Mitchell Nelson Email & Phone Number

Washougal, Wa, Us

Usa-Se Asia; Bangladesh; Egypt-Willing To Work Internationally

I am a retired Senior Agriculture Specialist with 30 years of experience at USDA-APHIS (20 years managing) and eight years with USAID. I currently work as a private biosecurity specialist and consultant with the various USAID Feed the Future activities focusing on food safety and security, HACCP, international trade with a focus on complying with international regulations. I have conducted seminars with both the Egyptian and Bangladeshi private and public sectors, including drafting restaurant regulations for Bangladesh's food sector and writing food safety export guidelines for Egypt's private sector.I conduct weekly mentoring sessions with University students from Bangladesh, China, Philippines and Latin America, as well as former colleagues and students. My sessions emphasize leadership, health, soft skills, and food safety and nutrition.With USAID, I worked to improve food security and safety, assisting in regulatory reform—such as upgrading Bangladesh's biotech regulatory systems—while managing a $10 million agriculture infrastructure project and providing senior leadership to local staff. Additionally, I conducted lectures on food safety, nutrition, leadership, job skills, regulatory writing, and implementation for public and private sector stakeholders. I also led an initiative that created Southeast Asia's first university Food Safety Management program. I led workshops with various groups on advanced leadership skills.At USDA-APHIS, I specialized in SPS (sanitary and phytosanitary) activities, responding to pest outbreaks, conducting risk analysis and mitigation, training public and private organizations on biosecurity quarantines, and developing import and export regulations. I created educational programs on import/export certification, trained foreign government officials in risk analysis and mitigation, and mentored junior staff. I also gained management experience as Area Director for the Northern Marianas and as USDA State Plant Health Director.

United States And The World

Applying my 35+ years' experience in working with all aspects of Food Security. This includes working in agriculture related Bio-security systems, implementing/designing plant/animal quarantines and regulatory enforcement systems. For example, helping Asia, Oceania, and Latin American government and industry officials meet international SPS standards to improve exports. This includes capacity building training and activities; risk analysis and risk mitigation training; analyzing country market potentials and developing work plans to meet US and international standards are just a few examples. Food Safety and food safety culture are critical to Food Security and meeting international export standards. I have considerable experience working with USAID, USDA, FAO and Universities to develop/deliver food safety and HAACP to Asian beneficiaries-both public and private. Awarded by both USDA and USAID for my cross-culture communication skills; not only technical but for leadership and oral communication training of internationals. Over 20 years’ experience managing projects; including recent successful small scale infrastructure project in Bangladesh. Developed an expertise in implementing environmentally sound small scale road building and food safe wet markets with economic and social benefits. Considerable management experience while working for the USDA including Director positions in Northern Marianas and finally USDA Oregon. Currently expanding my mentoring experience by holding weekly mentoring sessions these past 2 years with BAU Food Safety Management students as well as others from the local community and colleagues.

Dhaka Bangladesh

• Senior Agriculture Adviser in USAID Bangladeshis’ office. Provided senior level guidance to both U.S. and national staff, POC for all USDA activities, and currently project manager for:o I managed the Missions first G2G agreement with GOB improving small infrastructure through building feeder roads, Market/Collection centers, and improving irrigation infrastructure. Advances made in improvements in the GOB Local Government Engineer Department soft and engineering processes involving ethics, transparency in procurement and establishment of environmentally sound quality assurance construction practices,o Leading FAO project to operationalize the new Bureau Food Security Authority to enforce new Food Safety Act. Innovations include developing the country’s’ first college degree for food safety regulatory enforcement; establishing agency hierarchy and operational guidelines, regulations; scientific basis for regulations. Connecting this program with the USDA food safety project, two mobile food labs and infrastructure activity to develop a template for food safe rural wet Markets. o Provide leadership on Mission’s children’s messaging activity for Children, Sesame Street, stressing food and pesticide safety, nutrition and women’s empowerment in agriculture. o Provide senior leadership and guidance on Mission’s GE/GMO programs, especially in the area of regulatory and environmental clearances. Kick started Bt brinjal program. o Leading an innovative and non-traditional approach to a $24 million agriculture sensitive nutrition activity including an oral RFI, co-creation of the activity with implementing partner, that focuses on adolescents and activities that build resilience and sustainability. • I have developed an active mentoring program focusing on improving English speaking and leadership skills of USAID and State Department local staff. Received State and USAID recognition for my mentoring efforts

Dc Than Who Knows

Been a great career with APHIS and I would recommend it for anyone. After 30 years with APHIS decided to start a 2nd carrier in Agriculture Development as see if I can help accomplish something positive with what I have learned. Thought I would be in DC 4-9 months, but the training and assignment process is rigorous. After 1 year anniversary and experiences in the world of AID, I have received a posting to Bangladesh. I am currently in my 3rd month of studying Bangla. Tough on this old mind, but with God's help and my instructor moving along. I am still active within the development community and working on a quarantine assessment of Bangladesh.

I was the Oregon State Plant Health Director; providing strategic leadership, programmatic oversight, implementation, and manage all APHIS-Plant Protection and Quarantine sanitary and phytosanitary programs that enhance and safeguard America’s agriculture from invasive pests and promote agriculture exports. I accomplished the latter by facilitating trade and working with agency staff and foreign governments to overcome trade barriers and implement mitigation programs to enhance our ability to export plant products. I accomplished these duties by managing a staff that does import pest survey; risk assessments; cooperative grant programs; develops and implements training on quarantine enforcement, pest recognition and sanitary export certification; and facilitate export/trade enhancement programs. I collaborated with federal, state and NGO’s to protect the U.S., enforce federal quarantines; and abide by IPPC sanitary/phytosanitary standards.I am involved with Pest Risk Analysis; Early Detection and Rapid Response of Invasive Plant Pests; Pest Exclusion activities; Trade Enhancement and Facilitation and Emergency Response. I have 28 plus years performing these various duties associated with task of preventing pest introduction and SPS trade support and facilitation.

Agricultural development to increase productivity, sustainability , food security, and food safety;Development of plant and animal biosecurity sector, both government and private;Development of export systems of high value crops/animals to increase standard of living;Developing agriculture systems around countries’ strengths and internal resources, making them less dependent upon high technology solutions where appropriate;Establish agriculture training programs and improve a country’s use of extension and applied research.; Provided strategic leadership to all USDA APHIS Sanitary and Phytosanitary programs including Best Management Programs for improving plant health and reducing costs to agricultural industries, safeguarding America’s agriculture from invasive pests, and overseeing an export certification program worth over $1 billion. Managed import programs, emergency responses to pest introductions like Asian Gypsy Moth and grasshoppers, pest detection surveys, risk assessments, cooperative grant programs, and export/trade enhancement programs, liaison officer with countries like Mexico, China, India and Japan working in Oregon;Supervised a staff of 15 professional, technicians, and administrative staff; managed $10 million budget and oversaw $3 million in cooperative agreements and contracts, ADDOR and CTOR; Was primary plant protection contact with State of Oregon, NGO’s, Congressional liaison, and foreign governments, and contributed to national program direction as a senior manager.Received three leadership awards for outstanding professional leadership in Oregon and emergency programs.

As PPQ Area Director I assisted both governments in abiding by federal and local plant and animal quarantine regulations. I was the subject matter expert on SPS issues for these political groups and assisted APIL countries with their SPS issues. I helped to build up their capacity for export plant products and set up policies and procedures to keep out invasive species. I developed plant and animal quarantine training for professional staff and helped with agriculture clearance. I conducted pest pathways to prevent the introduction of invasive animal and plant pests; and worked with local governments to keep the islands free from pests. I also worked with foreign quarantine agencies in the Pacific and SE Asia on import/export regulations to the U.S. mainland. I taught inspectors to conduct fumigation and other treatments to mitigate pest risk. I also worked with the military to meet U.S. regulations and help them with food bio security issues. Although not part of my job, also worked on live animal issues and got involved with providing food safety and FDA type information to companies.

Managed APHIS plant/animal programs including animal and plant pest exclusion programs, exotic pest surveys, export enhancement measures, clearance of military equipment, and training military cooperators;Worked with local governments to enhance their agriculture training and plant/animal quarantine capacity, improve their quarantine regulations and policies, and improve local cropping systems; Developed the first Agriculture Quarantine training academy in Guam, American Samoa, and Common Wealth of Northern Marianas and worked with University of Guam to set up a training program for countries in the Pacific Basin, assisted the University in developing value chains for local produce and horticulture crops;Represented APHIS in the Pacific Basin, working with U.S. and foreign countries including the Philippines, Vietnam, and Korea on improving their plant/animal quarantine systems and suggesting crops with mitigation systems allowing them to import new plant products to the U.S., worked with them to increase their capacity in food security and safety; Assisted island farmers to improve their cropping systems through introduction of new crops to better meet local food needs and improve their standard of living.

Enforced federal plant/animal quarantine and export regulations;Assisted the military to comply with federal plant protection regulations; became a certified trainer for most pest mitigation treatments, training export certification specialists for the USDA APHIS Accredited Certified Officer program; and training military cooperators to meet U.S. agriculture quarantine regulations.

Worked with farmers to improve agricultural practices, including improving post-harvest handling of tropical fruit like Papaya, Bananas, Pineapples, and Mangoes;Assisted the USDA Agriculture Research Service in conducting research on fruit fly mitigation programs using irradiation, hot water and vapor heat treatments. Subject matter expert on these and all mitigation treatments.

Masters Of Science, Tropical Agriculture

M.S. Plant Pathology, Plant Pathology, Statistics

Activities and Societies: International Baptist Student Union

B.S. Botany, Botany, Entomology, Geography

B.S, Botany

Bachelor Of Applied Science - Basc, Botany And Entomology, Magna Cum Laude

Activities and Societies: Jr. Asst. Scout Master; youth leader and educational outreach via live puppet shows.Major focus was Botany.