St. Paul, Minn. (September 4, 2009)—The American Phytopathological Society (APS) is pleased to announce its new officers for 2009–2010. The officers began their terms following the society’s 2009 Annual Meeting in Portland, Oregon, August 1–5, 2009.
Barbara J. Christ, senior associate dean of the College of Agricultural Sciences and professor in the Plant Pathology Department at Penn State University, has been named president for the 2009–2010 term. Christ, whose research focuses on breeding potatoes for commercial use and disease resistance and genetic variability of potato pathogen populations, has been a member of APS since 1978.
Christ has actively served the association through her involvement on various committees, including the Genetics, Teaching, and the Sustaining Associates Committees, the Northeast Graduate Student Award Committee, the Ad Hoc Volunteerism Committee, the Ad Hoc Committee on Young Professionals, and the Ad Hoc Divisional Issues Committee. In addition, she was elected Northeast Division councilor (2000–2003) and in 2004 she was elected councilor-at-large of APS.
As a member, Christ has worked fervently, advocating on behalf of the society and its members. Now, as president, Christ’s goal is to keep the society moving forward on several initiatives.
“I’m looking forward to implementing new APS programs that will support the future of plant pathology,” commented Christ. “From our new leadership development initiative to examining APS’s international linkages, as well as building on the results gleaned from the Final Report of the National Workshop on the Future of Education in Plant Pathology and Related Disciplines, we have a lot of exciting opportunities in plant pathology.” Christ also noted that education is a top priority and it is imperative that APS continues to develop strategies for addressing these issues, identifying opportunities for improvement and creating strategic action plans to confront these challenges.
“Through its support of these various initiatives, APS will continue to provide added value to our membership and the profession of plant pathology, remaining relevant and forward-thinking well into the future,” said Christ.
Christ succeeded James Moyer, professor and head of the Plant Pathology Department at North Carolina State University, who will now serve as immediate past president.
Other 2009–2010 officials include: John Sherwood, University of Georgia, president-elect; Carol Ishimaru, University of Minnesota, vice president; Danise T. Beadle, Bayer CropScience, secretary; and Randall C. Rowe, Ohio State University, treasurer.
A listing of the current APS Council members can be found at www.apsnet.org/members/directories/Pages/Council.aspx.
The American Phytopathological Society (APS) is a nonprofit, professional scientific organization. The research of the organization’s more than 5,000 worldwide members advances the understanding of the science of plant pathology and its application to plant health.
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