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Stephanie Hertz

Stephanie Hertz

Program Director

stephanie.hertz@ag.tamu.edu

Stephanie Hertz serves as the Recovery and Sustainment Partnership (RASP) Coordinator within the Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of War (Environmental Management & Restoration). The RASP is a partnership between the Department of War (DOW) and Department of the Interior focused on preserving and enhancing military readiness while simultaneously contributing to species recovery. As the Coordinator for the DOW, Stephanie focuses on solutions that increase military operational flexibility, streamline compliance with the Endangered Species Act, and support DOW’s mission, landscapes, and future decision space.

Prior to her position as RASP Coordinator, Stephanie served as Program Director for the Texas A&M Natural Resources Institute (NRI) under the Military Lands Sustainability Program and Strategic Conservation and Policy Program. She supported the DOW Readiness and Environmental Protection Integration (REPI) Program and DOW Natural Resources Program for over 10 years to build partnerships and develop innovative strategies for threatened, endangered and at-risk species conservation challenges nationwide. Stephanie collaborated with university, non-governmental organizations, state and federal government agencies on large landscape initiatives such as the RASP, America’s Longleaf Restoration Initiative, Sentinel Landscapes Partnership, and the Collaborative Wildlife Protection and Recovery Initiative. This position included a 6-month detail working on-site at DOW REPI in Alexandria, VA.

Before joining NRI, Stephanie developed nine years of experience in the environmental consulting industry. Her areas of expertise included environmental assessments and National Environmental Policy Act documentation, including threatened and endangered species reviews, habitat surveys, assessments for sensitive/critical environmental features, identification of environmental constraints, environmental research and wetland delineations.

Stephanie received a Bachelor of Science in zoology and a master’s degree in wildlife science from Texas A&M University.

Field Notes

  • Creative Solutions for Species Management: The ESA Toolbox Jun 1, 2025

    Today, the DOD manages over 500 species listed as either threatened or endangered under the ESA and hundreds more “species-at-risk” that may warrant federal protection in the future. The DOD is committed to providing conditions compatible with conducting military training, testing, and operational missions while ensuring the conservation of ecosystems on which these species depend. However, in some circumstances, overlap between military mission activities and species habitats can result in area access and training constraints. Creatively managing the military mission and species conservation can reduce—or even eliminate—potential conflicts.

  • A Story Map: Texas Longleaf Landscapes Dec 14, 2020

    Explore the historic southeast range of Texas longleaf with us as we dive into their richly diverse conservation value.