Working Group

The Working Group serves the Gulf of Maine Council by working with Council members to develop and implement a 5-year Action Plan and shorter term work plans for GOMC initiatives. The Working Group is made up of representatives of state and provincial governments of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts; US and Canadian federal agencies including Environment Canada, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, U.S. Environment Protection Agency, National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration, and U.S. Department of Interior; and committee co-chairs. The Working Group meets regularly to promote bi-national and cross-jurisdictional efforts toward a healthy Gulf of Maine ecosystem.

Working Group Members

Working Group Chair (2022-2024)
Prassede Vella, Massachusetts Bays National Estuary Partnership
prassede.vella@umb.edu

Council Coordinator
Joan LeBlanc
jleblanc@gulfofmaine.org

Jurisdictional Representatives

Nova Scotia

Darryl C. Eisan, Nova Scotia Department of Intergovernmental Affairs
Darryl.Eisan@novascotia.ca

New Brunswick

Joanie Bertin, New Brunswick Department of Environment and Local Government
Joanie.Bertin@gnb.ca

Maine

Theresa Torrent, Maine Department of Marine Resources
Theresa.Torrent@maine.gov

New Hampshire

Steve Couture, New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services
Steven.Couture@des.nh.gov

Massachusetts

Prassede Vella, Massachusetts Bays National Estuary Partnership
prassede.vella@umb.edu

Dan McKiernan, Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries
dan.mckiernan@mass.gov

Federal Agencies Representatives

Glen Herbert, Fisheries and Oceans Canada*
glen.herbert@dfo-mpo.gc.ca

Vacant, National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration

Kathryn Parlee, Environment and Climate Change Canada*
Kathryn.Parlee@canada.ca

Ivy Mlsna, U.S. Environment Protection Agency
Mlsna.Ivy@epa.gov

Marcel Belaval, U.S. Department of Interior
mbelaval@usgs.gov

Committee Co-Chairs

(Please refer to Projects)

Demi Fox, National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration
demi.fox@noaa.gov

Glen Herbert, Fisheries and Oceans Canada
glen.herbert@dfo-mpo.gc.ca

Christian Krahforst, University of Massachusetts
ckrahforst@gmail.com

Ken Kwok, Environment and Climate Change Canada
ken.kwok@ec.gc.ca

James Latimer, U.S. Environment Protection Agency
Latimer.James@epa.gov

Ellen Mecray, National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration
Ellen.l.Mecray@noaa.gov

Betsy Nicholson, National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration
Betsy.Nicholson@noaa.gov

Peter Wells, Bay of Fundy Ecosystem Partnership
oceans2@ns.sympatico.ca

*Also hold a Committee Co-Chair position