Chelsea Carey
North Bend
Summary
Experienced with managing complex national operations and leading large-scale projects. Utilizes strategic planning and resource allocation to optimize performance. Track record of improving operational efficiency and fostering team collaboration for sustained success.
Overview
15
15
years of professional experience
Work History
National Operations Manager (GS-13)
USDA-APHIS-Plant Protection & Quarantine
03.2024 - Current
- As the National Operations Manager for Plant Protection Act (PPA 7721), I am responsible for the Field Operations coordination of $75 Million Congressionally approved annual funding
- I communicate and coordinate with non-Federal entities regarding application submission of funding suggestions
- I train and advise State Plant Health Directors in their responsibilities with cooperative agreements
- I oversee the entire process of all Field Operations’ suggestions and agreements and communicate with Budget and Agreements staff once funding is approved
- As the National Operations Manager for Khapra Beetle, I communicate field staff needs to the larger Cross Functional Working Group
- I work with each Pest Survey Specialist in the 15 states surveying for this pest, providing subject matter expertise and support, when required
- I collaborate with the CAPS National Operations Manager and State Plant Health Directors of each state, annually, to ensure proper funding and data requirements are being met
- I work with the DART team to determine alternative data display options using feedback from the field staff
Mid-level Manager (GS-13)
USDA-APHIS-Supervisory Plant Protection Officer
06.2021 - 03.2024
- As the Mid-level manager of the Washington State Plant Inspection Station, I was responsible for the Plant Inspection Station (PIS) as well as the Smuggling Interdiction and Trade Compliance (SITC) Operations for the States of Alaska and Washington
- I directly managed one Program Support Assistant (PSA), two GS12 Supervisors, as well as four Area Identifiers (2 Entomologists, 1 Pathologist and 1 Botanist)
- In addition to the Plant Inspection Station in Seattle, WA I remotely managed employees in the Blaine, WA/Canada border crossing office as well as our eastern Washington field office in Spokane, WA with a total of 21 first and second line employees
- Budgeting and Fiscal Management: Development, review and approval of AQI user fee budgets for two cost centers, valued at $2.1M and $940,000
- I am an Accountable Property Manager for two cost centers for items valued over $5,000
- Administration and Management: WebTA certification and leave approval for employees
- Review Concur travel authorization and vouchers
- I oversee lease renewals for the office in Blaine and Seattle
- Conduct employee staffing roster review and approval
- I have hired employees and processed resignations; including transfers and retirements
- Conduct disciplinary conversations and hold employee development meetings
- Clerical duties: I work with GSA regarding our Fleet vehicles regarding maintenance, vehicle replacement and lease renewal
- I create and submit, review and approve Awards for staff
- I review and approve Government Purchase Card transactions and reconciliations
- While our Program Support Assistant position is vacant, I have filled that gap and created supply order request forms, communicated with new employees regarding their first day paperwork, and maintained office files and property inventory
- Operational duties; Act as the key liaison between Customs and Border Protection (CBP) at the international ports and Canadian border crossings, to facilitate propagative plant material and monitor high-risk pest interceptions and illegal market commodities
- I communicate with multiple stakeholders regarding rejected shipments including the Deputy Administrator, Executive Director of Field Ops, Chief of Staff, multiple National Operations Managers, fumigation companies and CBP Ag Specialists
- I develop operational plans for WA and AK state in line with APHIS/PPQ initiatives
- I facilitate the recertifications for Staff which allows for the fumigation monitoring of commodities
- I serve as the AK/WA State Plant Health Director, sometimes for multiple weeks at a time
- I have attended multiple Pest Risk Committee meetings for AK and WA
- Coordination of Identifier training with CBP Supervisors
- Coordination and guidance for Identifier Advancement Plan
- Member of CARE Coalition Working Group (Nov, 2023) and PPQ Employee Spotlight Committee (July, 2021)
- I coordinated, oversaw and completed a 20,000 square foot tenant improvement plan for the Plant Inspection Station over five months; half of the time while I was acting State Plant Health Director for Missouri
- Coordinated with contractors, scheduled access to the building, analyzed materials and budget, conducted walk throughs to ensure suitability, provided feedback when necessary
- I ensured the contractors continued to work on schedule by attending weekly meetings and voicing my concern regarding progress
- One major problem that was encountered was that the Plant Inspection Station needed to stay open and operational during the renovations
- I was able to create a strategic three-part renovation plan to ensure each section (Administration, Lab and Treatment area) were not all impacted at the same time
- This involved flexibility, coordination, influencing and motivating Staff to ensure they were confident in the process and work would be unencumbered
- Management of our GSA/Agency owned fleet of 12 vehicles
- Reduced the Fleet by three, saving over $1000/month
- Update AD-107 paperwork for entire Fleet
- Coordinated, conducted and oversaw the sale of two vehicles with zero issues
- I am currently the Accountable Property Officer for Plant Inspection Station and SITC cost center with complete inventories, certified in 2023
- I approve the purchase and excess of items needed/no longer needed by the Agency
- Purchase Card Approving Official for Plant Inspection Station cost center
- Additionally, I review and approve the SITC cost center purchases and reconciliations
- Conducted multiple paper panels and participated on interview panels for upper management and my counterparts in different states
- I have created hiring waivers for the Program Support Assistant, Supervisory officer, SITC Officer, and Botanist positions
- I have been the hiring official for the Program Support Assistant, Supervisor officer and SITC officer positions
- In order to fill gaps during long vacancies, I have coordinated multiple 90-120 day details for the Supervisory position and in between, I have stepped in as the direct supervisor for an additional five employees
- I coordinated and carried out the Citrus Canker Response for WA State, where 745 plants needed to be accounted for and destroyed
- I coordinated with Washington State Department of Agriculture to pick up plants where my Staff could not drive to, ensured the data was updated in GIS Software databases and reported results to the Incident Management Team, Cross Functional Work Group and Chief of Staff including accomplishment reports and memo write ups
- I coordinated and led Under Secretary Moffitt and staff through the Plant Inspection Station in March, 2022
- During the same week, our staff was working on the Citrus Canker response, renovation plans and meetings for the PIS were ongoing, and I was leading an interview panel with 4 interviews
- Prior to the Under Secretary’s visit, I sent an agenda to our Chief of Staff including photographs and biographies of Washington State leadership, ensured the janitorial staff cleaned thoroughly, and I ensured our staff was briefed prior to the Under Secretary’s visit
- I coordinated and was in constant communication with her Staff until they arrived at our location for the tour
- I assisted the Los Angeles SITC Work Unit as a SITC Supervisor; managed the Emergency Response of over 600,000 lbs of illegally imported Chinese animal products
- Liaised with Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) and Investigative & Enforcement Services (IES)
Farm Bill/NADPRP Project Coordinator (GS13/14)
USDA-APHIS-Veterinary Services
07.2023 - 10.2023
- I completed a detail with Veterinary Services (VS) as the National Animal Disease Preparedness and Response (NADPRP) Project Coordinator, responsible for 180 Farm Bill cooperative agreements, valued at over $70M
- Coordinated and managed the FY2023 awarded agreements ($15.8M for 60 projects) including four Tribal awards, valued at $570,000
- Served as the Authorized Departmental Officer’s Designated Representative (ADODR)/Project Manager (PM) and was responsible for overseeing projects, serving as VS’ liaison to cooperators, providing subject matter expertise, monitoring project activity, approving financial and performance reports, approving claims, and guiding project close-out
- Worked with the NADPRP Program Director and the Grants Team to ensure projects that have been finished were properly closed out and funds deobligated
- Worked with the VS Training and Education Program (TEP) and Legislative and Public Affairs (LPA) to increase awareness and highlight to the public and the APHIS Agency what NADPRP projects have been completed and how funds were used via success story articles and Program Updates
- Initiated, planned, and executed communications projects including updates to the NADPRP website, VS S&P newsletters, Tribal flyers, VS Strat Chat articles, and other media which showcased projects and NADPRP program successes
- Developed, coordinated and delivered presentations in virtual settings (MS Teams, Zoom, etc.) including holding trainings and presentations for new applicants for the FY2024 Funding Opportunity
- Presented information about VS competitive funding opportunity programs and about funded projects to technical and executive audiences using novel approaches to engage these audiences
- Helped stakeholders apply for funds and strengthen relationships with cooperators and stakeholders
- Supported, trained and mentored other incoming TDY Program and Project Managers, onboarding them in; cooperative agreement projects, coordinating PM assignments, onboarding and training PMs, consulting with PMs to resolve project / award management issues, and planning and developing resources and tools to assist PMs
- Developed written materials about VS competitive funding opportunity programs and projects, including reports, project summaries, talking points for USDA leaders, Congressional questions for the record, Decision memos, mini memos, Issues and Dockets, templates and revised the Work Plans, Financial Plans, Funding Opportunity Announcements and FAQ pages
Missouri State Plant Health Director (GS13)
USDA-APHIS-Missouri State Plant Health Director
06.2022 - 10.2022
- I managed the Plant Protection and Quarantine program for the state of Missouri with a budget of $1.8M, 10 employees in 3 offices and 2 remote locations
- I conducted a budget review for FY22 and developed FY23 and was able to give $2,000 in AQI funds back to the Agency by shifting government vehicles to an alternate accounting code, more in line with that vehicle’s appropriate usage
- I stood in as the ADODR and reviewed and approved Missouri cooperative agreements including semi-annual progress reports, 2023 Work Plans and 2021 accomplishment reports
- Administration and Management: During my detail, I completed the hiring of an Office manager including the interview, USAStaffing, communication and onboarding
- I engaged in reasonable accommodation discussions with a Supervisor and their employee
- I held staffing conversations for Missouri state with the Supervisor in preparation for Missouri’s only SITC officer’s upcoming retirement; resulting in a reorganization and redesignation of staff
- Clerical: I worked with APHIS security to ensure the office in St
- Louis received their appropriate security system, and worked with the landlord when regarding the new AC unit installation and new office improvements
- I wrote and approved awards for the Staff for annual reviews
- Discussions with GSA regarding lease vehicle maintenance periods
- Compliance Inspection: I reviewed and approved eFile and ePermit for export trade (including lumber) certifications, Biotechnology Regulatory Services (BRS) permits and soil inspections
Plant Health Safeguarding Specialist (GS-11)
USDA-APHIS-Plant Health Safeguarding Specialist
03.2020 - 06.2021
- Working in Portland, OR at the State Plant Health Director’s office, I was responsible for managing AQI and domestic programs to include Phytophthora ramorum, Grasshopper and Mormon cricket control, multiple biological control programs, and Gypsy Moth survey
- I was responsible for reviewing and submitting state cooperative agreement suggestions and proposals, for Oregon, as well as for USDA-APHIS-S&T, a role that is normally required by the SPHD
- Additionally, I reviewed and follow through on the proposals and approved cooperative agreements/work plans for state cooperators, ensuring that deadlines are not missed, and information is correctly reviewed and routed in EzFed Grants system
- I maintain highly cooperative relationships with customers, stakeholders, regulated entities, and other Federal and local governmental agencies including the US Forest Service, Oregon State University, Oregon Dept
- Of Agriculture, local county officials, as well as Port terminal managers and private fumigation companies
- I was the lead on the Phytophthora ramorum cooperative agreement, valued at $500,000
- I was responsible for spring and fall surveys of 6 Federally compliant nurseries, as well as summer soil steaming operations and delimiting surveys, when required
- Under my supervision, two nurseries were determined free of P
- Ramorum and are no longer operating under compliance agreements with the Federal and State programs
- In addition to my primary duties, I volunteered for multiple different positions within the PPQ Agency: ACO Certified, COR Certified, Fumigation and pesticide Certified, Regulated Garbage lead for Oregon SPHD Office, Safety Coordinator for Oregon SPHD Office
- Assisted with the nationwide Ralstonia response in June 2020
- Idaho Potato Cyst Nematode TDY in October 2020
- Conducted Asian Gypsy Moth ship inspections with CBP Agriculture Inspectors
- Developed an SOP for the SITC China Seed Cataloguing Procedure for the Oregon SPHD Office
- Presented on Asian Gypsy Moths during the 2021 Annual Pull Together organized by the 4 County Cooperative Weed Management Area
Plant Protection Officer (GS-11)
USDA-APHIS-Plant Protection Officer
01.2017 - 03.2020
- As a Plant Protection Officer, I inspected and surveyed properties, such as farms, woodlots, swamps, and residences, for the presence of the invasive Asian Longhorned Beetle
- My collateral duties included serving as the Health and Safety Coordinator for the field and the tree climber offices
- I am fully certified in SCBA with an up to date Pesticide/Fumigation certification and conducted fumigations with the Boston, MA office
- I have attended multiple TDY tours including Spotted Lanternfly in PA and European Cherry Fruit Fly in NY (2018 and 2019)
- I organized the first Employee Health Day at the Worcester office, which was positively received by all levels of the organization
- In addition to my primary duties, I volunteered for multiple Supervisory different projects throughout PPQ and the ALB office including; Supervised federal and state employees from Maine, Vermont, Connecticut and Massachusetts as TDY Supervisor for 30 days- April 2019
- Supervised 9 employees as the Regulatory Supervisor for 30 days- Nov 2018
- Regulatory Pesticide Applicator and Fumigation Qualified- Expires 2020
- Graduated from the Intermediate Leadership Development Program (ILDP) - August 2018
- Attended APHIS Safety Coordinator Training- May 2018
- Completed Basic Agricultural Safeguarding Training (BAST) (2017)
- Completed Incident Command System training up to the 400 level and attended multiple MEMA/FEMA exercises (2017, 2018)
- Acted as Lead and Co-lead for Envirothon (2016-2019)
Plant Protection Technician (GS-5)
USDA-APHIS-Plant Protection Technician
01.2016 - 01.2017
Research Associate Cooperator
North Carolina State University
03.2014 - 01.2016
Administrative Officer
Commander Naval Beach Group-TWO, USN
04.2012 - 12.2013
- As an Administrative Officer for CNBG-2, I organized and coordinated the daily calendar events for the Staff and for the Commodore
- With my division of 3 Sailors, I performed general office, clerical, and administrative duties, including computer applications, office communication, and filing and records maintenance
Engineering Officer
USS NEW YORK (LPD-21), USN
06.2010 - 04.2012
- As an Engineering Officer for USS New York, I was the sole manager of five work centers and 30 personnel, responsible for the ship’s diesel and auxiliary machinery worth over $40M
- I identified resources, assigned workloads and managed schedules to ensure timely deliveries
- I also updated status reports daily, working with contractors to ensure project completion before deadlines
- I was certified Officer of the Deck; in charge of coordinating high risk at sea operations including underway replenishments, small boat operations, flight operations and well deck operations, most of the time having multiple operations occurring simultaneously
Education
Master of Science - Environmental Policy And Management
American Military University
USA11-2013
Bachelor of Science - Wildlife Ecology And Conservation
University of Florida
Gainesville, FL05-2010
Skills
- Comprehensive Budget Evaluation
- Team Dynamics Development
- Project Management Coordination
- Facility Oversight
- Team-Oriented Leadership
Timeline
National Operations Manager (GS-13)
USDA-APHIS-Plant Protection & Quarantine
03.2024 - Current
Farm Bill/NADPRP Project Coordinator (GS13/14)
USDA-APHIS-Veterinary Services
07.2023 - 10.2023
Missouri State Plant Health Director (GS13)
USDA-APHIS-Missouri State Plant Health Director
06.2022 - 10.2022
Mid-level Manager (GS-13)
USDA-APHIS-Supervisory Plant Protection Officer
06.2021 - 03.2024
Plant Health Safeguarding Specialist (GS-11)
USDA-APHIS-Plant Health Safeguarding Specialist
03.2020 - 06.2021
Plant Protection Officer (GS-11)
USDA-APHIS-Plant Protection Officer
01.2017 - 03.2020
Plant Protection Technician (GS-5)
USDA-APHIS-Plant Protection Technician
01.2016 - 01.2017
Research Associate Cooperator
North Carolina State University
03.2014 - 01.2016
Administrative Officer
Commander Naval Beach Group-TWO, USN
04.2012 - 12.2013
Engineering Officer
USS NEW YORK (LPD-21), USN
06.2010 - 04.2012
Master of Science - Environmental Policy And Management
American Military University
Bachelor of Science - Wildlife Ecology And Conservation
University of Florida
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