The NPSEC Staff

Tom Smith
Executive Director
Email: tomsmith@npsec.us
(517) 202-3019
As Executive Director, Tom works with extension Pesticide Safety Educators and other stakeholders to manage the organizational, fiscal and governing structure of the Center. He oversees the development of services and products to help state and territory pesticide safety education programs operate more effectively and efficiently. Tom also works to identify and develop new revenue streams to help support pesticide safety education and to sustain NPSEC.
Tom is also an Extension Specialist in Agriculture and Agribusiness 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 Smith – February 2017

Courtney Weatherbee
Executive Assistant
Email: cweatherbee@npsec.us
(616) 822-3694
As the Executive Assistant, Courtney provides administrative support to the National Pesticide Safety Education Center by coordinating meeting logistics, managing travel and expenses, preparing reports, responding to information requests, and maintaining the national Paraquat training database.
Courtney is also an Administrative Assistant with Michigan State University Extension where she arranges travel and manages expenses as part of a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to host meetings related to Worker Protection Standard and Pesticide Certification & Training.
She holds Bachelor and Master of Science degrees in Entomology from Michigan State University (MSU). Before joining NPSEC, she served as Lab Manager for the Benbow Applied Ecology Lab at MSU and conducted forensic entomology research.

Mike Cameron
Multimedia Specialist
Email: mikecameron@npsec.us
Mike has been with NPSEC since 2017 creating a wide variety of multimedia projects including; website designs, video productions, e-learning modules, e-book authoring and more. He graduated from Slippery Rock University with a Bachelors of Science in Communication with an emphasis in Emerging Technologies and Multimedia, with a Minor in Film and Media Studies in 2007. Mike has since worked with clients across the country of all sizes and is excited for the opportunity to work with you on your next project.

Chuck McIlhenny
Video Producer
Email: chuckmcilhenny@npsec.us
Chuck has a Bachelor’s degree from The School of Communications and Theater at Temple University, specializing in Radio-Television-Film. Since 1988, he has been working in broadcast and independent video production, eventually opening his own business, Chazzbo Media, in 2009. His work with NPSEC began in 2017, and includes writing for video and online education modules, as well as producing and directing multiple related video projects; most recently overseeing a series of multimedia projects spotlighting the problem of Invasive Species in Guam.

Kara Maddox
Creative Director of Communications
Email: karamaddox@npsec.us
(708) 370-3446
Kara Maddox is the Creative Director of Communications for the National Pesticide Safety Education Center (NPSEC). Kara’s responsibilities include developing and implementing communications & marketing strategies, managing digital content and social media activity, and supporting Corporate Social Responsibility engagement efforts for NPSEC.
Kara joins the NPSEC team after 10 years of teaching in higher education. She is an Associate Professor of English and Communications at Georgia Military College. Her teaching career began when she was fifteen-years-old living just outside the city of Chicago where she worked as a Sensei with Illinois Shotokan Karate Club. She is a two-time national champion and a junior Olympian in kumite.
In 2005, Kara moved down south to attend the University of Georgia where she double majored in English and English Education. She holds a Master of Education in Curriculum and Instruction from Augusta State University. In 2018, Kara earned her Master of Arts degree in Communications from Johns Hopkins University with concentrations in Public Relations & Digital Communications. She is the founder of KJMdigital and now lives in Colorado Springs, CO.
Contact NPSEC
National Pesticide Safety Education Center
PO Box 1391
Okemos, MI 48805, USA
(517)202-3019
Recent News
Pesticide Program Update: EPA Seeking Public Nominations for Experts to Serve as Ad Hoc Reviewers for Analysis of Atrazine Ecological RisksMarch 26, 2023 - 1:23 pm
Pesticide Program Update: EPA Posts Draft Biological Opinion for Carbaryl and Methomyl for Public CommentMarch 19, 2023 - 10:27 pm
EPA Announces Accelerated Action on Four Organophosphate Pesticides Based on Updated Exposure AssessmentsMarch 19, 2023 - 10:22 pm
EPA Finalizes Updates to List of Pests of Significant Health ImportanceMarch 5, 2023 - 11:14 am
EPA Implements Protections for Endangered Fish Species from Four PesticidesFebruary 6, 2023 - 11:05 am