Janine Velasco

Janine serves as the Assistant Director for Management and Administration for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS). As the Executive responsible for the Joint Administrative Operations (JAO), she oversees a myriad of functions including budget and finance, contracting, human resources, and safety for the Service.

Janine’s career as a civil servant began as a student intern with the Congressional Research Service’s Environment and Natural Resources Division. She entered Federal service in 1993 as a Presidential Management Fellow (PMF) in the USDA Forest Service where she worked in several organizations including International, National Forest System and Business Operations. She came to the Department of the Interior in 1999 with the Bureau of Reclamation. In 2001, she joined the Bureau of Land Management, serving in several management and executive positions overseeing budget, finance, procurement, engineering and asset management, human resources, and information technology in her different positions.

In 2018, the National Academy for Public Administration selected her as a fellow. In this capacity, she has presented in panel discussions on improving government efficiency and delivering shared services and collaborated across Federal and State governments and academia on strengthening public service.

She has a Masters degree from the University of Michigan’s School of Natural Resources and Environment and received her undergraduate degree from Kalamazoo College in Michigan. Janine and her husband have two sons and she remains active in her community.