Mary E. Palm was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She received MS and PhD degrees in 1979 and 1983, respectively, from the University of Minnesota (UM) in plant pathology with an emphasis on mycology. Palm has spent her entire career at the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ), advancing from national mycologist through several positions of continuously greater impact. In 2006, she established and led the PPQ molecular diagnostics lab. In 2014, she established the Huanglongbing Multiagency Coordination effort—the USDA initiative to expedite providing tools to citrus growers to combat HLB. Since 2016, she has been director of the USDA APHIS PPQ Pest Management/Domestic Program, overseeing domestic pest and disease programs with funding of more than $200 million.
Palm's impact on the field of plant pathology has been significant in the areas of mycology and fungal systematics, in regulatory plant pathology, and as a leader and role model within The American Phytopathological Society (APS). Throughout her career, she has emphasized the importance of fungal systematics for accurate identification, diagnostics, and regulatory decision making. She has been invited to speak on the role of fungal systematics at numerous national and international plant pathology and mycology conferences. As the PPQ national mycologist from 1984 to 2006, she identified thousands of fungi coming into the United States on plants and plant products. She also worked closely with U.S. practitioners to identify fungal pathogens that were previously unknown from the United States. Palm has been a strong supporter of the National Plant Diagnostic Network and served on its Operations Committee from 2006 to 2012. Her impact on regulatory plant pathology in the United States was recognized in 1999 with the Distinguished Alumnus Award from the UM Department of Plant Pathology and in 2013 with the APS award for Excellence in Regulatory Affairs and Crop Security.
Palm has been deeply committed to APS, making significant contributions of her time and intellect in several capacities. She is a long-term member of the Mycology Committee and has served as its chair. She also has been active on the APS Public Policy Board and was a member of the working group that developed plans and advocated for a National Plant Microbial Germplasm System. Palm served as the APS Public Policy Board's Fellow to the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy in 2010–2011—a role that illustrated her commitment to strengthening scientific resources in relation to microbial collections. She served 6 years as a senior editor for APS PRESS and was instrumental in the publication of more than five mycology books, including Piepenbring's Introduction to Mycology in the Tropics, published in both Spanish and English, and Vánky's 1,480-page tome, Smut Fungi of the World.
In 2012, Palm began playing a strong role in APS leadership when she was elected a councilor-at-large, and from 2013 to 2016, she served on the APS Financial Advisory Committee. She was elected APS vice-president in 2015 and recently completed her term as president. Her contributions during her years in the presidential lineage are especially notable. She emphasized international engagement, leading efforts to establish memoranda of understanding with the Indian, Canadian, and Nigerian Plant Pathology Societies and reinforcing ties with the Chinese society. As a member of the presidential team, she was heavily involved in planning the International Congress of Plant Pathology, serving as vice-chair of the Organizing Committee. Another major contribution was her participation in the evaluation and launch of Phytobiomes Journal, which was a big step and a new way of doing business for APS. Palm was part of the team that chose the company Velvet Chainsaw to evaluate the annual meetings and provide recommendations—and then took those recommendations and began implementing them in planning the 2017 and 2018 annual meetings. As a member of the presidential team, she also strongly supported the diversity and inclusion statement, which was adopted in 2016, and strengthened the code of conduct and made it more visible to members—for example, by including a link in the program book.
Palm's commitment to promoting science and supporting her colleagues and scientific societies also is illustrated by her extensive record of service to the Mycological Society of America (MSA). She has participated in and chaired numerous MSA committees; served as associate editor of Mycologia for 6 years; served as MSA secretary for 3 years; and was elected to the MSA presidential lineage in 1995, serving as president in 1998. She was named as a Fellow of MSA in 2003.
Although Palm has not held academic positions, she has been active in publishing and in mentoring students. She has a solid publication record, with 54 peer-reviewed journal articles and an h-index of 19. Remarkably, she has co-authored seven entire mycology books, as well as several book chapters. Much of her writing has focused on fungal systematics, and she has brought an important perspective to the intersection of this field with economic development and trade. This perspective is demonstrated in her 1997 book, Mycology in Sustainable Development: Expanding Concepts, Vanishing Borders, and in her address as MSA president, published in 1999 in Mycologia: “Mycology and world trade: A view from the front line." Although she gave this address more than 20 years ago, it reflects very acutely on problems that are relevant to agriculture and trade today. Palm was an adjunct professor for many years with Penn State University, where she co-advised PhD students, and she has also mentored several graduate students in mycology at various international universities.
In summary, Mary Palm has been an advocate of the role of mycology in crop security, has contributed to the application of fungal systematics in regulatory plant pathology, and has shown exemplary leadership within APS.
