APHIS’ Plant Protection and Quarantine Selects New Leader for Its Emergency and Domestic Programs

Dear Colleagues/Stakeholders, 

We want to share an important change to the APHIS Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ) Management Team. We are pleased to announce the selection of Nicole Russo, Ph.D., as the Associate Deputy Administrator for Emergency and Domestic Programs. In this role, Nicole will be responsible for providing national leadership in the overall planning, coordination, and direction of PPQ’s domestic plant pest and emergency response programs. She will also serve as the USDA Senior Invasive Species Coordinator.;

Since 2018, Nicole has led PPQ’s Quarantine, Policy, Analysis, and Support (QPAS) staff. As QPAS’ Director, she served as the APHIS policy liaison for U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). In support of the joint APHIS-CBP Agricultural Quarantine Inspection program at U.S. ports of entry, she oversaw policy, program monitoring, and import data systems. During her tenure, she led the development of the CBP-APHIS Joint Agency Strategic Plan 2022–2026, which will guide program activities and set the program’s focus for the next 5 years, driving planning and setting mission priorities.;

Previously, Nicole served as the Director for the Imports, Regulations, and Manuals staff, where she administered PPQ’s regulatory portfolio and import policy for regulated plants and plant products. Her previous PPQ roles include Assistant Director of Regulatory Coordination and Compliance and Chief of Staff for Plant Health Programs. She has been with APHIS since 2010, starting her career with Biotechnology Regulatory Services before joining PPQ in 2011.

Nicole is originally from New Jersey and earned a Bachelor of Science in biology from Rutgers University. She later attended Cornell University, where she earned a doctorate in plant pathology focusing on disease management. She lives in West River, MD, with her husband and three children.

Finally, as part of this change, we want to express our appreciation to Dr. Scott Pfister, who acted as Emergency and Domestic Programs’ Associate Deputy Administrator from late October 2022 through mid-February 2023. He has returned to his regular position as Director of PPQ’s Forest Pest Methods Laboratory in Massachusetts, and we thank him for his outstanding service as he acted in this role.

We look forward to working with Nicole as our newest Management Team member and are confident that her contributions will help ensure PPQ’s continued mission success.

Sincerely,

/s/ 

Dr. Mark L Davidson
Deputy Administrator
Plant Protection and Quarantine 

Samantha J. Simon
Associate Deputy Administrator
Plant Protection and Quarantine