 |
Jason Apuli is a regional bird specialist with Rentokil North America. He has been a member of the pest control industry since 2016 and worked for Anderson Pest and Batzner Southern Wisconsin. Jason is an MEWP-certified operator, an Avix Laser Systems-certified operator, and holds certification from Bird B Gone University. |
 |
Sandy Ehlers began her career in pest control in 2012. She is a commercial service technician with Batzner Pest Control. Her primary focus has become third-party audited accounts. Sandy has received certification in wood destroying insects and trapping, in addition to completing advanced courses with Purdue University. Sandy achieved her Wisconsin Pest Control Association Master Technician status in 2017. |
 |
Jim Fredericks, PhD, BCE is the Senior Vice President of Technical and Regulatory Affairs for the National Pest Management Association (NPMA). He is responsible for their technical resource and support efforts, while also providing strategic direction for the Association’s State and Federal public policy efforts. Jim also serves as the Executive Director for the Pest Management Foundation and is a a Board-Certified Entomologist. |
 |
Jason Freels has been in pest management since 2004, in roles from field technician through region director. Currently, he oversees eight branch locations and three brands with Terminix Commercial. He has developed a strong understanding for the complexities involved in setting and achieving operational goals based on the local reality of each branch, allowing him to rapidly test and employ new strategies. |
 |
Nathan Hall, BCE has been in the pest control industry for 12 years in both residential and commercial services. He is on the Learning and Development team as a Field Training Manager at Terminix, facilitating online virtual classrooms. Nathan received his BNS in Entomology at UW–Madison, where he also worked as an undergraduate lab assistant helping with studies involving Mountain Pine beetles and Red Turpentine beetles. |
 |
Dr. Tim Husen, BCE, PHE, PCQI is a Technical Services Representative for Syngenta Professional Pest Management. He began his career in operational pest control, developing and directing technical and training operations. Tim is an expert on insect and rodent pest control tactics, products, and equipment. He is a board certified urban and public heath entomologist with 25 scientific or extension publications. |
 |
John Kane earned his master’s degree in entomology at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign in 2008, where he specialized in medical and veterinary insect pests and was part of the Encephalitis Prevention Program. From 2008-2015 he was the regional entomologist for Western Pest Services, conducting and teaching pest management. He is currently the technical director for Orkin Pest Control’s Midwest division. |
 |
Joanna Matthes is a Senior Service Specialist and has been employed with Batzner Pest Control since 2001. She specializes in commercial properties, including large health care facilities, and has been servicing the Milwaukee County Zoo for over 10 years. Joanna is a Certified Field Trainer and WPCA Master Technician. She has attended Purdue University, completing numerous advanced courses and training. |
 |
Beth Mund served as a Public Affairs Officer for NASA and the International Space Station program. Now, Beth is an analog astronaut completing two missions: a Mars simulation in Hawaii and a Lunar isolation study in Poland. She’s the host of the Casual Space Podcast and Chief Narrative Officer of her company, Stellar Communications. Beth sits on three boards, including U.S. Space Camp, and is a founding member of the Space Drinks Association. Beth often hosts events like the Humans to Mars Summit in Washington, D.C. and is actively preparing for her next analog mission. She is excited to tell WPCA conference participants about bugs in space, along with many other stories. |
 |
Gary Napralla attended UW-Oshkosh and the Law Enforcement Academy at Fox Valley Technical Institute. He worked in law enforcement for 18 years and continued farming part-time with his father, which he does to this day. In 2015, he saw the opportunity to combine both of his professional passions—interviews and regulation enforcement—with DATCP as an Environmental Enforcement Specialist Senior. He has never looked back. |
 |
Tommy Powell joined MGK Insect Control Solutions as a technical field specialist in 2016. He received his BS and MS degrees in Urban Entomology from the University of Florida. Prior to working at MGK, Tommy worked 16 years in the pest management industry, including as technical director for three top-100 pest control companies and as branch manager. There, he realized the value of strong training programs for operators. |
 |
Pete Schopen is a second generation pest control pro. He was a sports broadcaster for over a decade before returning to his roots and working with his dad and two brothers, Pete started Schopen Pest Solutions in 2006. He worked for four years before hiring employees and has grown his company at a steady rate—recently hiring his 46th full-time employee and has grown a company that is both prosperous and a fun place to be. |
 | Dr. Cisse W. Spragins received her bachelor’s degree in chemistry from the University of Tennessee and her master’s and PhD from UW-Madison. In 1998 she founded Rockwell Labs Ltd. Rockwell develops innovative insect control products and currently markets over 40 products to the industry. Dr. Spragins has spoken at pest management conferences worldwide and was inducted into the PMP Hall of Fame in 2018. |
 | Jerry Springer started his career with Wil-Kil Pest Control in January 2004. He was put in charge of food plants including Nestles Chocolate Factory and Kikkomann Soy Sauces. In 2016, he was Copesan Technician of the Year and received honorable mention for PCT Magazine Technician of the Year. In 2021, he was given the Award of Excellence with Terminix. He currently holds licenses in 7.1, 7.2, 5.0, and wildlife trapping. |