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
Kerry Richards
Education Program Developer
Email: krichards@npsec.us
(814) 880-0013
As NPSEC’s Educational Program Developer, Kerry is responsible for working with PSEP programs to identify existing educational resources and tools, in addition to developing new tools to meet the needs of Pesticide Safety Education Program (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 also works in collaboration, with numerous other stakeholders, including industry, state and federal agencies, and organizations supporting pesticide safety education to accomplish these goals.
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. 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 70% part-time appointment with the NPSEC allows her to continue her efforts to establish a sustainable PSEP in Delaware and fulfill her responsibilities as AAPSE President.
Courtney Weatherbee
Administrative Assistant
Email: cweatherbee@npsec.us
(616) 822-3694
As the full-time Administrative Assistant for NPSEC, Courtney’s role is to provide clerical assistance to increase productivity and efficiency in support of NPSEC’s mission to support and serve all PSEPs. She holds Bachelor and Master of Science degrees in Entomology from Michigan State University. Before joining NPSEC, Courtney was Lab Manager for the Benbow Applied Ecology Lab at MSU where she managed the essential administrative and laboratory tasks required for successful research. Additionally, she enjoys educating the public about entomology by serving as a tour guide in the MSU Bug House. Courtney looks forward to helping NPSEC grow, getting to know the different PSEPs, and facilitating pesticide safety education communication.
Kara Maddox
Communications & Engagement Manager
Email: karamaddox@npsec.us
(708) 370-3446
Kara Maddox is the Communications & Engagement Manager for the National Pesticide Safety Education Center (NPSEC). In this role, Kara’s responsibilities include developing and implementing communications & marketing strategies, managing digital content and social media activity, and supporting 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 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 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 Masters of Education in Curriculum and Instruction from Augusta State University. Last year, she earned her Master’s of Arts degree in Communications from Johns Hopkins University with concentrations in Public Relations & Digital Communications. She is the founder of KJMdigital.
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