DOINews: DOI's Pamela Bergmann Honored with 2013 YWCA Alaska Women of Achievement Award

	Pamela Bergmann, regional environmental officer-Alaska, Office of Environmental Policy and Compliance, DOI, is a winner of the 2013 YWCA/BP Alaska Women of Achievement award. Photo by DOI.

Pamela Bergmann, regional environmental officer-Alaska, Office of Environmental Policy and Compliance, has been selected as a 2013 winner of the prestigious YWCA/BP Alaska Women of Achievement award. The award pays tribute to women in Alaska who have demonstrated leadership and excellence both personally and professionally in a way that furthers the YWCA Alaska's mission of eliminating racism and empowering women.

"It's rare that a government employee is selected for the YWCA's Alaska Women of Achievement award, said Deborah Williams, former special assistant to the Secretary of the Interior and a 2012 YWCA awardee. Bergmann's accomplishments in Alaska, especially in the areas of disaster and oil spill response, historic properties protection, and stakeholder participation, make her a worthy recipient of this honor. We couldn't be more proud of her."

Bergmann is a recognized leader and major contributor in oil spill and natural disaster preparedness and response activities in Alaska. Examples include her leadership role in establishing the framework for dealing with oiled wildlife, which is now used in the U.S.-Canada transboundary area in Southeast Alaska and has been incorporated by other agencies, industry, and spill responders both in the United States and internationally. Her work to establish historic properties protection, which was first implemented during the 1989 T/V Exxon Valdez Oil Spill, culminated in the U.S. National Response Team's development of a programmatic agreement to protect historic properties that is in effect nationwide.

"I'm honored and humbled to receive this award from the YWCA Alaska and to help further this organization's efforts to make our community a better place," Bergmann said. "Having the support of Dr. Willie Taylor and other members of the OEPC team, as well as my DOI bureau colleagues made it all possible."

To learn more about YWCA Alaska, go to: http://ywcaak.org/

To learn more about DOI's Office of Environmental Policy and Compliance, go to: http://www.doi.gov/pmb/oepc/index.cfm

Submitted by: Office of Environmental Policy and Compliance, DOI
Oct. 22, 2013