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WSSA Seeking New EPA Liaison

The Weed Science Society of America (WSSA) is seeking a qualified individual to interact with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and serve as a liaison between WSSA members and EPA employees.  Dr. Michael Barrett from the University of Kentucky has served in this role for the past four years but plans to step down from the position by Fall 2017. Our intention is for Mike and the new liaison to initially work together during the transition period.  Ideally, the new individual will travel to Arlington, VA approximately once per month for the first six months and then approximately once every 6-8 weeks after that to work in EPA’s Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP). This individual will interact with EPA employees and provide input on a wide range of topics such as current weed management practices, the utility of label mitigations for herbicide use, herbicide resistance management, spray drift reduction technologies, invasive plant management, and endangered and threatened species protection.  A key role for the liaison is to connect EPA OPP staff with WSSA committees and members to leverage their expertise to address these and other weed science issues.  The liaison also conducts and arranges weed science training for EPA staff.

During their tenure, the liaison will have the opportunity to learn the registration and reregistration processes for herbicides, become familiar with the EPA scientific committees and how they operate, and develop a basic understanding of how EPA OPP risk assessments are conducted.  The liaison also performs an outreach function by explaining these EPA activities to the weed science community.

This individual must: 1) be a member of the WSSA, 2) prepare a quarterly report for the WSSA Board of Directors and for posting on the WSSA website, and 3) report in person to the WSSA Board of Directors when necessary and to the membership at WSSA’s annual business meeting.  The WSSA will reimburse this individual for travel and per diem expenses while working at EPA up to a predetermined limit.  The applicant is expected to work with their employer to obtain approval to serve in this volunteer capacity as part of their responsibilities.

The application period will end on May 1, 2017, or until a suitable candidate is identified. Ideally, the individual selected would be available to make their first visit to EPA in June or July of 2017 but start time is negotiable.

Please email a letter of intent and resume to Lee Van Wychen at [email protected] and Kevin Bradley at [email protected].  If you have questions or would like to discuss the position, please contact Mike Barrett at [email protected].  Further information on the liaison position and a listing of previous liaison reports can be found at http://wssa.net/society/epa-liaison/.