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Valerie Garcia
AMAD Staff
Education:
- B.S. Information Systems Management, University of San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, 1990
- Master of Science, Department of Forestry, minor in Spatial Analysis, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, 2004.
- Ph.D. Department of Forestry, minor in Marine, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, 2010
Professional Experience:
2008-Present – Chief, USEPA/ORD/NERL/AMAD/AEIB, Research Triangle Park, NC
2005-2008 – Deputy Director, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Oceanic and Atmospheric Research, Air Research Laboratory, Atmospheric Sciences Modeling Division, RTP, NC
Assist in the development and implementation of the Division's atmospheric research programs. Initiate, organize and track cross-Agency research programs and, in support of the Director, represent the Division in cross-Agency discussions and collaborations. Plan and execute the Division's resources and manage these resources within the terms of the NOAA/EPA Memorandum of Understanding. Understand Division and Lab research programs to enable knowledgeable discussions and presentations to outside organizations. Lead cross-cutting scientific programs and manage the day-to-day activities of the Division.
* In partnership with the US Environmental Protection Agency
1998-2005, US Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, National Exposure Research Lab (NERL), RTP, NC.
2001 - 2005: Lead Assistant Lab Director. Responsible for the strategic planning of $10M research program and critical player in the overall management of scientific programs. Led team of Assistant Lab Directors and associated planning staff, interacted with external clients, developed the Lab’s science programs and associated budget, identified and resolved issues, and tracked the progress of commitments. Project lead for the multi-Agency Air Quality Data Integration program, Center of Excellence for Computational Science, and the State and Regional Planning Office Air Quality pilots.
2000 - 2001: Special Assistant, Environmental Scientist. Served as a special assistant and advisor to senior management and completed long-term training program in spatial analysis. As a special assistant, advised senior management in planning, projecting, analyzing, and evaluating the effectiveness of programs. Duties included the formulation of long-term programs, plans and strategies, as well as establishing the direction and guidance for the annual planning process. Provided advice and recommendations based on knowledge of major national policies and programs, and awareness of current legislative issues, Congressional and Administration interests and priorities.
1998 - 2000: Budget and Resource Planning. Responsible for the formulation, development, and implementation of the Lab's annual budget. Assessed the reasonableness of plans and programs, identified potential funding problems and budgetary limitations, and ascertained significant trends and notable deviations. Recommendations impacted the initiation, emphasis or termination of major Lab Programs.
1995-1998, US Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, Washington, DC.
1997 - 1998: Environmental Scientist. Led team of senior scientists in formulating the Agency’s $80M cross-media research program, and negotiated with high-level clients from the Program Offices and Regions throughout the Agency. Prepared and presented briefing materials reflecting Agency research priorities to Office and Regional Assistant and Deputy Assistant Administrators.
1995 - 1997: Resource Planning. Responsible for the resource planning of largest research program within the Office of Research and Development, multi-media. Program included the Agency’s research areas that cross environmental medias (air, water, pesticides, toxics and hazardous waste), requiring a diverse knowledge in several research areas, including ecosystems protection, human health protection, high performance computing and advanced technologies.
Accomplishments / Awards:
- USEPA Silver Medal, 2008
- USEPA Bronze Medal, 2008
- NOAA Administrator's Award for visionary leaders in the development of cross-agency partnerships, 2007
- US EPA Bronze Medal for applying advanced technology to science, 2004
- US EPA Bronze Medal for strategic program planning, 1997
- Office Personnel and Management, Washington, DC, Executive Leadership Program, Year-long program completed March 1996
- US EPA Bronze Medal for internet contracting team, 1996
- General Services Administration, February 1994, Program Management of Major Information; Systems: Trail Boss Program
- US EPA Bronze Medal for developing innovative contracting approaches, 1995
- Technology Leadership Award (Government Executive Magazine), 1995
- Stetson Award (Government Computer News and General Services Administration), 1995
- Meritorious Civilian Award, US Navy, 1990
- Navy Unit Commendation, US Navy, 1990
Recent Publiations:
Garcia, V. C., E. Gego, S. Lin, C. Pantea, K. Rappazzo, A. Wootten, and S. T. Rao (2011), An evaluation of transported pollution and respiratory-related hospital admissions in the state of New York, Atmospheric Pollution Research(2), 9-15.
Garcia, V. C., J. Crooks, and S. T. Rao (2010), Characterizing the Exposure of Regional-Scale Air Quality, in Air Pollution Modeling and its Applications XXI, edited, Springer Publishers.
Garcia, V.C., E. Gego, S. Lin, C. Pantea, K. Rappazzo, A. Wootten, and S. T. Rao (2011), An evaluation of transported and respiratory-related hospital admissions in the state of New York, Atmospheric Pollution Research.
Garcia, V.C., K. Folley, E. Gego, D. Holland (2010). A Comparison of Statistical Techniques for Combining Modeled and Observed Concentrations to Create High-Resolution Ozone Air Quality Surfaces, EM, 60:586-595.
Garcia, V.C., E.Gego, R. Jones, S. Lin, C.I. Pantea, S.T. Rao and Adrienne Wootten (2010). Examining the Impact of Regional-Scale Air Quality Regulations on Human Health Outcomes. Air Pollution Modeling and its Applications XX, Springer Publishers.
Lin, S., R. Jones, C. Pantea, V.C. Garcia, S.T. Rao, S. Hwang, and N. Kim (2010). Impact of the NOx SIP Call on Respiratory Hospitalizations in New York State. Air Pollution Modeling and Its Applications XX, Springer Publishers.
Denby, B., V.C. Garcia, D. Holland, C. Hogrefe (2009). Integration of Air Quality Modeling and Monitoring for Enhanced Human Health Exposure, EM, 46-49.
Garcia, V.C., N. Fann, R. Haeuber, P. Lorang. 2008. Assessing the Public Health Impact of Regional-Scale Air Quality Regulations, EM, 29-34.
Gego, E., P.S. Porter, Garcia, V.C., Hogrefe, C., Rao, S.T. 2008. Fusing Observations and Model Results for Creation of Enhanced Ozone Spatial Fields: Comparison of Three Techniques. Book Chapter 3.9, Air Pollution Modeling and Its Application XIX, C. Borrego and A.I. Miranda (eds.). Springer Science + Business Media B.V., 341-348.
Garcia, V.C., S. Tinkle, G. Foley. 2005. Integrated Earth Observations: Application to Air Quality and Human Health, Joint EPA/NIEHS GEOSS Report, Research Triangle Park, NC.
Garcia, V.C. Using GIS and LIDAR to Map Headwater Stream Networks in the Piedmont Ecoregion of North Carolina. Masters Thesis. North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina.
http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/theses/available/etd-12012004-164943/ 
, (2004).
Selected Presentations:
Garcia, V.C. Integration of Satellite, Modeled, and Ground Based Aerosol Data for use in Air Quality and Public Health Applications. Session Chair and Presentation at the American Geophysical Union 2006 Joint Assembly, Baltimore, MD, May 24, 2006.
Garcia, V.C. Science and Policy: Assessing the Impact of Regulation Policy. Presentation at the Eastern Tennessee Oxidant Study Conference, Oakridge, TN, May 17, 2006.
Garcia, V.C., S. Tinkle (NIEHS). Integrated Earth Observations: Application to Air Quality and Human Health, Conference Co-Lead, RTP, NC, August 1-2, 2005.
Garcia, V.C. ESRI User Conference, Translating Earth Data into Knowledge, Earth Information Exchange, Demonstration, San Diego, CA, July, 2005.
Garcia, V.C. Taking the Pulse of the Planet: A Demonstration of the EPA's GEOSS Remote Sensing Information Gateway. Presentation to Congressman Price, RTP, NC, April 18, 2005.
Garcia, V.C. 2004. 2004 Science Forum: Science and Innovation to Protect Health and Environment, Session Chair, Washington, D.C., May 6, 2003.
Garcia, V.C. EPA 2003 Science Forum: Emerging Technology Session: Innovation to Advance the Detection of Threats and Optimize Environmental Decision Making, Session Chair, Washington, D.C., June 3, 2004.
Narrative:
In my current position, I lead a group of principal investigators in the planning, implementation, and execution of applied research to link atmospheric models to ecosystems and human health exposure models and approaches. My diverse background in leading programs in areas ranging from ecosystems to atmospheric science has laid the foundation for this current effort, which requires linking across research disciplines and media. My research in developing accountability indicators and linking air quality to human health further supports the integration of processes across the risk assessment/management paradigm. Past experience with Congressional and Agency budget planning and execution, science policy, and program management have further strengthened my foundation for leading scientific programs within the Atmospheric Modeling and Analysis Division.