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• Invasive Species Advisory Committee (ISAC)
• Prevention
• Early Detection and Rapid Response
• Control, Management, and Restoration
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• Education and Public Awareness
• International Cooperation
• Organizational Collaboration and Budget

NISC Staff and Policy Liaisons

Lori Williams, Executive Director - Lori_Williams@ios.doi.gov

Lori provides overall direction on national and international invasive species policy development and serves as the principle Council contact at the national level with other Federal agencies, non-governmental organizations, State and local governments, and tribes. She supervises the Council staff, reviews and recommends legislative proposals, and briefs top Federal officials regarding invasive species issues. Lori is particularly interested in improving coordination and building partnerships with State and local governments.

Lori graduated from the University of Georgetown's Foreign Service and School of Law. She has been the legislative counsel to both House and Senate committees, directed the congressional relations office and been Special Assistant to the Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service within the Department of the Interior, and served as Vice President for ocean programs at the Center for Marine Conservation.

Christopher Dionigi, Assistant Director for National Policy and Programs - Chris_Dionigi@ios.doi.gov

Chris has a primary responsibility for domestic policy development. He works with a wide variety of stakeholders and representatives of state governments in the U.S. to develop and coordinate invasive species policies, programs, and information networks. Chris is especially interested in ensuring that resource managers have the tools and support they need to effectively address invasive species issues.

Chris received a Ph.D. in Crop Science (emphasis in Weed Science) from Iowa State University, and B. A. and M. S. degrees in Biology from the University of Northern Colorado and the University of Louisiana, respectively. He conducted research from 1989 to 2000 and served as the Lead Scientist of Aquaculture Research Program at the USDA's Agricultural Research Service, Southern Regional Research Center in New Orleans, Louisiana. Additionally, he was detailed to ARS's Weed Science National Program Staff in 1999, and he served a 10-month USDA Graduate School legislative fellowship on the U.S. Senate Committee for Agriculture in 2000. He has authored over 25 peer-reviewed manuscripts.

Kelsey Brantley, Program Analyst - Kelsey_Brantley@ios.doi.gov

Kelsey is the Logistics Coordinator for the Invasive Species Advisory Committee (ISAC); as well as the Assistant to the NISC Executive Director. She coordinates travel for all 32 ISAC members, organizes all ISAC meetings, maintains the ISAC listserve, and handles all other ISAC program-related issues. She assists in maintaining the NISC website, and provides graphics support to the NISC Staff, in addition to managing all procurement, communications, and budget issues.

Before joining the NISC staff, Kelsey was the lead secretary for the Permits and Risk Assessments section of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service and a staff assistant in the Office of the Undersecretary for Economic, Business and Agricultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of State. Prior to working in the civil service, Kelsey served for 10 years as a member of the U.S. Air Force, specializing in both communications intelligence and administration while stationed in Iraklion, Crete, Greece and at the National Security Agency (NSA) at Fort George G. Meade, Maryland.

Phil Andreozzi, Senior Policy Analyst & Regional Coordinator - Phillip_Andreozzi@ios.doi.gov

Phil provides coordination and policy guidance for the Invasive Species crosscut budget and organizes information from Council members and stakeholders for use in reports and reviews, as called for by the Council, ISAC, and other requestors. He assists in outreach coordination and international and domestic Invasive Species initiatives. Phil is particularly interested in promoting collaboration on invasive species issues among various levels of government both domestically and abroad.

Phil grew up near Buffalo, New York on the shores of Lake Erie and has seen the negative impacts of invasive species for many years. He received a B.S. in Environmental Studies from SUNY at Buffalo, and an MPA (concentration in International Environmental Policy) and MSES (concentration in Conservation Biology and Wetlands Ecology) from the Indiana University School of Public and Environmental Affairs. He served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Mali, West Africa, where he worked as a Forestry/ Natural Resources Management Skills Extension Agent.

Delpha A. Arnold, Administrative Assistant – Delpha_Arnold@ios.doi.gov

Delpha is the Office Manager for the National Invasive Species Council (NISC) and plans, organizes, coordinates and manages the administrative operations of the office.  She acts as liaison between NISC and DOI National Business Center on a large variety of matters and provides administrative and logistical support to the Council and other standing work groups associated with NISC.  Delpha makes logistical and administrative arrangements related to staff activities and ISAC subcommittees, and work groups.

Before joining NISC, Delpha was a Success Tech Management Services employee, under contract with the National Defense University (NDU), Industrial College of the Armed Forces (ICAF) as an Administrative Program Specialist, Office of the Commandant.  Prior to that, Delpha was the Telecommunications Manager for Information Networking Systems servicing the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) IT Division responsible for all hand-held telecommunications equipment.  Delpha was a federal employee with a 13-year tenure that included serving as Program Assistant to the Director of the Foster Grandparent Program at the ACTION Agency, Office of Older American Volunteers.

NISC Co-Chair Policy Liaisons

A. Gordon Brown, Department of Interior Invasive Species Coordinator - A_Gordon_Brown@ios.doi.gov

Gordon provides overall departmental leadership and serves as a liaison among Interior Bureaus, other Agencies, and the Invasive Species Council. He works with international, State and private partners to build strong support and leverage resources for local action. Gordon is particularly interested in building bridges between agriculture and conservation - information sharing and enhancing on-the-ground cooperation with government, non-governmental organizations, and private landowners.

Gordon graduated from Harvard College with a degree in Biology (Ecology and Animal Behavior). He conducted field studies of terns, mountain gorillas, and Argentine desert plants before joining Interior to automate international wildlife trade analysis for CITES. He has also served as private lands coordinator for the National Wildlife Refuge System.

Hilda Diaz-Soltero, USDA Invasive Species Liaison and Coordinator - hdiazsoltero@fs.fed.us

Hilda has worked in conservation and management of natural resources for over 30 years. With experience at the local, regional, national and international levels, she has held senior executive leadership positions in three United States Federal agencies, at the State level as a Cabinet member, and at two private international conservation organizations. She has worked in the United States, 11 Latin American countries, Puerto Rico, the Caribbean and the Pacific Islands on significant issues, such as forest conservation and sustainable management; habitat conservation and restoration; invasive species management, policy, and coordination; identification and protection of natural areas; biodiversity and recovery of endangered species; protected marine species and sustainable fisheries management; national and state environmental legislation and regulations; research and conservation education. The integration of science into natural resources management decisions has been a guiding principle. Hilda's most significant positions have been Associate Chief for Natural Resources in the U.S. Forest Service and Secretary of the Puerto Rico Department of Natural Resources.

Hilda holds a Master's of Science in Biology (Wildlife Management) from the University of Puerto Rico, where she graduated Summa Cum Laude in 1991. She has extensive graduate courses in tropical botany. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Geology from Vassar College, where she graduated Summa Cum Laude in 1969.

As the senior Invasive Species Coordinator for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Hilda is responsible for the leadership, technical expertise, coordination and direction of the $1.2 billion USDA nationwide invasive species program and policy development, execution and oversight as carried out under the authority of Executive Order 13112.

Margaret M. (Peg) Brady, Department of Commerce/National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Policy Liaison and Coordinator – Peg.Brady@noaa.gov

Peg serves as the policy liaison coordinating among DOC, NOAA, Aquatic Nuisance Species Task Force and NISC. She is responsible for the leadership, technical expertise, and coordination of NOAA’s aquatic invasive species program. Before becoming the policy liaison Peg was selected as a candidate in NOAA’s Leadership Program and assigned to the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) within Executive Office of the President. She served as CEQ’s Deputy Associate Director for Ocean & Coastal Policy providing technical expertise on a broad range of ocean, coastal and marine policies and inter-agency programs as identified in the U.S. Ocean Action Plan. Prior to this assignment Peg served as the Program Coordinator to NOAA’s Habitat Program directing strategic planning processes on behalf of the program.

Prior to joining NOAA in 2003 Peg served as the Assistant Secretary within the Massachusetts Executive Office of Environmental Affairs and Director of the Commonwealth’s Coastal Zone Management office (MCZM). While MCZM Director she served as Governor’s delegate to the Coastal States Organization and the Gulf of Maine Council on the Marine Environment. Peg served on a number of national policy and research committees and authored peer reviewed publications. Prior to MCZM Peg was the Deputy Director for the Division of Wetlands & Waterways within the Massachusetts Dept. of Environmental Protection. Prior to public service Peg worked in the non-profit sector for the Massachusetts Audubon Society and Save the Bay of Rhode Island.

Peg was a marine research scientist and instructor at the Marine Research Science Center, SUNY Stony Brook, NY; University of Rhode Island; Cornell University's Shoals Marine Laboratory; and Sea Education Association, Woods Hole, MA aboard the R/V Westward. Peg holds Master's and Bachelor’s of Science degrees in Botany and Natural Resources from the University of Rhode Island.