I am thrilled and humbled to be the new director of the best state IPM program. I know that I have big shoes to fill, since I follow some of the IPM greats. The UC IPM Program has a long, progressive history of promoting IPM in all pest management situations in California and I plan to continue and expand that tradition. In my first few months on the job I will travel around the state to meet with people involved in pest management and learn how UC IPM can help them solve their pest management problems. I foresee my efforts focusing on building and nurturing partnerships and collaborations throughout California.
As Cheryl stated in her message, the UC IPM Program has a newly completed Strategic Plan, which I will implement. I am pleased that the new plan includes specific objectives, milestones and deliverables. I will be working to establish the mechanisms for addressing each item in the new Strategic Plan and for tracking progress towards meeting our goals.