Presenter Bio's for the 2005 Annual Workshop
Bowman, Jr., Thomas, C.
- Received BS Degree in Natural Resources from North Carolina State University
- Masters Degree in Agriculture Education from North Carolina State University
Taught Agriculture Education at the high school level from 1977 through 1998. Currently employed as a Pesticide Inspector with the North Carolina Dept. Agriculture, Pesticide Section from1998 to present. Interests include working with and training bird dogs for grouse hunting. Married living in western North Carolina with wife and one four-legged "child", an English Setter.
Buhler, Wayne
Associate Professor and Pesticide Education Specialist, Department of Horticultural Science, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, North Carolina State University.
Wayne Buhler was born in New Jersey, grew up on the beaches of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, and moved with his family to Indiana after graduating high school. He developed a love for entomology while attending college at Anderson University in Indiana. After completing a Master’s and Ph.D. in Integrated Pest Management at Purdue University, he remained in the Entomology Department as a Postdoc working on parasitic mites of honey bees and as a professional staff member working on insect pests of field corn, soybeans, turfgrass, and fruits and vegetables. He joined the Horticultural Science Department at NC State University in 1998 and coordinates the Pesticide Safety Education Program there. Wayne is married and has 3 daughters, whom he and his wife homeschool. Even the latest addition to his family is a girl: a fox terrier named Sadie.
Butzler, Tom
Tom Butzler is a horticulture IPM extension educator in Clinton County.
Cook, Cheryl L.
Cheryl Cook is the Deputy Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture. She has held this post since April 2003 and is responsible for providing market development for farm commodity, food, and wood products, TEFAP and other emergency food distribution, oversight of standard bred and thoroughbred horse racing, research and reporting of agricultural statistics, and regulatory programs for ensuring the integrity of plants, seeds, and pesticides and fertilizers. Ms. Cook has been leading several of the Department’s new initiatives including: Pennsylvania Preferred, Simply Delicious…Simply Nutritious, PAgrows, and The Interagency Council on Food and Nutrition. Ms. Cook is a graduate of The Dickinson School of Law and Lebanon Valley College. She lives on several acres near Carlisle, PA, where she raises stray cats and poison ivy.
Gatton, Steve
Born in Statesville, NC
- 1979 Graduated from NC State University with BS in Agronomy and Animal Science
- 1980-1984 Assistant Agriculture Extension Agent in Rowan County NC responsible for Field Crops and Livestock
- 1984-1986 Assistant Manager Graham Brothers Dairy
- 1986-1990 Owner of Lawn Care Business
- 1990-1998 Livestock Inspector with NC Dept of Agriculture and Consumer Services
- 1998-Present Pesticide Inspector with NC Dept of Agriculture and Consumer Services
Gripp, Sharon
Sharon has been the information specialist with Penn State Pesticide Education Program for the past 8 years. She received a B.S. in Mineral Economics and an M.S. in Policy Analysis from The Pennsylvania State University. Her major duties include writing and editing newsletters, fact sheets, and other publications; overseeing the web site content; helping create and format with PowerPoint presentations; and providing computer programming to analyze the Consumer Pest Management Survey.
Hipkins, Patricia
Ms. Pat Hipkins was hired in 1989 at Virginia Tech as an Assistant Coordinator and remains in that position today. She is a Senior Research Associate in the Department of Entomology. Ms. Hipkin's training includes a B.A. in biology/chemistry/english and philosophy (1968, Seton Hill College), and a M.S. in biology (1974, University of Louisville). Ms. Hipkins also holds a teaching certification (1971, Clarion State College). Prior to coming to Virginia Tech she worked as a high school science teacher in Montgomery County Schools, as a biology instructor at Hood College, and as a research assistant at the University of Louisville. She is married to Lloyd Hipkins (also a senior research associate and extension weed scientist). They have two sons and live in Newport, Virginia.
Landers, Dr. Andrew
Dr Andrew Landers studied and taught agricultural engineering in England. He is currently a faculty member at Cornell University, based at the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station in Geneva. He directs the pesticide application technology program and his extension/research appointment involves the use of engineering solutions to provide safer spraying. He works with pesticide application systems in grapes, apples, vegetables and turfgrass and believes in a multi-disciplinary approach to pesticide application; working with biologists to ensure engineering techniques are biologically effective.
Richards, Dr. Kerry
Kerry, the Pesticide Education Program's former coordinator, is now the of Manager of the Pest Management Information Center. Her responsibilities now include promoting informed pesticide regulatory decisions by the federal government and keeping Pennsylvania stakeholders abreast of regulatory changes. Kerry works with USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service to survey PA farm managers on pest management techniques. She then reports the economic impact of these techniques to the USDA and EPA as necessary. Kerry will continue her youth education work by developing IPM and pesticide safety curriculums for high school science and agriculture programs.
Swackhamer, Emelie
Emelie Swackhamer has worked as the horticulture extension educator in Lehigh and Northampton Counties for almost 10 years. Her mission is to make core pesticide trainings fun to attend and to teach.
Townsend, Dr. Kimberly A.
Dr. Kimberly A. Townsend is an adjunct faculty member for the College of Education at the Penn State. She teaches graduate Adult Education courses in class and for the World Campus. She also teaches a course for Labor and Industrial Relations called "Race, Gender, and Employment." Dr. Townsend has a BA in business administration and psychology from Grove City College, a MA in curriculum and instruction from the University of Texas at San Antonio, and a D.Ed in Adult Education from Penn State. She has over 20 years experience in the education and training of adults. She served 21 years in the United States Air Force and the Pennsylvania Air National Guard where she retired at the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. Dr. Townsend is currently the Director for Shelter Services at the Sylvia Stein Shelter for battered women in Centre County.