OSPR Executive

OSPR Leadership

OSPR Organizational Chart

Administrator

Administrator: Heather Geldart

Deputy Administrator

Deputy Administrator: Julie Yamamoto

Julie Yamamoto

Julie is OSPR's Deputy Administrator and is responsible for oversight of various scientific programs and functions, including natural resource damage assessment, response technologies, geographic information systems, oiled wildlife response, environmental field response, spill data tracking, marine invasive species, petroleum and water quality laboratories, military base cleanups, marine invasive species, the Marine Wildlife Veterinary Care and Research Center, and spill preparedness (drills, spill training, and health and safety). Julie also supports OSPR’s administrative and legislative functions. She has been a part of the OSPR team for 18 years.

Julie holds an MS in avian biology, and PhD in environmental toxicology from UC Davis. Her past research has focused on impacts of various contaminants on wild birds. She worked at the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment in their Ecotoxicology Unit for 5 years prior to coming to OSPR.

Assistant Deputy Administrator

Assistant Deputy Administrator: Amir Sharifi

Amir Sharifi

Amir serves as OSPR's Assistant Deputy Administrator and is responsible for overseeing Prevention, Financial and Administrative Services, Public Outreach and Regulation operations. His team is responsible for providing a myriad of services that support OSPR's mission in protecting California's resources.

Amir holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Managerial Economics from the University of California, Davis. As an avid fisherman, when Amir's not at work you will find him spending time with friends and family on California's waterways.

Environmental Response

Environmental Response Branch Chief: Kathleen Jennings

Kathleen Jennings

Kathleen is OSPR's Chief of Environmental Response, overseeing environmental scientists that are members of three regional Field Response Teams statewide. She also manages the OSPR Incident Tracking Database and provides oversight for OSPR’s Spill Desk, which provides spill notifications to OSPR responders.

Kathleen has been with the department for 22 years, serving in roles including field environmental scientist, supervisor and now branch chief.

She holds a Bachelor of Science in Biology and Theology and a Master of Science in Environmental Management from the University of San Francisco (USF). She also holds a PhD in Wildland Resource Science from UC Berkeley. Her past research focused on impacts of various contaminants on terrestrial food chains and human-wildlife interactions. She has conducted human health and ecological risk assessments as a consultant and taught full-time in the USF Department of Environmental Science undergraduate and graduate programs.

Laboratory Program

Laboratory Program Branch Chief: Martice Vasquez, Ph.D.

Martice Vasquez

Martice manages the OSPR laboratory program’s pollution response efforts in Rancho Cordova. She worked for OSPR from 2001 to 2005 prior to achieving her Ph.D. in Agricultural and Environmental Chemistry from U.C. Davis. She also served as an environmental scientist for the Regional Water Quality Control Board before returning to OSPR in 2013. When not spending time with her family, Martice also enjoys gardening, canoeing, and spending time with their dachshund.

Prevention

Prevention Branch Chief: Jon Victoria

Jon Victoria

Jon serves as OSPR’s Chief of Prevention. He joined OSPR in 2011 as Prevention Branch Supervisor for Southern California. He has over three-decades of oil spill response experience in the marine environment, including hazardous materials emergency response situations. He started his career with the U.S. Coast Guard and eventually joined the oil spill co-op Clean Coastal Waters (CCW), an entity established to protect the coast and offshore oil platforms from spills. When CCW merged with Marine Spill Response Corporation he continued his work responding to spills and natural disasters on the west coast and in the Gulf of Mexico. He later headed up the Oil Spill Response Organization (OSRO) program for National Response Corporation in Southern California and was directly involved in major oil spill incidents including Cosco Busan and Deepwater Horizon.

Public Affairs

Public Affairs Unit Manager: Eric Laughlin

Eric Laughlin

Eric manages OSPR’s public affairs unit. He first joined the department as a public information officer in 2012, after a decade-long career as a television and print journalist. He has served in leadership roles at numerous oil spill responses statewide, including the Refugio Beach spill near Santa Barbara in 2015, and the Southern California Pipeline P00547 spill in 2021.

Eric graduated from UC Davis with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication in 2002. He is among a national cohort of less than 200 public information officers that hold the prestigious Master Public Information Officer designation from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Preparedness

Preparedness Chief: David Reinhard

David Reinhard

David serves as OSPR’s Chief of Preparedness. He joined OSPR after more than 20 years with the U.S. Coast Guard, in which he was most recently stationed as Commanding Officer of the Pacific Strike Team in Novato. Previous assignments took him to Sector San Diego, the Eleventh District Headquarters in Alameda, and other posts nationwide.

David’s specialty in the Coast Guard was oil spill and hazardous materials response; he responded to incidents including the World Trade Center terrorist attacks, the Anthrax response in Senator Daschle’s office, and Hurricane Katina. He also led Emergency Support Function 10 responses for Hurricane Maria in the U.S. Virgin Islands and Hurricane Florence in North Carolina

As Chief of Preparedness, David oversees the Response Certification and Contingency planning unit, the Drill and Exercise program, and the Certificate of Financial Responsibility program as well as the state’s involvement with Area Contingency Plans and Geographic Response Plans.

David earned a Bachelor of Science in Forestry and Natural Resource Management from California Polytechnic University in San Luis Obispo and a Master of Science in Emergency Management from Trident University International.

Resource Restoration

Resource Restoration Program Manager: Michael Anderson

Mike Anderson

Mike leads OSPR’s Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA) and Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) Units. He received his Bachelor’s of Science in aquatic biology from UC Santa Barbara, Master’s degree in zoology from the University of Hawaii, and doctorate in pharmacology and toxicology from UC Davis. Dr. Anderson’s state service spans over 20 years, first acting as an exotoxicologist with the Department of Toxic Substances Control, before joining OSPR in 2007. Prior to state service, he held positions in both academia and consulting. His expertise focuses on the harmful effects of oil and other hazardous substances on wildlife. Dr. Anderson has served as State Lead Representative for several California multi-agency natural resource damage assessments (NRDAs), including the Cosco Busan, Dubai Star, and Refugio Beach oil spills.

Financial & Administrative Services

Financial and Administrative Services Chief: Lenore Phelps

Lenore Phelps

Lenore serves as OSPR’s Chief of Finance and Administration Services. She started her career with the Department in 1998 as a student assistant with the Bay Delta Region and was involved in the Fishing in the City and Sandhill Crane projects. Lenore has worked for various CDFW programs, including the License and Revenue Branch, big game hunting projects and as part of the exploratory project for a preference point system. She most recently served as an Administrative Officer III, overseeing the Marine Region’s fiscal and administrative operations.

Lenore earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Biological Science from California State University, Sacramento.

Regulations

Vacant

Response Technology

Response Technology Chief: Greg McGowan

GregMcGowan

Greg joined OSPR following a 23-year-plus career as a professional ecologist, during which he led an Incident Response and Recovery Team, addressing spills across North America. He has responded to incidents in the U.S. and abroad, typically serving in the Environmental Unit. At OSPR, Greg manages the Response Technology and Support team comprised of six technical disciplines and staffed by an outstanding group of subject matter experts. The technical teams include: Best Achievable Technology, Oiled Wildlife Response, the Marine Wildlife Veterinary Care and Research Center, Applied Response Technology, Fishery Closure, and Geographic Information Systems (GIS).

Enforcement

Law Enforcement Division Chief: Josh Nicholas

JoshNicholas

Josh began his career in state service in 1995 and joined CDFW as a sworn officer in 1998. He has since held patrol assignments throughout Northern California that include Wildlife Officer, Lieutenant, and Captain. He joined OSPR in 2007 and has been deployed to incidents including the Cosco Busan and Refugio oil spills and the Camp Fire in Butte County. He most recently served as Captain of OSPR’s Northern Law Enforcement squad and as Emergency Management and Homeland Security Unit Captain. He has also served as a Tribal Representative for emergency response. In 2024, Josh became OSPR’s Chief of Law Enforcement. He oversees a statewide team that protects the wildlife and waterways throughout California.

Information Technology

Information Technology Chief: Damon Williams

Damon Williams

Damon proudly served our country for nearly seven years in the U.S Army, before joining California state service in 1992. He began his career as an application developer for the State Compensation Insurance Fund and the California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office. Damon quickly moved up the ranks and became a supervisor in 1998, joining OSPR in 2003. As Chief of OSPR's Information Technology Operations Branch, he oversees and manages application development, networks, servers, personal computer support, as well as web and communication services. During a spill response, Damon is focused on making sure his staff and technology are quickly available and ready to use.

Legal

Office of Spill Prevention and Response
Mailing: P.O. Box 944209, Sacramento, CA 94244-2090
(916) 375-8580 for OSPR Information

Email OSPR | Office Locations

Report Oil Spills
(800) 852-7550 or (800) OILS-911

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