OISC Committees & Working Groups

OISC Committees

Executive Committee

The Executive Committee was formed in 2021 and includes the Chair, Past Chair, Vice Chair, committee chairs, and an Oregon Department of Agriculture representative. The purpose of the Executive Committee is to share information between Council committees, discuss priorities and assistance needed, create OISC meeting agendas, and make the OISC meetings more efficient and effective. This committee will hold a meeting every other month on the third Friday (1:00 pm – 2:00 pm).

  • Sam Chan, Council Chair,

  • Noel Bacheller, Council Vice-Chair, Governance Chair

  • Chris Benemann, Oregon Department of Agriculture

  • Karen Ripley, Communications Committee Chair

  • Rick Boatner, Budget & Funding Committee Chair

  • Glenn Dolphin, Education & Outreach Committee Co-Chair, Past-Chair

  • Cat deRivera, Education & Outreach Committee Co-Chair

  • Peter Kenagy, Legislative Committee Co-Chair

Communications Committee | Chair: Karen Ripley (USDA Forest Service)

The Communications Committee was established by motion in 2016. The committee plans for coordinated Council communications including social media plans, news releases, website, and outreach materials. This committee meets as needed.

Members:

  • Sam Chan

  • Troy Abercrombie

Recognition & Awards Subcommittee

The Recognition & Awards Subcommittee (formerly Awards Subcommittee) was created in 2020 as a subcommittee of the Communications Committee. This subcommittee will support the planning and coordination of the OISC Awards.

Governance Committee | Chair: Noel Bacheller (Oregon Parks and Recreation Department)

The Governance Committee reviews and proposes changes to the Oregon Invasive Species Council bylaws, first adopted in 2002. View the most up-to-date bylaws by clicking here. 

Members:

  • Cat deRivera

  • Wyatt Williams

  • Josh Emerson

Legislative Committee | Chair: Peter Kenagy (Kenagy Family Farm Inc.)

The Legislative Committee tracks, reviews, and provides information for proposed legislation relating to the Council and invasive species management in Oregon. 

Members:

  • Michelle Delepine

  • Tim Butler

  • Chuck Fisk

Education & Outreach Committee | Co-Chairs: Glenn Dolphin (Oregon State Marine Board) and Cat de Rivera (Portland State University)

The Education & Outreach Committee is a cross-agency committee working on outreach and education around invasive species issues. This committee provides support for the outreach and education projects coordinated or supported by the council, including awareness campaigns, art projects, K-12 education projects, and outreach programs. This committee meets as needed and occasionally with the Communications Committee.

Members:

  • Arick Rouhe

  • Christer LaBrecque

  • Katie Murray

  • Peter Kenagy

  • Michelle Delepine

  • Nathan Gehres

  • Sam Chan

  • Shon Schooler

  • Troy Abercrombie

Invader Hotline Working Group

The Invader Hotline Working group was formed to develop a long-term sustainable plan for supporting the OISC Invader Hotline’s online presence, currently housed at Portland State University.

Education & Outreach Grants Subcommittee

The Education and Outreach Grants Subcommittee was formed to oversee the development and execution of the OISC Education and Outreach Grants program (2024-2026) made possible by SB5701 (2024).

Members:

  • Noell Bacheller

  • Michell Delepine

  • Brian Clapp

  • Tristen Berg

  • Cat de Rivera

  • Josh Emerson

Budget/Funding Committee | Chair: Rick Boatner (Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife)

The Budget/Funding Committee is responsible for identifying budget and fundraising priorities for the Council and finalizing the OISC budget for the biennium.

OISC Working Groups

Eastern Oregon Working Group | Chair: Pending

The Eastern Oregon Working Group was created in 2019 as the first of regional working groups to expand the Council’s reach in regions of the state. Working Group members support event planning and identify invasive species topics and themes relevant to the region, as well as key stakeholders and industries in eastern Oregon that are vulnerable to the impacts of invasive species.

  • Pending

Invasive Species Hub Working Group | Lead: Troy Abercrombie (Oregon Department of Agriculture)

The Worst Invaders Working Group was created in 2020 to support updating Oregon’s Worst Invaders list. The HUB Working Group is transitioning to a support team within the OISC Education and Outreach Committee as the HUB structure and initial dataset has been populated and the HUB moves into as-needed maintenance and update mode.