Introducing the APHIS PPQ Phytosanitary Issues Management (PIM) Team

The APHIS PPQ Phytosanitary Issues Management (PIM) Team

 

PIM provides the trade support function within APHIS’ Plant Protection and Quarantine division. Our primary role is to facilitate and negotiate, through the use of scientifically based processes, the safe export and import of agricultural commodities. We serve as the primary point of contact for communications with foreign national plant protection organizations concerning phytosanitary issues impacting safe agricultural trade. The PIM team consists of 20 members, including 12 Trade Directors, who, with the PIM Management Team, strive to maintain a transparent, streamlined and scientifically rigorous process that provides work plans to ensure foreign agricultural commodities entering U.S. markets, as well as U.S. agricultural exports, are free of pests and diseases that may be harmful to agriculture and natural resources. Below is a list of our trade staff with brief biographical information to help you get to know us. Each team member comes with a strong history of public service and experiences that contribute to a diverse team with broad technical expertise.

 

As with any team, the names and the faces tend to change over time. Today, we are pleased to announce the selection of three new Trade Directors. On April 6, Mr. Hesham Abuelnaga, Dr. Wenbin Li, and Dr. Prakash Hebbar will join the PIM team. Mr. Abuelnaga will serve as the Trade Director for Africa and the Middle East; Dr. Li will serve as the Trade Director for China, Taiwan, and Pakistan; and. Dr. Hebbar will serve as the Trade Director for India, Japan, Korea and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. As part of these additions to our trade staff, Mr. Dennis Martin will be taking on the newly developed role of Trade Director for Central America and the Caribbean. Please join us in congratulating these Trade Directors. Next week, we will post an updated listing of these assignments to: http://www.aphis.usda.gov/import_export/plants/plant_exports/downloads/trade_directors_areacoverage.pdf

Thank you for your interest in the import and export of agricultural commodities and the work that we do to safeguard American agriculture and natural resources. We invite you to scroll down and meet the team:

 

Introducing Phytosanitary Issues Management (PIM)

 

Dr. Alan Dowdy – Director

Dr. Alan Dowdy is a native of Wyoming and received his graduate degrees in Entomology from Oklahoma State University.   He worked as an Analytical Entomologist with the Food and Drug Administration in Brooklyn, New York before joining the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) in Manhattan, Kansas in 1989 where he studied the monitoring and movement of post-harvest insects through marketing channels and alternatives to methyl bromide fumigation.  While with ARS, Dr. Dowdy served as the Deputy Director of the Office of International Research Programs in Beltsville, Maryland.  In 2000, Dr. Dowdy joined APHIS PPQ in the Center for Plant Health Science and Technology in Raleigh, North Carolina.  He first served as the National Science Leader for Agricultural Quarantine Inspection and Port Technology then as the Center’s Associate Director.  In 2007, he moved to Riverdale, Maryland to serve as the PPQ Director of Invertebrate, Weed and Biological Control Programs.  In 2012, Dr. Dowdy was appointed as the Assistant Deputy Administrator for Phytosanitary Issues Management. 

 

Michael Guidicipietro – Deputy Director for the Eastern Hemisphere and Senior Negotiator

Michael Guidicipietro (Mike G) is the PIM Deputy Director for the Eastern Hemisphere. He leads technical phytosanitary negotiations with foreign trading partners for both U.S. imports and exports. Mr. Guidicipietro has been working in the international trade arena for 20 years and has lead negotiations in North and South America as well as Asia, Europe and Oceania.  Before entering the trade arena, he has served as an officer in PPQ’s Long Beach/LAX office and as a Plant Pathologist for PPQ in San Francisco. Mr. Guidicipietro received his Bachelor’s degree in Horticulture/Plant Pathology from Delaware Valley College of Science and Agriculture.  When not in the office he enjoys, biking, hiking, gardening and is an avid yoga practitioner. 

 

Ingrid Watson – Deputy Director for the Western Hemisphere

Ingrid Watson is the PIM Deputy Director for the Western Hemisphere Issues. In 2001, she joined USDA ARS Beltsville’s Produce Quality and Safety Lab. After several years of laboratory research on food-borne human pathogens, Ms. Watson joined APHIS Biotechnology Regulatory Services staff in Riverdale, MD.  She later moved to PPQ Plant Health Programs (PHP), where she led the Plants for Planting Import Policy Unit.  During this time PPQ implemented several innovative regulatory changes including the Not Authorized Pending Pest Risk Analysis (NAPPRA) rule and the Controlled Import Permit (CIP) rule, and made progress on the overall revision of plants for planting import regulations (Q37). Ms. Watson received her Bachelor’s degree in biology/Environmental Sciences from Rutgers University and a Master’s degree in Plant Pathology from Oregon State University.

 

Dr. Terri Dunahay – Trade Director for Canada

Dr. Terri Dunahay received her Bachelor’s in Aquatic Biology from the University of California, Santa Barbara and a PhD in Molecular and Cellular Biology from the University of Colorado in Boulder.  From 1989-1996, she worked at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colorado developing methods to modify  single-celled algae to increase oil production as a potential source of biodiesel fuel.  In 1998, Dr. Dunahay came to Washington DC as a Risk Assessment Fellow with the American Association for the Advancement of Science, where she worked with USDA’s Economic Research Service on issues related to genetically engineered crops.  In 1999, she joined USDA to work on biotechnology trade policy with the Foreign Agricultural Service.  She moved to APHIS in 2002 to work on international regulatory policy issues in Biotechnology Regulatory Services, with a focus on coordinating policies with Canada and Mexico.  In 2010, she was awarded an Ian Axford Fellowship and spent 7 months working in New Zealand with the Ministry of Research, Science, and Technology to explore scientific and social issues around adoption of transgenic crops in that country.  Since 2011, Dr. Dunahay has served as a Trade Director where she focuses on harmonizing plant health regulatory policies with Canada. 

 

Marie Martin – Trade Director for Mexico

Marie Martin joined PIM in 2006 and manages the phytosanitary issues with the Mexico plant health trade portfolio.  Ms. Martin is from the Midwest and has a degree in Agronomy. Prior to joining PIM, she was a Chief Agriculture Specialist with the DHS Customs and Border Protection.  Prior duties with PPQ include Port Director, State Operations Support Officer, Supervisor with the Asian Long-horned Beetle Eradication Program, Compliance Officer, and Export Certification Specialist.  

 

Dennis Martin – Trade Director for Central America and the Caribbean

Dennis Martin is a native of Rhode Island.  He began his career in the Rhode Island Division of Agriculture and Resource Marketing where he served in many capacities from Agricultural Products Inspector, Senior Plant Pathologist, Mosquito Abatement Coordinator and the State Plant Regulatory Official (SPRO), as well as the State’s representative to the Eastern and National Plant Boards.  Mr. Martin joined APHIS in 2008 as a PPQ Technician in Boston, Massachusetts before accepting a position as an Export Certification Specialist in Wallingford, Connecticut, where he was responsible for six New England States.  While stationed in the Northeast, he participated in Asian Longhorned Beetle Emergency Response Programs in Worcester and Boston, Massachusetts.  In 2011, Mr. Martin joined PPQ Export Services as an Export Specialist covering Oceania, Africa, Middle East and Central Asia. He has been the Trade Director for Africa and the Middle East since 2013 and transferred to his current portfolio in April 2015. 

 

Dr. Jo-Ann Bentz-Blanco – Trade Director for South America

Dr. Jo-Ann Bentz-Blanco received her Ph.D. in Entomology from the University of Maryland, College Park.  In 2011, she joined PPQ-PIM as the Trade Director for the Caribbean, and Central and South America.  Prior to this, she served as the PPQ National Program Manager for Biological Control, the APHIS Veterinary Services National Program Manager for the Cattle Fever Tick Eradication Program and of the Tropical Bont Tick Eradication Program, and as a Supervisory Research Entomologist with USDA ARS in Beltsville, Maryland.

 

Dr. Brendon Reardon – Trade Director for the European Union and Central Asia

Dr. Brendon Reardon has been with the USDA for over 15 years.  He received his PhD in Entomology from Iowa State University.  In 2008, he joined PIM and is currently the Trade Director for Europe and Central Asia.  Dr. Reardon has contributed to the resolution of several phytosanitary trade issues with Europe, Northern Africa, and the Middle East.  He has conducted entomological research in ecology, insecticide resistance management, and integrated pest management for pests of corn, cotton, and grapes.  Dr. Reardon has worked on several domestic PPQ programs including Asian longhorned beetle and Cernuella virgata eradication.  His contributions are documented by over 25 scientific and technical publications, and he has made over 50 presentations at national and international professional society meetings and universities, and to regional working groups and industry.  

 

Hesham Abuelnaga – Trade Director for Africa and the Middle East

Hesham Abuelnaga received a Master’s Degree in Agricultural Sciences from Cairo University- Giza.  In 1996, he started his career with USDA as a PPQ Officer at the Los Angeles International Airport.  In 2000, Mr. Abuelnaga moved to Miami International Airport where he worked as Supervisory PPQ Officer. From 2002 to 2007, he worked as a PPQ Import/Export Specialist responsible for Australia, New Zealand, European Union, the Middle East, Africa, Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean.  From 2004 to 2006, Hesham also served as Visiting Expert with the Secretariat of the International Plant Protection Convention.  In November 2007, joined the Mr. Abuelnaga joined the Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS), Office of Agreement and Scientific Affairs/Plant Division serving as an International Trade Specialist.  He rejoined PPQ in April 2015, where he currently serves as a Trade Director. 

 

Dr. Wenbin Li – Trade Director for China, Taiwan, and Pakistan

Dr. Wenbin Li joined PIM as a Trade Director in April 2015.  He obtained his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Horticulture in China and PhD in Plant Pathology in Brazil. Dr. Li served as the Assistant Director of Hunan Horticultural Research Institute in China where he participated in phytosanitary issues management for Chinese agricultural trade with the European Union, Australia, and Japan.  He also engaged in resolving phytosanitary issues while working as a Senior Plant Pathologist with Fundecitrus in Brazil.  In 2001, Dr. Li joined USDA ARS Beltsville Fruit Lab, developing molecular methods for detection of fruit exotic pathogens. In 2004, he moved to the APHIS PPQ lab, where he led the Bacterial Team on methods development & validation and the U.S. federal confirmatory tests of plant bacterial diseases of quarantine importance.  During this time, he delivered numerous training courses on citrus greening detection to over 100 scientists from the United States and foreign countries.  He also wrote several diagnostic procedures which are now used nationally and internationally for detection of plant quarantine diseases. Dr. Li has published over 120 science papers in journals, book chapters and proceedings. He is trilingual speaking English, Chinese and Portuguese.

 

Dr. Prakash Hebbar – Trade Director for India, Japan, Korea and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)

Dr. Prakash Hebbar is a native of India and since 2003, a naturalized U.S. citizen. He received his graduate degree in Plant Pathology/Microbiology from Australian National University, Canberra and his Master’s degree from Mysore University in India.  Dr. Hebbar spent several years in India working for International Crops Research Institute for Semi-Arid Tropics and the Indian Council of Agriculture Research, and later in France working for an EU funded project at the National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS). He worked as Senior Scientist with Mars Inc., based at the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) in Beltsville, under a Public Private Partnership on Cocoa Sustainability and IPM in Latin America, West Africa and S.E. Asia. In 2009, Dr. Hebbar joined APHIS-PPQ as the National Policy Manager for the Sudden Oak Death and Barberry Programs and has been the National Coordinator for the Citrus Health Response Program since 2012.  He has 35 years of research, capacity building, and program management experience, with expertise in microbiology, plant pathology, biological control, and Integrated Pest Management (IPM).   

 

Karen Ackerman – Trade Director (for Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific

Karen Ackerman has served in PPQ as a trade director since 2001.  She currently manages bilateral phytosanitary issues for Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific.  In PIM, Ms. Ackerman previously managed portfolios for Mexico, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and Indonesia.  Before joining PPQ, she analyzed the economics of agricultural export programs, including export subsidies, at USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS).   She was detailed from ERS to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative to manage an agricultural trade portfolio covering wine trade negotiations with the European Union and an early World Trade Organization (WTO) phytosanitary case, and to USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service Office of Legislative Affairs.  Ms. Ackerman received her B.A. from the College of Wooster (Ohio) majoring in French and served as a Peace Corps volunteer in the Republic of Mali.  She received her M.S. in Agricultural Economics from the University of Delaware.  Ms. Ackerman speaks, reads, and writes French with ease, and has a working knowledge of Russian and German. 

 

John Tyrone Jones II – Trade Director for Forest Products

Tyrone Jones began working for APHIS in 1996.  He has served as a PPQ technician, officer and supervisor; a Customs and Border Protection supervisor for bioterrorism control; a PPQ Export Specialist for Canada and Mexico, and as an international wood packaging material specialist.  Mr. Jones is currently the Trade Director for Forestry Products, encompassing the import, export, and trade of international forestry products.  He is a member of the International Forestry Quarantine Research Group, has served on the North American Plant Protection Organization’s (NAPPO) Forestry Panel, and is currently involved with several of the NAPPO forestry working groups. 

 

George Galasso – Trade Director for Grains and Pulses

George Galasso joined APHIS in 2008 and currently serves as the National Trade Director for Grains and Pulses. From 1991 to 2008, he served as a Regional Vice President for U.S. Wheat Associates (in Chile, Morocco, and The Netherlands) where he developed markets for U.S. wheat through technical, trade and policy consultation and training. From 1988 to 1991, he worked as an Agricultural Economist for the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service. Mr. Galasso received his Master’s degree in Agricultural Economics at Michigan State University.

 

Judith Macias – Assistant Trade Director for Export Programs

Judy Macias is a native of Maine and received her Bachelor’s in Biological Sciences from the University of Southern Maine. She joined APHIS in 1980 in Portland, Maine then became a PPQ officer in Los Angeles, California.  Ms. Macias gained experience working at the airport and inspection station facilities in Los Angeles, and in the maritime port of San Pedro before transferring to Seattle, Washington in 1992.  In 1993 she was promoted to a senior officer position, and in 2000 was selected to serve as the first botanist identifier at the Seattle Plant Inspection Station.  Ms. Macias has been involved in export issues since 1987, both as a subject matter expert and as a trainer. She assisted in the development of the National Export Certification Training Program and taught several classes at the Professional Development Center as a temporary duty instructor.  In 2003, she became a Trade Specialist in Seattle, Washington and served as a liaison between PPQ, State Departments of Agriculture, industry groups and PPQ field offices for trade related issues in a ten state area. Ms. Macias joined the PIM staff in 2007 as an Assistant Trade Director in Seattle, Washington, with responsibilities for National Export Programs. She provides technical support for a variety of export issues, with predominant focus on deciduous tree fruit and berry crops and systems approach programs.