 Kevin Morgan
Department of Homeland Security; Office of Health Security, Health, Food and Agriculture Resilience Directorate
| Kevin Morgan works as the Senior International Analyst at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Office of Health Security. Mr. Morgan’s 30-year career with the Federal Government began with his service as a Cryptologist and Russian Linguist in the US Navy, 1991-1997. He initiated his civil service career with the Department of Justice in 1998, working in Native American tribal country on juvenile justice matters. Kevin has also worked for the Department of Defense and the Department of State in various positions involving international collaboration and capacity building in a wide range of diverse fields, such as: civil-military relationship forming; conflict resolution; risk assessment; internet-based training and collaboration tools and methods; humanitarian assistance and disaster relief; and export controls and border security. Since 2010, he has worked for DHS in strategic planning, analysis, organizational performance measurement, and in international radiological/nuclear management regime and capacity building. For the past four years, Kevin has worked to resurrect DHS focus and efforts to support the critical food and agriculture sector, and in the public health sphere.
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Ann Hammer
Sandia National Laboratories
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Ann Hammer, MPH has over 20 years of experience in the field of public health to include working for the Minnesota Department of Health, the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota, contract support to the US Department of Homeland Security, and with Sandia National Laboratories. In the past 5 years, her concentration has been on strategic planning, decision support, whole of community planning approaches, and exercise development/execution to validate plans and maintain proficiency across all hazards and a multitude of response disciplines. Specific examples of her experience include bioterrorism mitigation and response planning for outdoor and indoor bio-monitoring systems; real-time after-action report development for the COVID-19 response in a major jurisdiction; and conducting a gap analysis with regards to health, food, and agriculture resilience to include the development of catastrophic reference scenarios and stakeholder engagement activities. She has also mentored biological threat reduction leaders in Somalia, India, and Southeast Asia, assisting with tabletop exercise development to inform preparedness and response plans for infectious disease outbreaks.
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Jacqueline Fletcher
Oklahoma State University (Emerita)
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Dr. Jacqueline Fletcher, Regents Professor (Emerita), Oklahoma State University, received a B.S. (Biology; Emory University), M.S. (Botany; University of Montana), and Ph.D. (Plant Pathology; Texas A&M). She is internationally recognized for research on the virulence and insect transmission of plant pathogenic bacteria, the relationships between human enteric pathogens and plants, and
microbial forensics and agricultural biosecurity disciplines. She established and directed the National Institute for Microbial Forensics & Food and Agricultural Biosecurity. This OSU initiative addresses high-priority national issues in plant pathogen forensics, crop biosecurity, and food safety. Dr. Fletcher served on the American Phytopathological Society (APS) Council, including as President. Following September 11, 2001, she led APS responses and input to National biosecurity initiatives. She organized and chaired the APS Microbial Forensics Working Group and Food Safety Working Group. She served on the Forum on Microbial Threats at the National Academies of Sciences and remains active on several federal biosecurity advisory panels, including the National Science Advisory Board on Biosecurity. Dr. Fletcher is a Fellow of APS and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. After retiring from OSU in 2015, she now serves as a consultant and advocates for agricultural biosecurity and international scientific diplomacy.
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James Stack
Kansas State University, Department of Plant Pathology
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After earning BS, MS, and Ph.D. in plant pathology,
James Stack served as director of applied research at EcoScience Corporation, developing successful biocontrol agents. Later, joining the Department of Plant Pathology at Kansas State University, Stack began a remarkable career in plant biosecurity. He served as director of KSU's Biosecurity Research Institute (BRI), a state-of-the-art biocontainment facility for plant, animal, and human health, from 2006-2008. He provided essential leadership and vision in the development of the National Plant Diagnostic Network (NPDN), and as director of the regional Great Plains Diagnostic Network. He was the first NPDN executive director, a role he now fills again.
Stack is internationally recognized as a leader in plant biosecurity. He chaired the APS Advisory Committee on Plant Biosecurity and is the APS liaison to the National Plant Disease Recovery System. His international collaborations have reached Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, Bolivia, and Israel.
Stack's research focuses on developing genome-informed diagnostics for plant-pathogenic bacteria and understanding the epidemiology of plant pathogens. He designs and develops biologically secure systems and identifies
agricultural system resilience, stability, and recovery attributes.
Stack's passion for plant biosecurity is shared with students worldwide, mainly through his acclaimed 5-day short course, “Plant Biosecurity in Theory and Practice." |
