SPEAKERS |
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M. Eric Benbow, PhD, AAFS-F joined the faculty of at Michigan State University in 2014 with a joint appointment in the Department of Entomology and Department of Osteopathic Medical Specialties. Dr. Benbow is a community and disease ecologist, studying how complex communities (e.g., aquatic or carrion insects or microbes) contribute to ecological systems and whether understanding these communities can be used in various applications in medicine, disease, and forensics. |
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JD Darr is director of legislative and regulatory affairs at the National Pest Management Association, where he oversees all federal, state, and local advocacy for the organization. JD is a Deloitte Government & Public Services Consulting Alumni and, prior to joining Deloitte, served as director of state government relations at the Household and Commercial Products Association. |
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Erinn Kiesow-Webb is an assistant furbearer specialist for the Wisconsin DNR. She works with both recreational and animal damage trappers. Erinn’s job is to better educate trappers on the landscape in order to be legal, ethical, and successful. She began trapping when she was a small child and her father took her out on the trapline and taught her how to read the forest. |
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Patrick (PJ) Liesch is an Extension entomologist and has been the director of the UW-Madison Insect Diagnostic Lab since 2014. He is a regular guest on Wisconsin Public Radio, a speaker for the Master Gardener and Pesticide Applicator Training programs, and an instructor for the UW Farm and Industry Short Course program. PJ can also be found tweeting about insects as @WiBugGuy. |
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Tom Mueller has spent much of his life exposed to the challenges that stored product insects create for the food safety industry. After receiving a degree in business and marketing from Ball State University, he found himself back in the familiarity of pest management. Tom spends his time in the field working with pest management professionals as well as food manufacturing professionals to ensure successful execution of extensive pheromone programs. He is currently the vice president at Insects Limited. |
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Bryan Nichols is owner and operations manager for Advanced Pest Control in Chicago. He has 24 years of experience dealing with pests in the Chicagoland area and is a former president for the Greater Chicago Pest Management Alliance. |
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J. Santos Portugal III, PhD, BCE is a board-certified entomologist and serves as an assistant professor of urban entomology at Mississippi State University. Previously, he served as director of quality and technical training at ABC Home & Commercial Services in Austin, TX. “Dr. P” has 16 publications in scientific journals. He currently serves on the NPMA Technical Committee and is a member of the Entomological Society of America, Pi Chi Omega, and the Mississippi Entomological Association. |
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Arnold Ramsey enjoyed a 28-year career at FMC Corporation as a formulations chemist, robotics laboratory specialist, technical associate, and Midwest market specialist. He is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran who served in a multitude of roles including marksmanship, combat instructor, engineer, and pest management professional. When not running his all-natural pet food business, Arnold enjoys outdoor activities, spoiling his grandchildren, building things, inspiring others, volunteering at pet rescues, and serving the needs of fellow veterans. His motto is: Squeeze every minute out of life and treat others with dignity and respect. Life is not lived on the safe side of things. |
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Jamel Sandidge, BCE, PhD, MA is a board-certified entomologist. Dr. J has been involved in multiple levels of the pest management industry for the last 23 years. He joined Nisus Corporation in 2019 as the innovation platform leader for pest management systems and is now the national director of technical services, where he supports the industry through education, training, and technical support. While attending grad school, he launched a pest management business, starting from the ground up. |
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Brent Towle is the owner of Spectrum Pest Control Eco-Tech. He started his career in pest control in 1985 and worked with Orkin and Terminix before going out on his own in 1994. Brent is proudly still a solo operator and has participated in many manufacturers’ field trials of products and equipment. He served on the WPCA Board for over 18 years, including as President and scored 98% on his Master Tech exam. |
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Gary Wagner Jr., ACE, PHE joined Central Life Sciences in March of 2021 as their regional sales manager covering the Great Lakes territory. A member of Phi Chi Omega, a structural pest control fraternity, Gary is also recognized by the ESA as an associate certified entomologist and public health entomologist certificate holder. Gary has over 10 years of experience in pest and vector control, lawn care, and operational management. |
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Ken Wundrow started his career as a public-school educator. He also formed a small tax planning business. In 1998, after 25 years of teaching and 18 years of tax planning, he sold his business and left teaching to serve as a tax and investment planner. He served over 500 of his own clients, while overseeing the training of the other financial reps. In 2017 he retired and shortly thereafter became a certified Service Corps of Retired Executives mentor. |