Patricia Winter

Patricia Winter serves as a Research Social Scientist at the Pacific Southwest Forest and Range Experiment Station, where she leads applied social science research to inform sustainable forest and range management policies. Her work integrates public opinion analysis, behavioral economics, and stakeholder engagement frameworks to evaluate the social dimensions of environmental decision-making. Within the agency’s procurement mission, she initiates and oversees acquisitions of specialized research services that support data collection, survey design, and public perception modeling—critical to aligning forest management practices with community needs and regulatory requirements. Her procurements are primarily research-driven, focusing on evidence-based outcomes rather than infrastructure or equipment. Patricia collaborates with academic research institutions, market research firms, and social science consultants who specialize in quantitative and qualitative data analysis. Her contractor relationships are typically project-based, centered on firms capable of executing rigorous public opinion polling, focus group facilitation, and survey instrument development under strict methodological standards. She maintains a collaborative, outcomes-oriented working relationship with vendors, emphasizing transparency, reproducibility, and adherence to federal research ethics protocols. Her procurement profile shows no use of socioeconomic set-asides, with 100% of her acquisitions conducted under open competition. This reflects a strategic focus on technical capability and methodological rigor over socioeconomic criteria, prioritizing the highest quality research outputs regardless of vendor size or certification status. While she does not routinely target 8(a), HUBZone, or SDVOSB firms, her contracting practices remain fully compliant with all federal acquisition regulations. Her primary NAICS classification is 541910 (Marketing Research and Public Opinion Polling), underscoring her deep specialization in social science research services. She procures advanced survey systems, statistical analysis software licenses, and expert consulting for behavioral data interpretation—services essential to measuring public attitudes toward wildfire mitigation, recreation access, and climate adaptation strategies in forested landscapes. Her domain expertise lies at the intersection of environmental policy and human behavior, making her a key liaison between scientific research and community-centered resource management.