About Us

Executive Committee

• Eugene Merkl – President (2024-2025)
• John Feagans – President-Elect (2024-2025)
• Amanda Bachmann – Immediate Past-President (2024-2025)
• Sonja Thomas – Treasurer (2023-2025)
• Frannie Miller – Secretary (2023-2025)

Board Members

• Mike Helms – Northeast Region Representative (2024 & 2025)
• Jamie Kopco – Northeast Region Representative (2023 & 2024)
• Ples Spradley – Southern Region Representative (2024 & 2025)
• Daniel Frank – Southern Region Representative (2023 & 2024)
• Evan Alderman – North Central Region Representative (2024 & 2025)
• Gregory Puckett – North Central Region Representative(2023 & 2024)
• Stephen Vantassel – Western Region Representative (2024 & 2025)
• Lisa Blecker – Western Region Representative(2023 & 2024)
• Patrick Jones – AAPCO Ex Officio

> Past Officers

Articles of Incorporation and By-Laws Committee

This committee reads the Articles of Incorporation and By-laws. Members become experts in what they do (and do not) state. The members take note of any item that is unclear, inconsistent or unworkable. Also, they identify areas where beneficial changes may be warranted.

Auditing Committee

This committee audits the accounting records for the Association. Audits are conducted annually, at the national meeting.

Awards, Fellows, and Honorary Membership Committee

The purpose of the Awards, Fellows, and Honorary Membership Committee is to solicit nominations for AAPSE awards and send its recommendations to the Executive Committee.

Committee on Committees

The main role of this committee is to serve as a liaison between the president and the chairs of all AAPSE committees, both standing and ad hoc, regarding routine business. This communication may be to relay requests for (and reminders regarding) reports, with schedules and deadlines. Contact may also be needed to request other information. For example, each committee is asked to produce (and maintain) a “job description” — a short summary describing its mission and functions. A clear description of the committee roles and responsibilities will serve to remind existing chairs and members of their duties. It will also provide guidance for future committee chairs and members. Coordination and communication should help to ensure that plans are carried out and deadlines are met.

Communications Committee

The purpose of the Communications Committee is to improve the communication between the organization leadership, members, and prospective members. Effectively communicate information to AAPSE members, the public, and other stakeholders.

Issues and Evaluation Committee

This committee is responsible for studying and developing position papers and analyses of pesticide legislative and regulatory issues and policies that affect the professional responsibilities of the Association\’s membership. The AAPSE President-Elect serves as Chair of the I&E Committee. Any AAPSE member may identify to the Chair of the I&E Committee an issue that the member thinks AAPSE ought to address. When doing so, the member should briefly outline pertinent concerns. When an issue is brought to the attention of the Chair, he/she will present it to the AAPSE Executive Committee for their assessment of whether AAPSE should, in fact, address the issue. Upon receiving approval to address the issue, the Chair will summarize the issue, send it out to all membership via the AAPSE ListServ and ask for volunteers to serve on the I&E Committee for that specific issue. For some issues, regional representation, as well as participation by CES, SLA, and private organizations may be desirable. However, the key determining factor will be who is really interested in contributing. In some cases, the Chair will serve as the principal framer of the AAPSE response, but in many cases, another member will be asked to take on the principal role. When a response has been drafted by the Committee, the Chair will submit the response to the AAPSE Board of Directors for their review and approval before finalizing and sending the letter.

Membership/Public Relations Committee

The purpose of the Membership & Public Relations Committee is to support and facilitate promotion of the Association and its members and ways to maintain and increase membership.

Nominations/Elections Committee

This committee seeks and nominates candidates for the offices of President-Elect, Secretary, and Treasurer. At least two candidates will be nominated for each office. No one may be nominated without their consent. A slate of candidates must be presented to the AAPSE Secretary at least 45 days prior to the election. A brief resume/candidate statement for each nominee must be sent to the Secretary at least 30 days prior to each election. The AAPSE President appoints the members of the Nominations and Elections Committee. The N&E committee will have five members: a member from each of the four AAPSE regions (NE, S, NC and W) and a Federal/Tribal representative. The immediate past president will co-chair the committee. Representation should include SLA and EPA (federal) members. Members should include a range of experience in the organization (new and long-term memberships). The N&E Committee is appointed at least six (6) months prior to elections.

Professional Development Committee

The AAPSE Professional Development Committee is designed to provide AAPSE members with useful tools and resources to enhance their professional careers. The committee works closely with the board of directors to identify needs and focus resources to serve AAPSE members.

AAPSE Fellow

The highest recognition bestowed by AAPSE. Fellows are nominated because of their superior service to AAPSE and achievement in education, certification, public service, research, personal achievement, and recognition. The award is available to ALL current AAPSE members, including those from universities, federal, tribe, or state agencies, or non-governmental organizations.

Distinguished Achievement in Certification

This award encourages, recognizes, and rewards outstanding contributions to Pesticide Applicator Certification for achieving public good and the professionalism of pesticide safety education. The nominee must have demonstrated excellent performance through program innovation, efficiency, productivity, impact, and delivery as well as regional and national contributions. The award is available to ALL current AAPSE members, including those from universities, federal, tribe, or state agencies, industry, or non-governmental organizations.

Distinguished Achievement in Pesticide Safety Education

This award encourages, recognizes, and rewards outstanding contributions to Pesticide Safety Education for achieving public good and the professionalism of pesticide safety education. The nominee must have demonstrated excellent performance through program innovation, productivity, efficiency, impact, and delivery as well as regional and national contributions. The award is available to ALL current AAPSE members, including those from universities, federal, tribe, or state agencies, industry, or non-governmental organizations.

Professional Recognition Award

Professional Recognition Award recognizes members who have enhanced public health and the environment through their efforts in pesticide safety education or application certification. The award serves to recognize a defined success by a professional that occurred within the past two years. Examples include, but are not limited to presentations, videos, online training, certification databases, exam development, exam administration policies, workshops, train the trainer, etc.

AAPSE Honorary Membership

Honorary Membership recognizes sustained outstanding service to pesticide safety education and contributions that have had significant impact on the science and profession nationally or internationally. Honorary members are selected from those individuals whose activities have been largely from outside AAPSE, but who have significantly contributed to the field of pesticide safety. Honorary membership is limited to nonmembers. No more than two Honorary members shall be selected each year.

Special Recognitions

The AAPSE President and the Board have the freedom (exclusive to the awards committee) to recognized members and others for extraordinary achievements and contributions to the organization. It isn’t difficult to recognized these individuals because there is always someone who stands out over a career or within a few years that changed pesticide safety education or the organization because of their accomplishments. The award is usually suggested by the president and approved by the board.

Life Membership

Over the years lifelong AAPSE members who have retired from their profession have been recognized as Life Members. This is a special honor bestowed on those among us who have given their life’s calling to pesticide safety education. Life members continue to serve the organization in this capacity with free membership for life.

> Awards & Recognitions Recipients

The AAPSE Charter was signed by members on April 14, 1993 during the New Orleans PACT workshop. This charter is the one we have always shown the membership, but two years earlier members signed a charter developed to establish a national organization of pesticide safety education specialists that would become the AAPSE we know today.

April 17, 1991 – National Association of Pesticide Educators (pdf)

April 14, 1993 – American Association of Pesticide Educators

• American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE)
• Association of American Pesticide Control Officials (AAPCO)
• Association of Structural Pest Control Regulatory Officials (ASPCRO)
• Certification and Training Assessment Group (CTAG)
• National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA)
• Association of Farmworker Opportunity Programs (AFOP)
• National Pesticide Safety Education Center (NPSEC)
• National Stakeholder Team for PSEP Funding (NST-PSEP)
• North American Pollinator Protection Campaign (NAPPC)
• Pesticide Educational Resources Collaborative (PERC)
• Pesticide Environmental Stewardship Program (PESP)
• Pesticide Program Dialog Committee (PPDC)
• State FIFRA Issues Research and Evaluation Group (SFIREG)
• The Pesticide Stewardship Alliance (TPSA)