-1:20 (40 min) Improving your Interpersonal Skills

  • Dwayne Brown, Office of Human Resources Strategy, Office of Mission Support, EPA

Session Objective: To discover interpersonal skills that could assist with successfully navigating difficult conversations.

1:20-1:50 (30 min) More Lessons Learned – QA Really Does Matter

  • Linda Mauel, Regional QA Manager, Region 2, EPA
  • Paul D. James, Field Quality Manager, Region 6, EPA

Session Objective: To better understand the importance of our work and see firsthand the positive impact QA has on environmental information operations.

1:50-2:25 (35 min) Exchange Network and QA Managers

  • Beth Jackson, Office of Information Management, Office of Mission Support, EPA
  • Erin McGown, Office of Information Management, Office of Mission Support, EPA

Session Objective: To learn about the EPA Exchange Network, its grants and its working relationship with Regional QA Managers.

2:25-2:40 (15 min) Break

2:40-3:10 (30 min) Climate Pollution Reduction Grants

  • Andrea Denny, Office of Atmospheric Protection, Office of Air and Radiation, EPA

Session Objective: To learn about the Climate Pollution Grant Program, hear a status update about ongoing developments and how to be prepared for future grant announcements.

3:10-4:10 (60 min) Embracing New QA Practitioners: An Intro to the Program, Our Community and Partners

  • Michael Perrin, Enterprise Quality Management Division, Office of Records, Administrative Systems and eDiscovery, Office of Mission Support, EPA
  • Stephen Blaze, Technology Innovation & Field Services Division, Office of Superfund Remediation and Technology Innovation, Office of Land and Emergency Management, EPA
  • Nora J. Conlon, Ph.D., QA Chemist, QA Branch, Laboratory Services and Applied Sciences Division, Region 1, EPA
  • Barry Adams, Blackfeet Water Quality Coordinator

Session Objective: For new QA practitioners to gain a better understanding of essential Quality Program terms and concepts as well as an introduction to the quality-related work across the EPA and our partners.

4:10-4:20 (10 min) Virtual Meeting Wrap Up and Closing Remarks

Closing Remarks

  • Katherine Chalfant, Director, Enterprise Quality Management Division, Office of Records, Administrative Systems and eDiscovery, Office of Mission Support, EPA
  • Sonja Lemott, Director, Office of Records, Administrative Systems and eDiscovery, Office of Mission Support, EPA
  • Vaughn Noga, Chief Information Officer and Deputy Assistant Administrator for Information Technology/Information Management, Office of Mission Support, EPA

Wrap-up: Ross Strategic

 

If you have questions, please contact mramirez@rossstrategic.com.

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