Working Group
The Working Group serves the Gulf of Maine Council by working with Council members to develop and implement a 5-year Action Plan and shorter term work plans for GOMC initiatives. The Working Group is made up of representatives of state and provincial governments of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts; US and Canadian federal agencies including Environment Canada, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, U.S. Environment Protection Agency, National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration, and U.S. Department of Interior; and committee co-chairs. The Working Group meets regularly to promote bi-national and cross-jurisdictional efforts toward a healthy Gulf of Maine ecosystem.
Working Group Members
Working Group Chair (2022-2024)
Prassede Vella, MassBays National Estuary Partnership
prassede.vella@umb.edu
Council Coordinator
Joan LeBlanc
jleblanc@gulfofmaine.org
Jurisdictional Representatives
Maine
Theresa Torrent, Maine Department of Marine Resources*
Theresa.Torrent@maine.gov
Massachusetts
Prassede Vella, Massachusetts Bays National Estuary Partnership
prassede.vella@umb.edu
Dan McKiernan, Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries
dan.mckiernan@mass.gov
New Brunswick
Alison Smith, New Brunswick Department of Environment and Local Government
Allison.Smith2@gnb.ca
New Hampshire
Steve Couture, New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services
Steven.Couture@des.nh.gov
Nova Scotia
Darryl C. Eisan, Nova Scotia Department of Intergovernmental Affairs
Darryl.Eisan@novascotia.ca
Federal Agencies Representatives
Glen Herbert, Fisheries and Oceans Canada*
glen.herbert@dfo-mpo.gc.ca
Kate Swails, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Kate.Swails@noaa.gov
Environment and Climate Change Canada
(see below for ECCC Working Group members who are Committee Co-Chairs)
Lauren Tisdale, U.S. Environment Protection Agency
tisdale.lauren@epa.gov
Marcel Belaval, U.S. Department of Interior
mbelaval@usgs.gov
Additional Working Group Members
Carolina Bastidas, MIT Sea Grant
bastidas@mit.edu
Demi Fox, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Marine Debris Co-Chair)
demi.fox@noaa.gov
Glen Herbert, Fisheries and Oceans Canada (Coastal and Marine Spatial Planning Co-Chair)
glen.herbert@dfo-mpo.gc.ca
Ken Kwok, Environment and Climate Change Canada (Climate Network Co-Chair)
ken.kwok@ec.gc.ca
James Latimer, U.S. Environment Protection Agency
Latimer.James@epa.gov
Ellen Mecray, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Climate Network Co-Chair)
Ellen.l.Mecray@noaa.gov
Betsy Nicholson, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Coastal and Marine Spatial Planning Co-Chair)
Betsy.Nicholson@noaa.gov
Scott Weese, Environment and Climate Change Canada (Climate Network Co-Chair)
Scott.Weese@ec.gc.ca
Peter Wells, Bay of Fundy Ecosystem Partnership (Gulfwatch Co-Chair)
oceans2@ns.sympatico.ca
*Also hold a Committee Co-Chair position