Amanda Meyer, PMP

Experience

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  U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Lower Great Lakes Fishery Resource Office

  May 2007 - Aug 2007

  Intern

  Conducted surveys for invasive species, including ruffe and New Zealand mud snail, in Lake Erie using otter trawl and PONAR samplingSampled fish stomachs to look for the presence of Hemimysis anomala, an invasive shrimp in the Great Lakes, to determine if the shrimp had extended its range into southern Lake Erie

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  NOAA Alaska Fisheries Science Center

  May 2008 - Aug 2008

  Intern

  Developed and conducted a summer research project comparing visual and olfactory responses of larval walleye pollock and Pacific cod in relation to horizontal gradients of light, prey scent, and live prey; cultured live rotifers and Artemia sp. to use as prey in experiments

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  University of New England

  Sept 2008 - May 2009

  Student Research Assistant

  Assisted on a National Science Foundation funded research project in identifying molecular markers for hypoxia stress in marine crustaceans; conducted enzyme assays, gel electrophoresis, and western blots

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  University of Maryland Chesapeake Biological Laboratory

  Jul 2009 - Aug 2011

  Graduate Research Assistant

  In addition to my thesis which is described under education I took part in the following projects: Chesapeake Bay Blue Crab Stock Assessment: worked with a team of academic and government scientists from Maryland and Virginia on a 2-year collaborative project to assess the status of the Chesapeake Bay blue crab stock, which will guide managers for the next 5 years; project underwent a Center for Independent Experts peer reviewBlue Crab Trotline Effort Survey: conducted a visual survey of commercial and recreational trotliners on the Patuxent River and Wye River in Maryland to quantify fishing effort for blue crab Show less

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  US Forest Service

  Sept 2011 - Apr 2015

  • Supervised five permanent full-time employees, two student employees, and four seasonal employeeso Improved performance ratings of all permanent employees in my first full yearo Facilitated new avenues of dialogue between District employees and upper managemento Instated monthly department meetings to improve communicationo Worked with employees to create a development plan for each year• Oversaw planning efforts on the Districto Co-led Interdisciplinary Team meetingso Guided team through period of operational and personnel transitiono Researched, developed, and facilitated team involvement in a new collaborative process during NEPA planningo Assisted with NEPA document preparation and review• Managed program budget for District’s Natural Resource Department• Served on District Leadership Teamo Helped create and implement Ranger District vision, which outlined goals and objectives for the Districto Made time sensitive decisions in Ranger’s absenceo Advised Ranger on Natural Resource related issues• Led efforts to increase collaboration using an All-Lands Approach with a wide variety of stakeholderso Organized three day Knowledge Transfer with a variety of partners to share information about current condition of the project area• District liaison for the South Santiam All Lands Collaborative, a multi-stakeholder group working to establish a Community Forest to improve the physical and economic connection of the city of Sweet Home to the Willamette National Forest as well as to improve the livability of the Sweet Home community• Sustained cooperative working relationships with co-workers, supervisor, employees, partners, agencies, and stakeholders• Twenty percent of job was fish biology worko Wrote Biological Assessments for fisheries consultationo Worked with engineering, timber, and recreation departments to ensure projects were in compliance with the Endangered Species Acto Participated in conservation education events Show less I was a Presidential Management Fellow (PMF) with the Forest Service and I worked for the Fish and Aquatic Ecology Unit, which is part of our Washington OfficeManaged five grants that for projects related to climate change and the restoration of brook trout habitatPlanned and implemented riparian restoration project on Smith Creek, a USDA showcase watershed, planting 100+ trees with the help of Trout Unlimited, Chesapeake Bay Foundation and a number of volunteers Conducted trout population assessments for east coast states for the Eastern Brook Trout Joint Venture using GIS Developed and coordinated with Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries to sub-sample multiple brook trout patches using genetics to investigate whether genetic sampling is more useful than abundance sampling at predicting population healthCoordinated with Forest Service Northern Research Station and University of Massachusetts Amherst to implement genetic recovery experiment for brook trout populations isolated above dams in VirginiaSupervised field crew of four peopleCo-chaired PMF Recruitment Committee, conducting outreach to universities around the country to find excellent students for the Pathways programDetail: District Fish Biologist, North River Ranger District on George Washington NF; mapped all the districts waterholes and ponds using an aerial photograph, field verification, and ArcGIS; conducted a pre-analysis of watershed condition for areas that have potential for natural gas development on the National ForestDetail: Assistant Regional Fish Biologist, Region 6 Regional Office, Portland, OR; developed rapid response protocol for aquatic invasive species and worked with leaders of PIBO, AREMP, and Level II monitoring survey crews on ways to standardize search for aquatic invasives; created brochure highlighting Forest Service partnerships with land conservation agencies and illustrating how land acquisition can lead to restoration Show less

  • Natural Resources Team Leader

    Jul 2013 - Apr 2015

  • Fish Biologist

    Sept 2011 - Jul 2013
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  U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Detroit District

  Apr 2015 - Sept 2022

  • Supervised ten project managerso Held weekly PM Skill sessions, geared towards new project managers, to teach and refresh skills• Oversaw and monitored cost and schedule execution across the Civil Works program through planning, engineering, and construction phases to ensure timely and effective execution of funds and deliverableso Coordinated with staff to anticipate resource conflicts and other issues to maximize ability to problem solve and elevate to upper management as necessaryo Advised senior management on planning, review, and coordination of current and proposed Civil Works projectso Regularly reviewed milestone and budget reports to evaluate if District is meeting target objectives• Monitored District staffing plan for the Project Management Section to ensure organization is adequately staffed for current and projected workloado Prepared hiring actions and coordinate with HR to advertise new positions• Served as project management point of contact for compiling program budget and data requests for Division and Headquarters• Ensured project management business processes are being maintained and followedo Developed new Change Management business process and worked with District’s Quality Manager to create an automated process using SharePoint to help District better manage change during the project life cycle• Developed plan and communicated new processes for project execution as Navigation projects transitioned from Operations Branch to the Project Management Section to ensure District’s reorganization did not affect execution of the mission• Led development, defense, and management of USACE’s Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) Focus Area 4 (FA4) budget• Served as sea lamprey program coordinator for the Great Lakes Districts, representing USACE on the Sea Lamprey Barrier Task Force and in GLRI budget development for USACE Focus Area 2 (FA2) projects related to sea lamprey Show less • Ensure assigned projects are properly executed from initiation through closeouto Represent the district by serving as the main point of contact for the sponsor/partner throughout the life of a project and ensure that District’s commitments are clearly communicated and achievedo Communicate regularly with Project Delivery Team Members to track progress, anticipate potential issues, identify data gaps and risks• Develop schedules and budgets for each project and work with team to keep PROMIS schedule up to date so milestones can be tracked.• Coordinate with a variety of project stakeholders to work through environmental regulations and permittingo Working with the regulatory agencies in Duluth, MN on a variety of projects in the St. Louis River Area of Concern to look for opportunities for beneficial use of dredged material o Co-led development of an Integrated Permit Process with federal, state, and local partners for the Grand River Sea Lamprey Barrier project o Worked with State of Michigan to beneficially use dredged material from the Federal Navigation Channel for an Area of Concern project in the Clinton River• Organized and executed initial NEPA public scoping meeting for the Grand River Sea Lamprey Barrier Environmental Impact Statement in April 2019 (approximately 150 people attended)• Draft Feasibility Cost Share Agreements and Project Partnership Agreements to set up cost-share with a project’s non-federal sponsor• Brief projects to leadership at monthly Project Delivery Board meetings• Liaison with EPA for USACE Requests for Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Focus Area 4 projects• Served on USACE HQ-led team to update the Planning Section of the Project Management Business Processes• Served on the Leadership Development Program 1 steering committee for 2017-2019 program• Participated on team to plan how to adapt the work environment given new safety and technology needs due to the COVID-19 pandemic Show less • Assisted Project Manager on the Clinton River Mouth Habitat project, an EPA Economy Act project, by facilitating meetings, communicating with stakeholders, customer groups, agencies, project sponsor and Project Development Team (PDT) members, participating in public meetings, and updating the project schedule/budgets• Served as biologist on PDT for five Clinton River Area of Concern projects (EPA Economy Act projects)o Coordinate with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service regarding project impacts to federally threatened and endangered specieso Prepare documentation for Joint Permit Application and serve as point of contact for any questions (internal and external) during permit review• Served as lead planner and biologist on two GLFER 506 sea lamprey trap and barrier projectso Prepare all planning and environmental documents related to the project, including Federal Interest Determinations (FIDs), Review Plans, Integrated Detailed Project Reports and Environmental Assessments (IDPR/EA), and Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI)o Coordinate and communicate the projects with the appropriate stakeholders, project sponsors, agencies (USFWS, EPA, state), and with the publico Prepare documentation for Joint Permit Application and serve as point of contact for any questions (internal and external) during permit review• Briefed projects at monthly Project Review Board meetings• Provided PDT with risk assessment briefing on key project environmental and joint permit milestones• Used U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Financial Management System (CEFMS) to track labor and financial obligations• Developed schedules and budgets for the environmental components of each project and provide that information to the Project Manager for input into P2 (USACE project management system)• Served on District GIS Team, preparing maps and databases in ArcMap for other projects that require assistance Show less

  • Project Management Section Chief

    Feb 2022 - Sept 2022

  • Project Manager

    Jan 2017 - Jan 2022

  • Biologist

    Apr 2015 - Jan 2017
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  U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Buffalo District

  Sept 2022 - Jun 2024

  Programs Section Chief

  • Supervise four program analysts, four project schedulers, and one quality management specialist, ensuring the tools, training, and resources necessary to reach full potential are available o Monitor staffing levels, submit Requests for Personnel Actions in a timely manner, organize hiring panels, and ensure fair hiring practices are followed o Prepare performance standards in collaboration with employee and give regular feedback during bi-weekly check-in calls• Oversee development, defense, and execution of District civil works budget o Ensure project funding capabilities are current and being kept up to date in CWIFD o Assist and oversee preparations of Issue Papers and Fact Sheets o Monitor execution of funds, working with my team, PDTs and leadership • Advise Branch Chief on project funding challenges and needs so timely decisions can be made• Lead team in preparing the workload products for the workload to workforce and CEMRS data calls, working with RM and Advocates to provide data necessary for FTE projections and needs• Work with my team to monitor and improve District quality systems and products, such as change management, capabilities tools, and Auto PRB slides o Improving change management SharePoint site to make trend analysis possible o Developing Qlik Dashboard to maintain up to date project capabilities • Monitor project performance using HQ Power BI Execution Dashboard, being prepared to answer data calls about slipped milestones• Stay current on new guidance and regulations and provide training to the District as needed• Prepare annual After Action Review PRB slides to report final execution and carry out metrics for the year• Continue to lead development, defense, and management of USACE’s Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) Focus Area 4 (FA4) budget Show less

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  US Army Corps of Engineers

  Jun 2024 - now

  Programs and Project Management Branch Chief

  • Ensure delivery of a $400M annual program, focusing on timely and with-in budget execution• Serve as Program Advocate, providing guidance to project delivery teams to resolve challenges• Spearhead development and implementation of process improvement initiatives using PowerBI to streamline change management, incorporate trend analysis into budget and schedule templates, and track execution more effectively• Serve as Congressional liaison, responding to inquiries from Congressional staffers, preparing briefing materials, and participating in bi-annual Congressional visits• Supervise three employees and review work of 45 additional employees, providing guidance and support Show less