2014 MN AIS Symposium

Speaker Biographies March 19 | Kelly Inn | St. Paul Adam Doll Watercraft Inspection Coordinator, Minnesota DNR

Adam Doll is a Watercraft Inspection Coordinator for the Minnesota DNR’s central region. He joined the DNR in 2009 and has worked with the Invasive Species Program and Environmental Review Program. He graduated from the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities with an emphasis in Law and Conservation Biology.

Sen. Al Franken (D) U.S. Senate

Sen. Al Franken has represented Minnesota in the U.S. Senate since 2009. Franken sits on the Energy and Natural Resources Committee; the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee; the Indian Affairs Committee; and the Judiciary Committee. Before joining Congress, Franken was a writer and performer for the television show Saturday Night Live, acted in several movies and television shows, hosted a nationally syndicated, political talk radio show and authored six books. He graduated from The Blake School and earned a BA degree in government from Harvard University.

Jay Green Professional Angler/Guide

Since joining his first bass club, Jay has been actively involved in the fishing and conservation community. Jay served as President of the Minnesota BASS Federation and represented Minnesota on the national level for 8 years. He has become a champion for promoting awareness of AIS issues. He currently sits on the DNR Commissioner's AIS Advisory Committee, the Board of Directors for the Lake Minnetonka Conservation District, and is an active member of Anglers For Habitat. He has competed in angling tournaments across the country and runs a fishing guide service.

Michael Hoff Regional AIS Coordinator, U.S. Fish and Wildlife

Mike Hoff is a fish biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s (USFWS) Midwest Region. Hoff serves as the USFWS’s representative on the Great Lakes and Mississippi River Basin Panels on Aquatic Nuisance Species. He has worked on invasive species issues since 1975 and has developed a number of tool sets to assess non-native species and pathway risks. Results of those risk assessments are being used to develop and implement regulatory and non- regulatory approaches to manage risk of invasive species introduction, establishment, spread, and impacts.

Sen. Bill Ingebrigtsen (R) District 8, Minnesota Senate

Senator Bill Ingebrigtsen was first elected to the Minnesota Senate in 2006 and represents parts of Douglas and Otter Tail Counties in the west-central part of the state. He is the ranking Republican on the Environment, Economic Development and Agriculture Division of the Senate Finance Committee and also serves on the Capital Investment and Finance Committees and the Finance subcommittee on Legacy. Sen. Ingebrigtsen attended Alexandria Technical College and the National Sheriff’s Institute of Business Management and served as Douglas County Deputy Sheriff from 1972-1991 and as Douglas County Sheriff from 1991-2007. He and his wife Marilyn have two children and live in Alexandria.

Gabriel Jabbour Owner, Tonka Bay Marina

As a resident on Lake Minnetonka for over 40 years, and the owner of four marinas and a boat manufacturer, Gabriel Jabbour has always participated in and contributed to lake-related issues. He has served on AIS committees for the Lake Minnetonka Conservation District and the Minnehaha Creek Watershed District and is currently a member of the DNR’s AIS Advisory Committee. Jabbour also has worked with the DNR on public access issues and helped the agency facilitate four AIS training sessions for lake service providers.

Jabbour also has extensive involvement in local government, including serving on the City of Orono Planning Commission and as mayor. In addition, Jabbour worked with Three Rivers Park District and Hennepin County to acquire the Dakota Trail and was involved in helping the City of Orono and the State of Minnesota acquire and preserve the former Big Island Veterans’ Camp where he presently serves as custodian. He has participated in a variety of AIS stakeholder meetings and committees sponsored by the DNR and local government organizations. Jabbour lives in Orono, where he pursues pleasure boating in his leisure time.

Doug Jensen AIS Program Coordinator, University of Minnesota Sea Grant

Doug Jensen is the Aquatic Invasive Species Program Coordinator for the University of Minnesota Sea Grant Program in Duluth. He has over 20 years of experience working on AIS issues, and is considered a national expert on the biology, ecology, and impacts of aquatic invasive species. With specialized experience in public communications, human behavioral science, environmental education and program evaluation, Jensen brings an outcomes-based approach to AIS outreach. He played an integral role in establishing the national campaigns for Stop Aquatic Hitchhikers!, a behavior intervention campaign aimed at preventing AIS spread by boaters and anglers, and Habitattitude, designed to educate aquarists and water gardeners to prevent the release of aquarium fish and plants into waters of the state.

Jensen has participated in numerous DNR-hosted AIS stakeholder meetings, and holds leadership positions for many national and local AIS organizations including: the Minnesota Invasive Species Advisory Council, the National Invasive Species Council, the Federal Aquatic Nuisance Species Task Force, and the Great Lakes Panel on ANS. He also serves on the Board of Directors for the Great Lakes Aquarium. Jensen has an M.S. in Education and a B.S. in biology and from the University of Minnesota Duluth. He lives in Duluth where he enjoys boating and year-round fishing.

Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D) U.S. Senate Sen. Amy Klobuchar has represented Minnesota in the U.S. Senate since 2006, when she became the first woman elected to represent Minnesota in the Senate. She has been active in efforts to stop the spread of Asian carp in the Mississippi River. She sits on the Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee; Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee; Judiciary Committee; and the joint Economic Committee. Before joining Congress, Klobuchar served as the Hennepin County Attorney for eight years. She graduated from Wayzata High School, the University of Yale and the University of Chicago Law School.

Rep. Denny McNamara, (R) District 54B, Minnesota House of Representatives

Representative Denny McNamara is serving his sixth term in the Minnesota House. He represents portions of Dakota and Washington counties in the southeastern part of the Twin Cities. He is the Republican lead for the Environment, Natural Resources, and Agriculture Finance Committee, and also serves on the Environment and Natural Resources Policy and Ways and Means committees.

Denny is a lifelong Hastings resident. He is a graduate of the University of Minnesota Carlson School of Business, and is a former co-owner of Hoffman and McNamara Landscape Contracting in Hastings.

Denny and his wife, Lynne, live in Hastings. They have two grown sons. He is also an active hunter and fisherman.

Larry Meddock Executive Director, Water Sports Industry Association

Larry Meddock has worked in the water sports industry for more than 40 years and currently serves as Executive Director of the Water Sports Industry Association (WSIA), which develops best practices and sustainable growth for towed water sports. The association produces three major trade shows per year and conducts a variety of outreach and educational campaigns.

Meddock began his career as the product manager for Cut’N Jump Water Skis, which pioneered state-of -the- art water ski life jackets. After a brief stint in the motion picture industry, he became the Vice President of Marketing and Special Events for Correct Craft Boats in Florida. Meddock has served on the National Boating Safety Advisory Council and is a member of UL’s STP committee on Life Jackets.

The WSIA, based in Orlando, Florida, is an active member of the National Safe Boating Council (NSBC) and the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators (NASBLA). The 501(c) 3 Educational Arm, of the WSIA, the Water Sports Foundation, has received three US Coast Guard grants to produce and promote a National Outreach program on recreational boating safety.

In his free time Meddock enjoys building and flying RC airplanes and helicopters, playing tennis and riding his Harley.

Ann Pierce Invasive Species Program Supervisor, Minnesota DNR

Ann Pierce currently oversees the Ecosystem Management and Protection Section at the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. Pierce has also worked as the DNR’s Invasive Species Unit Supervisor, Conservation Management and Rare Resources Unit Supervisor, as the Terrestrial Invasive Species Coordinator and as a regional plant ecologist collecting, management, analyzing, and interpreting information about native plants, plant communities, and non-game animals.

Pierce has a BS in Genetics and Cell Biology from the University of Minnesota, a MS in Forest Ecology from the University of Wisconsin and a PhD in Conservation Biology with a focus in Ecosystem Ecology from the University of Minnesota.

Erin Raney Invasive Species Biologist, Colorado Parks and Wildlife

Erin Raney graduated from Colorado State University College of Natural Resources with a B.S. in Human Dimensions of Natural Resources with a concentration in Parks and Protected Area Management. She is in her fifth year working for the Invasive Species Program at Colorado Parks and Wildlife. She has performed many functions related to Aquatic Nuisance Species for Colorado. She currently serves as a Lead Trainer for the Watercraft Inspection and Decontamination program, and helps develop standards and training curriculum.

In her spare time Raney enjoys trail running and traveling.

Dr. Peter Sorensen Scientific Director, Minnesota AIS Research Center

Dr. Peter Sorensen has over 20 years of experience working with invasive fish and is a professor in the University of Minnesota’s Department of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology. He also is the scientific director of the Minnesota AIS Research Center which was established in 2012. The center uses research and modeling to understand the state’s aquatic invasive species and the best management techniques.

Sorensen is a leading researcher in the physiology and behavior of fish and credited with identifying several pheromones in fish and in particular a migratory pheromone used by the sea lamprey. He has mentored more than a dozen graduate students in Conservation Biology, Ecology, Evolution & Behavior, Neuroscience, and Water Resources Science. Sorensen has authored over 120 peer-reviewed publications and 20 book chapters. His present focus is the common carp. He holds a Ph.D. in Biological Oceanography from the University of Rhode Island.

Sen. Dave Tomassoni (DFL) District 6, Minnesota Senate

Sen. Dave Tomassoni has served in the Minnesota legislature for more than 20 years. First elected to the Minnesota House in 1993, he has been a member of the Minnesota Senate since 2000 and represents Itasca and St. Louis Counties. He is currently the chair of the Environment, Economic Development and Agriculture Division of the Finance Committee.

Sen. Tomassoni graduated from the University of Denver with a B.S. degree in Business Administration. He played professional hockey in Italy for 16 years and was a member of the Italian Olympic hockey team in 1984. He and his wife have three children and live in Chisolm.

Rep. Jean Wagenius, (DFL) District 63B, Minnesota House of Representatives

Rep. Jean Wagenius has served in the Minnesota House of Representatives since 1986 and represents parts of south Minneapolis, Richfield, Fort Snelling and the Minneapolis/St. Paul airport. She is currently the Chair of the Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture Finance Committee and has previously served as chair on issues including transportation, labor, and waste management. Rep. Wagenius graduated from George Washington University in Washington and attended the Jane Adams School of Social Work at the University of Illinois. She did her practice work in Chicago housing projects. She received her law degree from William Mitchell College of Law and was one of the first eight law clerks at the then-brand new Court of Appeals before being elected to the Minnesota Legislature.