NWRTC Leadership

NWRTC is a virtual resource led by PNNL that serves the northwest region’s homeland security stakeholders and communities involved in public safety, preparedness, and response mitigation and recovery.

Ann Lesperance

Ann Lesperance, Director

Regional Programs
Northwest Regional Technology Center for Homeland Security
Phone: (206) 528-3223
Email: Ann.lesperance@pnnl.gov

Ann Lesperance has been with the PNNL since 1990. In her current capacity she is the director of the NWRTC 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 DHS S&T, the Department of Defense, federal agencies, and manages program implementation in the field.

Lesperance has 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. Most recently, she was invited to join the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) Committee on Applied Research Topics for Hazard Mitigation and Resilience. The committee identifies applied research topics, information, and expertise to inform the science of natural hazard mitigation and resilience and enables applications of science, data, and technology. She was also previously selected to serve on a NASEM Steering Committee exploring a "whole of government" approach to international chemical/biological/radiological/nuclear events and on the NASEM Resilient American Roundtable, overseeing the work of the Program on Risk, Resilience, and Extreme Events.

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
NWRTC Deputy Rich Ozanich

Rich Ozanich, Deputy Director

Advisor, Chemical and Biological Signatures
Phone: (509) 375-4586
Email: richard.ozanich@pnnl.gov 

Rich Ozanich received his Ph.D. in Analytical Chemistry from the University of Washington and has worked in the chemical and biological detection field for over 25 years. He leads PNNL staff on multiple projects with the Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology National Urban Security Technology Laboratory System Assessment and Validation for Emergency Responders (NUSTL SAVER) program where he works closely with first responders from across the nation to test and evaluate a wide range of products. Rich and his colleagues also developed a universal operational field assessment process for emerging innovative technologies to improve technology transition to emergency responders. He is a subject matter expert in field detection technologies and has a broad base of knowledge in chemical hazards (including synthetic opioids), biothreat agents, and testing and evaluation of instrument performance. Rich has led various biological threat and chemical detection equipment testing efforts as well as the development of ASTM international standards to improve field detection of biothreat agents and fentanyl.

  • Ph.D., Analytical Chemistry, University of Washington

Research topics

Emergency Response
National Security
Cybersecurity