PNNL

Ann Lesperance has been with the PNNL since 1990. In her current capacity she is the director of the Northwest Regional Technology Center located in Seattle, Washington. Her primary focus is developing regional programs to accelerate the demonstration and deployment of new Homeland Security technologies. To accomplish this, Lesperance works with state and local emergency responders and public safety officials to understand and help prioritize their operational needs and requirements. She also builds regional coalitions of emergency management professionals to partner with Department of Homeland Security Science & Technology Directorate, the Department of Defense, federal agencies, and manages program implementation in the field.

Lesperance has a a joint appointment to Northeastern University – Seattle and leads efforts to build the master’s program in Security and Resilience Studies and Urban Informatics. She was also awarded a Faculty Affiliate appointment with Northeastern’s Global Resilience Institute. In this role, she partners with the institute to identify and participate in interdisciplinary proposal efforts for new research and education collaborations.

Lesperance has over thirty years of experience as a researcher and project manager in domestic and international fields, including environmental and public health analysis, and disaster management and recovery from natural and man-made events. She is a recognized leader in response, recovery, and resiliency issues. She was selected to serve on a National Academy of Science, Engineering and Medicine Steering Committee exploring a "whole of government" approach to international chemical/biological/radiological/nuclear events. In addition, she served on National Academy of Science, Engineering, and Medicine Resilient American Roundtable, overseeing the work of the Program on Risk, Resilience, and Extreme Events. In 2021 she was appointed to the Committee on Applied Research Topics for Hazard Mitigation and Resilience and, in 2022, to the Domestic Preparedness editorial advisory committee.

Additionally, Lesperance has played key leadership roles in engaging the energy and public safety sectors on issues related to cybersecurity and resiliency. She championed efforts to develop an open-source information-sharing platform to enhance response and recovery from cyberattacks and supported a first-of-a-kind effort in Washington State to develop a cyber-attack emergency response annex.

• Bachelor of Arts, University of Wisconsin, Environmental Science and Latin American Studies
• Master of Science, University of California Los Angeles, Public Health, School of Public Health, Environmental Science and Engineering Program

• National Academy of Science, Engineering, and Medicine Committee on Applied Research Topics for Hazard Mitigation and Resilience
• Domestic Preparedness Editorial Advisory Committee