EPA Grant Press Release

For Immediate Release: The National Pesticide Safety Education Center (NPSEC) is partnering with eXtension and the US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), and will provide advice and in-kind support for the implementation of the EPA Pesticide Safety Education Funds Management Program (PSEFMP). This partnership was made possible with funding provided through a cooperative agreement with the EPA, Office of Pesticide Programs, Certification and Worker Protection Branch. The cooperative agreement is funded at $1,500,000 for the first year, with up to $1,000,000 for each of the four remaining years, and is expect to award up to $5,500,000 over the five-year funding period.

The primary role of NPSEC is to lead Objective 2 of the grant, which will focus on professional development for the national system of extension Pesticide Safety Education Programs (PSEPs).  This effort will include:

  • the creation and leading of an advisory group, co-chaired with eXtension,that sets quality standards and a review process for educational materials;
  • training for PSEP Coordinators in topics related to improving educational material and delivery ;and
  • support for the pesticide safety education resources development at the state and territory level, and the expansion and dissemination of these materials for use by PSEPs on a regional and national basis.

NPSEC will also assist eXtension to develop a streamlined set of processes and procedures to award funds to PSEP’s and to allow efficient reporting of outcomes and deliverables.  This will be accomplished while gathering valuable feedback and evaluations used to gauge the ongoing resource and educational needs of PSEPs and their stakeholders.

This partnership and these grant funds are part of an overall effort by NPSEC, eXtension and EPA to help enhance the sustainability and educational capacity of extension PSEPs.

For more information, contact Tom Smith, Executive Director, by e-mail at smitht48@msu.edu or by phone at 517-202-3019.

National Pesticide Safety Education Center (NPSEC) announces Kerry Richards as Educational Program Developer

The National Pesticide Safety Education Center is pleased to announce the hiring of Kerry Richards as the Educational Program Developer for the organization. Kerry will be committing 40% of her time to this part-time position.

This signifies another important step in the establishment of the National Pesticide Safety Education Center. “Kerry’s 27 years of pesticide safety education programming and educational materials development will be a valuable asset to the Center’s goal of providing quality educational materials to meet the needs of Pesticide Safety Education Programs (PSEP’s) and the stakeholders they serve,” says, Tom Smith, NPSEC Executive Director.

As educational program developer, Kerry will be responsible for working with PSEP programs to identify existing educational resources and tools, in addition to developing new tools to meet the needs of PSEP coordinators. Another key responsibility for Kerry is to work cooperatively with PSEP’s to identify and facilitate opportunities to generate revenue to improve the sustainability of their programs. Kerry will work in collaboration, primarily with PSEP’s, to accomplish these goals. However, opportunities to collaborate with others, such as the Pesticide Educational Resource Center (PERC) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will also be encouraged.

“Strengthening and improving the quality, consistency, accessibility and outcomes of pesticide safety education has always been my passion. Now it is my mission as part of the NPSEC,” says Kerry.

As a former member of the Penn State Pesticide Education program, Kerry’s pesticide safety education experience provides a solid background in the development of educational materials using a wide range of approaches to meet stakeholder needs. For the past two years Kerry has been involved in helping the University of Delaware to reestablish their PSEP as a PSEP IMI Goal 1 State. This opportunity has given her a broader perspective of PSEP needs in smaller states.  Her 40% part-time appointment with the NPSEC will allow her to continue her efforts to establish a sustainable PSEP in Delaware and fulfill her responsibilities as AAPSE President Elect.

Kerry can be reached via email at krichardsaapse@gmail.com, or by phone at 814-880-0013.   For more information about the NPSEC, contact Executive Director Tom Smith at smitht48@msu.edu, or by phone at 517-202-3019.

National Pesticide Safety Education Center Names Tom Smith Executive Director

The National Pesticide Safety Education Center has hired Tom Smith to be Executive Director of the organization, effective February 1, 2017.

Tom’s leadership is an important milestone that signifies another step in the establishment of the National Pesticide Safety Education Center. “We are excited to have Tom assume day-to-day responsibility for the Center,” says Dean Herzfeld, Co-Chairman. “He brings 35 years of diverse experience to this position, including startup business development and management, leadership and operations for non-profit foundations and commodity groups, and design and implementation of strategic plans.”  

As Executive Director, Tom is responsible for working with Pesticide Safety Education Coordinators in setting up the organizational and governing structure of the Center and overseeing the development of services and products to help state pesticide safety education programs operate more effectively. He will also identify and develop new revenue streams to sustain the Center and help support pesticide safety education.

Currently, Tom is the Associate Director of the Institute of Agricultural Technology at Michigan State University, where he develops and delivers training programs in food, agriculture and natural resources to US military veterans who have barriers to employment. He also is a co-principal investigator for VESTA, a National Science Foundation National Center of Excellence focused on online wine and grape education. Tom also does work related to standards and has conducted training programs for international delegations for inspection and certification of agricultural products. Other international work has included skills and workforce development in East Africa and Southeast Asia as well as teaching in China.

“Building a new organization focused on pesticide safety education across the country with a mission to directly support state pesticide safety education programs is a tremendous opportunity and is critically important in these times of high need and reduced resources,” Tom says. Engaging with and learning from multiple stakeholders will be Tom’s first priority as the Center takes shape.

About National Pesticide Safety Education Center

The National Pesticide Safety Education Center seeks to strengthen the national system of university extension Pesticide Safety Education Programs by improving the quality, consistency, and accessibility of educational offerings, promoting collaboration and leveraging of educational resources and learning assessment tools, and increasing revenue generation. The Center has received start-up funding from CropLife Foundation and crop protection companies BASF, Bayer, Dow AgroSciences, DuPont, and Syngenta.

For more information, contact Tom by e-mail at smitht48@msu.edu or by phone at 517-202-3019.