Michele Wolf

Michele comes to the US Geological Survey with 20+ years of quality management, lead auditing, and statistical consulting experience. Michele is a Certified Quality Auditor (American Society for Quality #46987), a certified International Register of Certified Auditors (IRCA #6038110) Lead Auditor, and has performed 100+ internal and external audits of laboratories, programs and processes.

Currently Michele is a Quality Assurance Specialist (QAS) for the Energy and Minerals Mission Area (EMMA). Her primary role as a QAS is to implement and maintain a comprehensive mission-wide Quality Management System (QMS) in Laboratories. Michele also is the laboratory document controller and is responsible reviewing and maintaining documentation such as standard operating procedures (SOPs), training records, and demonstrations of capability. Michele serves as a liaison on QMS-related matters between laboratory personnel, Laboratory Managers, the QMS Manager, and Science Center Management.

Prior to joining the US Geological Survey, Michele served as a certified lead auditor for Cavendish Scott Consulting. Michele was a policy and audit expert developing quality policies, standard operating procedures, and guidance documents for private clients in a variety of industries. In addition, Michele provided consulting, training and auditing for many International Organization of Standardization (ISO) standards including: ISO 17025, ISO 9001:2008, ISO 9001:2015, ISO 1400:2015, ISO 13485, ISO 17034 and AS9100D. 

From 2003 to 2016, Michele was a statistician and quality expert at Neptune and Company, a Lakewood Colorado environmental consulting firm. For 13 years, Michele was a lead statistician performing exploratory data analysis, calculating summary statistics, developing regression models, and conducting various parametric and non-parametric hypothesis tests to determine if site SVOCs, VOCs, metals and radionuclides were different from background concentrations. Michele also performed statistical analyses in support of human health and ecological risk assessments to inform environmental decision-making. Finally, Michele developed Sampling and Analysis Plans, Statistical Guidance, and Statistical training for Federal Agencies, State Programs and private clients.

At Neptune and Company, Michele also served as a quality expert. She developed, implemented and maintained quality management systems for federal laboratories. Over the years, she produced 100+ reports providing data-driven recommendations to upper management for strengthening and improving quality programs and systems. She provided quality training to scientists and staff via in-class, webinar and learning management systems to fulfill training needs. She audited all EPA products and services on a five-year rotation during her 13 years at Neptune, including research and chemistry laboratories. She served as contributing author for EPA's Office of Research and Development's laboratory Quality Policy and Procedures Manual (PPM 13.3 - Implementing Quality Assurance Under ORD Research Action Plans; PPM 13.4 - QA/QC Practices for ORD Laboratories Conducting Research; PPM 13.5 - QA/QC Approaches For Existing Scientific Data and Technical Information; PPM 13.7 - Modeling Quality Assurance and Documentation; PPM 13.10 - Laboratory Competency Assessments (LCA)).

Michele was employed as a statistics instructor (Montana State University), biology instructor (Texas Tech University), marine biology instructor (University of Arizona), and scientific illustrator (University of Arizona) in the years prior to working at Neptune and Company. 

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EDUCATION

Montana State University
Master's Degree - Major Statistics, Minor Biostatistics

Texas Tech University
Master's Degree - Major Ecology, Minor Statistics

University of Arizona
Bachelor's Degree - Major Ecology, Minor Math, Chemistry, Physics

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RESERACH EXPERIENCE

LTER Research Scientist - Luquillo Experimental Forest, Puerto Rico

Michele conducted research in the Luquillo Experimental Forest of Puerto Rico as a research scientist working on the Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) program funded by the National Science Foundation. Michele evaluated long term spatial and temportal trends in invertebrate species (tree snails Nenia tridens and Caracollus caracolla, and walking stick Lamponius portoricensis) densities, species diversities, and recovery rates from Hurricane Hugo.

LTER Research Scientist - McMurdo Station, Antarctica

Michele spent one season as a research scientist for the McMurdo Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) program funded by the National Science Foundation. As a scientist on the project, Michele collected, preserved and stored fresh water samples from four perennially ice covered lakes in the Taylor Valley of Antarctica. She analyzed each of the water samples to determine dissolved oxygen content, salinity, pH, ion concentrations, species composition, and species diversity.

Genetics Research Scientist - Bozeman, Montana

Michele was the lead laboratory technician conducting genetic crop research funded by Mycogen and Monsanto Corporations. She performed a variety of laboratory procedures including Southern Blot Analysis, PCR Analysis, DNA extractions, tissue culture, and tissue callus production on new plant lines created to be resistant to insect damage, drought tolerance, and/or resistant to chemical herbicide treatments.

Ecological Research Scientist - Junction, Texas

Michele conducted artificial stream tank experiments using an experimental stream tank she designed and published in the Texas Journal of Science. Experiments were performed using creeping water bugs (Cryphocricos hungerfordi, Limnocoris lutzi, Ambrysus circumcintus, and Ambrysus lunatus) to determine stream flow and stream substrate preferences for each species. 

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SELECT REPORTS AND PUBLICATIONS

M. Wolf and T. Kirschling. (2017). Energy Resources Program, Quality Management System, Quality Assurance Requirements, ERP-QAR-21.00, Management. US Geological Survey internal publication [Link].

M. Wolf and T. Kirschling. (2017). Energy Resources Program, Quality Management System, Quality Assurance Requirements, ERP-QAR-14.00, Reporting Quality Issues. US Geological Survey internal publication [Link].

M. Wolf and K. Hull. (2016). Information Directives, Implementation Guidance. Prepared for the US EPA Office of Environmental Information.

M. Wolf and K. Hull. (2016). Information Directives, Planning, Scheduling, and Tracking New and Updated Information Directives Development and Review. SOP ID-001. Prepared for the US EPA Office of Environmental Information.

M. Wolf and K. Hull. (2016). Information Directives, Review and Publication. SOP ID-002. Prepared for the US EPA Office of Environmental Information.

M. Wolf and K. Hull. (2016). Information Directives, Program Training. SOP ID-003. Prepared for the US EPA Office of Environmental Information.

M. Wolf and K. Hull. (2016). Information Directives, Quality Review. SOP ID-004. Prepared for the US EPA Office of Environmental Information.

M. Wolf and K. Hull. (2016). Information Directives, Program Reporting. SOP ID-005. Prepared for the US EPA Office of Environmental Information.

M. Wolf and K. Hull. (2016). Information Directives, Records Management. SOP ID-006. Prepared for the US EPA Office of Environmental Information.

M. Wolf and K. Hull. (2016). Information Directives, Programmatic Review. SOP ID-007. Prepared for the US EPA Office of Environmental Information.

M. Wolf and K. Hull. (2016). Information Directives, Website and Information Management. SOP-ID-008. Prepared for the US EPA Office of Environmental Information.

M. Wolf. (2015). Program Quality Assurance Project Plan (PQAPP) for the Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) Program. Prepared for US EPA Office of Research and Development, National Center for Environmental Assessment.

M. Wolf. (2015). Program Quality Assurance Project Plan (PQAPP) for the Integrated Science Assessment (ISA) Program. Prepared for US EPA Office of Research and Development National Center for Environmental Assessment.

M. Wolf. (2015). Program Quality Assurance Project Plan (PQAPP) for the Superfund Health Risk Technical Support Center (STSC) and Ecological Risk Assessment Support Center (ERASC). Prepared for US EPA Office of Research and Development National Center for Environmental Assessment.

M. Wolf. (2015). Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPP) for Enhancements to Benchmark Dose Software (BMDS). Prepared for US EPA Office of Research and Development, National Center for Environmental Assessment.

M. Wolf. (2015). Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPP) for Extraction of Scientific Data into the Health and Environmental Research Online (HERO) Database System. Prepared for US EPA Office of Research and Development, National Center for Environmental Assessment.

M. Wolf. (2015). Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPP) for Human Health Risk Assessment (HHRA) Projects 6, 7, & 8 to Develop Methods, Tools, Models, and Supporting Analysis. Prepared for US EPA Office of Research and Development National Center for Environmental Assessment.

M. Wolf. (2015). Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPP) for the Development of Risk Assessment Training and Experience (RATE). Prepared for US EPA Office of Research and Development National Center for Environmental Assessment.

M. Wolf and K. Hull. (2015). OEI Internal Control Review Report - Information Quality Guidelines Program. Prepared for US EPA Office of Environmental Information.

M. Wolf and K. Hull. (2014). Programmatic Review Report – Envirofacts Program. Prepared for US EPA Office of Environmental Information.

M. Wolf and K. Hull. (2014). Programmatic Review Report – Working Capital Fund Headcount Services. Prepared for US EPA Office of Environmental Information.

M. Wolf and R. Kao. (2013). Review of Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPP) Entitled “Quality Assurance Project Plan for the Field Trial Study of Methyl Bromide Structural Fumigation of a Biological Agent Surrogate on Material Coupons.” Prepared for U.S. EPA, CBRN Consequence Management Advisory Team and National Homeland Security Research Center.

M. Wolf and K. Hull. (2013). Programmatic Review Report – Mobile Devices. Prepared for US EPA Office of Environmental Information.
M. Wolf. (2013). Accessing and Completing NCEA’s Quality Assurance Training: a 15 minute webinar. Prepared and conducted for US EPA, Office of Research and Development, National Center for Environmental Assessment.

K. Hull and M. Wolf. (2013). Internal Control Reviews Manual: Reviewing Implementation of Internal Controls for Management Integrity and Quality in OEI Programmatic Operations. Prepared for US EPA Office of Environmental Information.

M. Wolf. (2012). Technical Systems Audit Report – Data Collection/Mining for Hydraulic Fracturing Case Studies. Prepared for US EPA National Risk Management Research Laboratory (NRMRL), Ground Water and Ecosystems Restoration Division (GWERD).

M. Wolf and K. Hull. (2011). Office of Environmental Information (OEI) Electronic Quality Management Plan (eQMP). Prepared for US EPA Office of Environmental Information.