As Director of the Plant & Pest Diagnostic Laboratory (P&PDL), I am responsible for overseeing daily operations and administration of the lab. The P&PDL is an interdisciplinary lab, taking advantage of technical expertise from several departments in the College of Agriculture to provide diagnostic and identification services to our clients. Our lab serves as the state laboratory for the Indiana Department of Natural Resources (IDNR).

My responsibilities include supervising P&PDL staff, and managing all accounts and finances. In my role as a diagnostician I work toward accurate and timely diagnosis of plant disease problems on samples submitted to the Plant and Pest Diagnostic Laboratory, along with control recommendations when requested. I help provide training in disease diagnostics to county Cooperative Extension educators, grower groups and others.

Outreach efforts include timely contributions of disease diagnostic information to newsletters and our website to help keep our clients informed about current problems.

Education
1987 North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC - Ph.D. Plant Pathology
1982 Auburn University, Auburn, AL - M.S. Plant Pathology
1980 Auburn University, Auburn, AL  - B.S. Major: Botany with emphasis in Horticulture

Experience
2008 to present: Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN
Director, Plant and Pest Diagnostic Lab, Dept. of Botany and Plant Pathology
1987 to 2008: North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 
Lab Director, Plant Disease and Insect Clinic, Department of Plant Pathology