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.
