AAPSE hosts conference, installs Golden as president

The AAPSE/PACT meeting took place at the Sheraton, but there were virtual elements for those who could not attend in person. PHOTO: AAPSE

From July 19 to 21, the American Association of Pesticide Safety Educators (AAPSE) met in conjunction with Pesticide Applicator Certification and Training (PACT) in Denver, Colo. The goal of the meeting was to provide state lead agencies (SLAs) and Pesticide Safety Education Program (PSEP) staff and other stakeholders with the most up-to-date regulatory information to support implementation and compliance assistance.

At the conclusion of the meeting, Faye Golden was installed as president of the AAPSE. Golden is the government affairs director for Cook’s Pest Control, Decatur, Ala., as well as secretary of the National Pest Management Association (NPMA) and treasurer of Black Ownership Matters (BOM), which recently held its own leadership meeting. Other BOM leaders in attendance at the AAPSE/PACT meeting included Board Member Dr. Sonja Thomas, who is the PSEP coordinator for Auburn (Ala.) University, and Secretary Sterling Barbour, owner of Revolution National Pest Council.

Newly installed AAPSE President Faye Golden, in orange dress, is surrounded by past presidents at the event’s closing dinner reception. IMAGE: AAPSE

“I am excited to have this opportunity to lead an organization I have been a member of for more than 15 years,” Golden tells Pest Management Professional. “AAPSE is an amazing organization filled with incredibly talented people.”

ABOUT AAPSE

AAPSE’s mission is to provide a collective voice and forum for professional development, advocacy, and collaboration in the development, delivery, and advancement of pesticide applicator certification and safety education. AAPSE has a diverse membership, comprised of state and federal regulatory officials,  university pesticide safety education specialists,  pest management professionals, pesticide registrants, and  public and private entities. The organization trains and certifies 500,000 applicators in agriculture, urban landscapes, parks, structures and buildings, forests, roadside rights of ways, watersheds, public health, and more. Each year, AAPSE reaches nearly 2 million people — from pesticide educators, farm laborers, backyard gardeners to inner-city and remote rural communities with education and outreach.

ABOUT PACT

The goal of PACT is to improve implementation of Certification of Pesticide Applicators Rule (40CFR171) and the Agricultural Worker Protection Standard Revision (40 CFR170) by state and tribal pesticide programs. This project has been funded wholly or in part by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency under assistance agreement X8-83927401 to Michigan State University.