Prepare for a transformative experience in the world of invasive species management. At NAISMA, we prioritize inclusivity and knowledge-sharing across diverse taxa and interest groups. Our agenda unites both experts and enthusiasts, fostering enriching discussions and collaborations. We are currently finalizing presentation proposals to offer a dynamic line-up of topics. Special sessions will cover pressing issues, such as golden mussels. Further details will be available as they develop.

Keynotes

These inspiring thought leaders will deliver powerful insights and fresh perspectives on the challenges and opportunities in invasive species management.

Dr. Marrone spent her 30+ year career focused on discovering and developing biological products for pest management and plant health, having started and led three previous bioag companies (Entotech, AgraQuest and Marrone Bio Innovations (now called Profarm Group), all of which were sold to larger companies. She is one of only 32 women to have founded a company and taken it public (MBII:NASDAQ). With co-founder Jim Boyd, the former President/CFO of Marrone Bio, Pam launched a fourth company, the Invasive Species Corporation, to bring effective, environmentally friendly biological solutions to control destructive invasive species, in water, forestry and agriculture. The company has a microbial natural product discovery platform to find herbicides, algaecides and biological solutions to control invasive crustaceans and has microbial products to control invasive mussels and invasive fish. She is Chair of the Board of Elicit Plant, is on the board of the Better Meat Co. and advises several other agtech/agbio startups. Among her many awards, in 2023 she received the Rosalind Franklin Award from the Biotechnology Industry Organization and in 2022 she was the first woman to receive the American Chemical Society “Kathryn C. Hach Award for Entrepreneurial Success.” She is a Fellow of the AAAS (American Association for the Advancement of Science), and in 2024 she was elected to the National Academy of Engineering. She is a 2025 inductee into the National Inventors Hall of Fame, with over 400 patents (>80 US). She has a B.S. in entomology with Honors and Distinction from Cornell University and a Ph.D. in entomology from North Carolina State University.

Dr. Pam Marrone

Co-founder and Executive Chair, Invasive Species Corporation

Dr. John J. Daigle is citizen member of the Penobscot Nation and Professor in the School of Forest Resources at the University of Maine. Daigle received his Ph.D. in Forestry from the University of Massachusetts in 1997 and started working at the University of Maine in 1998. He teaches courses with an emphasis on application of social science concepts and methods to outdoor recreation and natural resource planning and management. Prior to accepting his present position with the University of Maine, he served approximately 10 years with the National Park Service as a Park Ranger and U.S. Forest Service as a Research Forester.

Dr. John J. Daigle

Dr. Daigle is a citizen member of the Penobscot Nation and Professor in the School of Forest Resources at the University of Maine

Prof. Marc Cadotte is the Fred and Norah Urquhart Distinguished Professor of Biodiversity. In 2020, he was elected Member of the College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists, The Royal Society of Canada. He is also the Editor-in-Chief of Ecological Solutions and Evidence and Chair of Applied Ecology Resources, two new publication projects developed with the British Ecological Society and which provide a new communication paradigm for traversing the research-practice divide in ecology. He researches the links between biodiversity and ecosystem function, how to predict and control invasive species, and how environmental change drivers influence biodiversity and the delivery of ecosystem services in the places where they benefit people most. He has published more than 200 articles and has pioneered biodiversity measures that quantify species differences based on phylogenetic and trait-based distances. Prof. Cadotte is the author of Phylogenies in Ecology, published by Princeton University Press and the forthcoming book, A place for Greenspace, to be published by the University of Toronto Press. Prof. Cadotte has accrued over 30,000 citations and is listed on Web of Science’s top 1% most cited scientists in environmental science since 2017.

Prof. Marc Cadotte

Prof. Cadotte is the Fred and Norah Urquhart Distinguished Professor of Biodiversity in the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Toronto Scarborough

Plan your conference experience

Our agenda provides a snapshot of the week’s events, helping you identify the sessions, meetings, networking opportunities, and activities that matter most to you. Review the schedule below or download the PDF to keep a copy handy while planning your conference experience.

Subject to Change - Concurrent Sessions (3 speakers - 20 mins each) and Special Sessions* (Workshop, Panelist, Single or Multiple Speakers)
Monday, October 19th (all times are in EST)
8:00 am - 4:00 pmNAISMA Board of Directors (Private)
12:00 pm - 4:00 pmField Experience
3:30 pm - 5:00 pmMAIPC Business Meeting (Tentative)
5:30 pm - 7:30 pmWelcome Reception
Tuesday, October 20th (all times are EST)
7:30 am - 8:15 amBreakfast with exhibitors
8:15 am - 9:30 amKeynote: Dr. Pam Marrone
Biological Solutions for Invasive Species Management: An Entrepreneurial Journey
9:35 am - 10:35 amGraduate Student ResearchRegional ProjectsEDRRBiocontrol & Genetic ToolsTerrestrial Systems
SpeakersTaylor Darnell, Virginia TechMichael Schwarz, USGSCatherine Jarnevich, USGSMatthew Tancos, USDA-ARSTabitha Petri, Longwood Gardens
Cecilia Smith, Virginia TechHeather Walsh, Virginia TechWesley Daniel, USGSEdward Large, USGSKevin Chase, Bartlett Tree Research Laboratories
Simon Willig, ClemsonLeah Card & Scott Klopfer, VA Department of Wildlife ResourcesAG Sweany, Virginia Dept of Conservation and RecreationIlga Porth, Laval UniversityBethany Bradley, University of Massachusetts Amherst
10:35 am - 10:50 amNetworking Break
10:50 am - 11:50 am*Invasive species threaten U.S. national securityRegional ProjectsEDRRBiocontrol & Genetic ToolsTerrestrial Systems
SpeakersBryan Falk, National Invasive Species CouncilJoan Allen & Patrick O’Brien, HWA Fairfax CountyMcKayla Spencer, USFWSDimiru Tadesse, USDA-ARS
Chris Riley, Bartlett Tree Research Laboratories
Ryan McIntyre, Rock Creek ConservancyPaul Evans, ClemsonMichael Schwob, Virginia TechMihail Kantor, The Pennsylvania State University
Lauren Taylor, Blue Ridge PRISMTova Perlman, Motivf CorporationStacy Endriss, Virginia TechMelanie Tannieres, European Biological Control Laboratory - USDA-ARS
11:50 am - 1:10 pmNAISMA Annual General Meeting - Lunch Provided
1:15 pm- 3:15 pm*Policy Workshop*Disturbance dynamics: the impacts of extreme weather events on the prevention and management of biological invasions*The Valuable Work of Partnerships for Regional Invasive Species Management (PRISMs)*Improving Science Communication to Mitigate Biological InvasionAquatic Systems (1:15-2:15 pm)
SpeakersMara Rice, NAISMAJenica Allen - NE RISCCLauren Taylor, Blue Ridge PRISMDara Wald, Virginia TechNichole Angell, Great Lakes Commission
Mark Heilman, SeProBethany Bradley - NE RISCCNew York PRISMHaldre Rodgers, Virginia TechAmy Fowler, George Mason University
Tyler Roberts, SeProWesley Daniel - SE RISCCTegan Wilmot, NAISMAAutumn McGowan, Great Lakes Commission
Cayla Morningstar - SE RISCCAquatic Systems (2:15-3:15 pm)
Elliott Parsons - PI RISCCMark Wildhaber, USGS
Eva Colberg, NW RISCCDonn Branstrator, University of Minnesota Duluth
Marcicila Jimemez, Instituto Mexicano de Tecnología del Agua
3:20 pm - 3:35 pmNetworking Break
3:35 pm - 4:35 pmGraduate Student Research*How to engage your state emergency management agency to reduce invasion risks in disasterCollaboration & Capacity Building
Human Dimensions & Citizen Science
Policy & Frameworks
SpeakersHarrison Miles, Virginia TechBryan Falk, NISCAmy Yackel Adams, USGSTeagan Wilmot, NAISMAYolanda Barrios Caballero, CONABIO
Marissa Trombley, University of Minnesota NRRIColin Cassin, Invasive Species CentreLesley Beckworth, Teton County Weed & PestJoseph Drake, The Ohio State University/ISC
Anna Johnson, University of New HavenTheresa Gruninger, Great Lakes CommissionAmy Morey, University of MinnesotaTova Perlman, Motivf Corporation
5:30 pm - 7:30pmPoster Reception
Wednesday, October 21st (all times are EST)
7:30 am - 8:15 amBreakfast with exhibitors
8:15 am - 9:30 amKeynote: Dr. John Daigle
Building a community of interest and management response to the Emerald Ash Borer threatening ash trees and cultural lifeways in eastern North America
10:00 am - 12:00 pmOnsite Workshop - Volunteer Recruitment, Management, and Leadership 101
Grace Stern, State Coordinator, Extension Master Gardener Program & Virginia Cooperative Extension
10:00 am - 4:00 pmField Experiences (Lunch Provided)
12:00 pm - 1:30 pmNetworking Lunch in the Courtyard (On Your Own)
1:45 pm - 2:45 pmOnsite Workshop - Communications Workshop
Teagan Wilmot, NAISMA
5:00 pm - 9:00 pmAwards Banquet
Thursday, October 22nd (all times are EST)
7:30 am - 8:15 amBreakfast with exhibitors
8:15 am - 9:30 amKeynote: Prof. Marc Cadotte
Invaded Cities: Glimpses into the Future of Biodiversity
9:35 am - 10:35 amCollaboration & Capacity BuildingPolicy & FrameworksInvasion Risks in a Changing World
Human Dimensions & Citizen Science
SpeakersColin Cassin, Invasive Species CentreRuss Hartzell, Montana Invasive Species CouncilElliot Parsons, Pacific RISCC, PICASC at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
Amber Stilwell, Pennsylvania Sea Grant
Ehren Moler, James Madison UniversityJacob Utrie, CD3Morgan Roche, USGSAdrien Owens, SLELO PRISM - The Nature Conservancy
Chuck Bargeron, University of GeorgiaPaul Heimowitz, USGSCayla Morningstar, Cherokee Nation Federal contracted to USGSDaniel Bove, Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife
10:35 am - 10:50 amNetworking Break
10:50 am - 11:50 amInnovation & Technology*Invasives Free USA*Biocontrol*Weed Free Products
SpeakersGarrett Atwood, Clean Wake LLCSteve Manning, IPCBill Foote
Winslow Robinson, Fable ForestryChuck Bargeron, University of GeorgiaVicki Sawicki
Amanda GouldJessica Spencer, US Army CorpsStephanie Otts
11:50 am - 1:00 pmLunch (On Your Own)
1:00 pm - 3:00 pm*Addressing Invasive Species and Climate Change Through Global Cooperation and Local Action*National Early Detection and Rapid Response Framework: Resources Available and Future Plans*National Approaches to Biosecurity: A Global Learning Exchange*Where Research Meets Reality: Universities as Catalysts for Invasive Species Action
Fitz Dettmer, University of Massachusetts Amherst
Hilary Smith, US Department of the InteriorChristy Martin,University of Hawaii - Coordinating Group on Alien Pest Species (CGAPS)Hallie Harriman, Invasive Species Collaborative at Virginia Tech
Karoline Ford, The Pennsylvania State UniversityJames English, U.S. Geological Survey
Joseph Drake, The Ohio State UniversityAaron Martin, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Jeff Corbin, Union CollegeAngela McMellen Brannigan, National Invasive Species Council
Jennical Allen, University of Massachusetts, AmherstKristen Somers, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
3:00 pm-3:25 pmNetworking Break
3:25 pm - 4:25 pmInvasives PotpourriPolicy & FrameworksTools
Human Dimensions & Citizen Science
SpeakersClaudia Nunez-Penichet, Virginia TechLaura Brewington, Arizona State University & University of HawaiiJanet Prevey, USGSMarina Ascunce, USDA-ARS
Rebekah Wallace, University of GeorgiaMason Russo, Hawaii Invasive Species CouncilRichard Inman, USGSLaurel Williams, Finger Lakes PRISM
Andrei Alyokhin, University of MaineSusan Jewel, The Wildlife Society, Invasive Species Working GroupPeder Engelstad, Colorado State UniversityRobert Smith, SLELO PRISM/The Nature Conservancy
4:30 pm - 4:45 pmConcluding Remarks