The PNAMP Coordination Team dedicates their time and energy to supporting the collaboration of many partners and participants each year. The Coordination Team’s goals are to support relationships between data collectors, data managers, data consumers, project managers, and monitoring professionals through collaboration and facilitation. PNAMP Coordination Staff are Pacific States Marine Fisheries employees funded by the Bonneville Power Administration and PNAMP partner contributions.

Nancy Leonard (Coordinator)

Nancy fled the icy grip of Quebec after earning a fisheries and wildlife degree at McGill, only to dive into an even frostier master’s in biology at Carleton in Ontario (because why not enjoy getting to school walking on the frozen Rideau Canal?). Still chasing warmth, she landed in Ohio to study fish in Lake Erie, then somehow ended up in Alaska at Toolik Lake—where winter laughs at your layers (luckily it was a 3-month summer position). She boomeranged back to Ohio and Michigan, collecting a second master’s from Miami University of Ohio and a PhD in fisheries and wildlife from Michigan State University, while working for the Great Lakes Fisheries Commission and teaching fisheries globalization at MSU. Her classroom? MSU classrooms, Russia, Europe, Africa, Madagascar—basically anywhere fish swim and passports are stamped. Finally, Nancy found her dream climate in Oregon, moving to Oregon to work with the Northwest Power and Conservation Council before joining Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission in 2019. Now she leads collaborative fisheries programs that focus on data sharing, controlling pikeminnow, collecting smolt monitoring data at the dams, recreational fishing data along the coast, and assisting partners by providing staff with expertise to assist with field work, data management, and programming. In 2025, she now looks forward to working with PNAMP partners and interconnecting the expertise and needs of PNAMP participants with her other programs. Nancy continues to appreciate and enjoys the mild winters, growing a diversity of backyard fruit that would be impossible in Quebec, and the noble (but doomed) quest to get her Irish setters and Maine coon cats to behave. Spoiler: the pets are winning. Contact Nancy Leonard: nleonard@psmfc.org

Jen Bayer (Advisor/Founder)

I am delighted to be able to continue to assist PNAMP in my new Advisor role, having retired from the US Geological Survey as of June 2025. This is the best of all situations – I can still be part of the amazing collaborative community of PNAMP while also having more time for my family, travel, and my community. I had a blast volunteering a bit with field work this summer – hit me up if you need an extra pair of hands for a few days (especially if it is with lampreys). Contact Jen Bayer: jmbayerNW@pm.me

Erin Benham (Data Management Specialist 2)

I was raised in the Midwest with a love for the outdoors that led me to earn a B.S. in Wildlife Ecology from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. I later completed a M.S. in Conservation Sciences with a fisheries emphasis at the University of Minnesota–Twin Cities. My graduate research focused on muskellunge spatial ecology and habitat use in the Great Lakes region. My career has spanned both wildlife and fisheries fields across a variety of ecosystems and species. I look forward to adding my expertise to the PNAMP team and collaborating across the region. Outside of work, I enjoy hiking, reading and hanging out with my family and friends. Contact Erin Benham: ebenham@psmfc.org

Sam Cimino (Data Management Specialist 2)

I grew up on the Colorado Front Range where I developed a passion for environmental management, outdoor activities, and Colorado sports teams. I attended the University of Colorado, Boulder (Go Buffs!) as an undergrad earning a B.A. in Environmental Studies. After 25 years in the Centennial State, I moved away from the reds and yellows of the Southwest to the blues and greens of the Pacific Northwest for my M.S. at Portland State University in the Strecker Aquatic Ecology lab. My research focused on the introduction and establishment of aquatic invasive species with a focus on the New Zealand mud snail. Now, as a member of the PNAMP coordination staff, I have the opportunity to collaborate with monitoring managers and practitioners to promote best practices and data access. When I’m away from the office, I’m playing a variety of sports (trying not to get injured), running long distances (trying not to get injured), and travelling. Contact Sam Cimino: scimino@psmfc.org

Megan Dethloff (Data Management Specialist 2)

Hailing from the plains of Nebraska, I moved to Oregon in 2003 to immerse myself in trees and ocean breeze instead of cows and corn. I graduated from Oregon State University with a degree in Fish and Wildlife Science and a specialization in Fish Biology. I’ve worked with endangered suckerfish, monitored freshwater escapement of Oregon Coastal Chinook populations, and tagged and monitored Pikeminnow in a sport-reward fishery. To not pigeon-hole myself in the world of watery wonder, I’ve also worked with threatened and endangered seabirds and owls, conducted management of resources in the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area, and evaluated salt marsh restoration in New York. Being part of the PNAMP team gives me an opportunity to collaborate across a variety of different interests. When I am not at work, I can be found outside enjoying nature, relief printmaking or other artistic pursuits, or lounging with my fur babies. Contact Megan Dethloff: mdethloff@psmfc.org

Mari Williams (Data Management Specialist 2)

I moved from North Carolina to Oregon in 2001 with an AmeriCorps program to work with ODFW. I’ve been an affiliate with NOAA Fisheries Northwest Fisheries Science Center since 2009 and with the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission since 2020. While I started my career in the field, I started leaning into data management as I watched the stack of data I’d collected pile up. I’ve gone from compiling fish data within the Umpqua River basin to salmon and steelhead in the Columbia River basin and am now engaged with international efforts to improve the availability, exchange, and attribution of salmon data. Dataset citations are cool! Contact Mari Williams: mwilliams@psmfc.org

Previous Staff:

• Amy Puls (2011-2025)
• Becca Scully (2014-2022)
• Jacque Schei (2007-2014)
• Sheryn Olson (2016-2020)
• Sean Quigley (2008-2010)
• Debra Niemann (2005-2006)
• Kathryn Thomas (2011-2012)
• Katie Pierson (2014-2015)

Detailees: Amy Bratz, Sarah Beldin, Erin Dlabola, Craig Haskell, Rachel Paul-Wilson, Rod Polintan, Sally Sauter, and Lisa Weiland,