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MEMORANDUM
Date:
To:
From:
Subject:
February 10, 2016
AOAC INTERNATIONAL Official Methods Board
Krystyna McIver, SPADA Project Lead
Item IV.b. AOAC Stakeholder Panel Co‐Chairs
AOAC SPADA has been active since February 2007. Since its inception, it has developed
standard method performance requirements for the Department of Homeland Security and
currently for the Department of Defense. It has also revised the sampling standard and
developed implementation guidance used by first response teams as well developed
validation guidance that is used in conjunction with the standard method performance
requirements. Overall it has developed 17 different products across ten (10) biological
threat agents. Four (4) methods have been evaluated and approved as a result.
While Dr. Matthew Davenport has done a remarkable job as chair of SPADA, he appreciates
the leadership some key stakeholders have demonstrated in and outside of the meeting.
One stakeholder in particular is Dr. Linda Beck, formerly with the BioWatch program in the
Office of Health Affairs at the Department of Homeland Security and currently Lead
Scientist/Microbiologist with the CBR and Defense Concepts and Experimentation Branch of
the Navel Surface Warfare Center. Linda has been instrumental providing leads that have
led to sponsorship of SPADA activities. When she was at BioWatch, she assisted AOAC in
securing the funding to develop SMPRs for Variola that reinvigorated SPADA in 2013. In her
role in the Department of Defense, she has been invaluable in networking the merits of
AOAC and SPADA’s work to secure our current contract with DoD as well as looking at new
threat agents for SPADA’s consideration.
In addition, she has been a voice of reason during SPADA meetings and during each working
group meeting/teleconference allowing everyone to reach consensus and still meeting the
goals of the contract. At first, the consideration was for vice chair of SPADA; however after
further consideration and with the support of Dr. Davenport, Dr. Linda Beck is being
nominated, for your approval, to serve as co‐chair of AOAC SPADA.
RECOMMENDATION
: Approve Dr. Linda Beck as co‐chair of AOAC SPADA.
ENCLOSURES
: None.
AOAC OMB Meeting
February 10-11, 2016
144