Julie has 16 years of experience as a biological scientist and entomologist. She has practiced in laboratory, greenhouse, and in field research as well as biological technical service support for the integrated pest management industry. She has been with BioWorks for two and a half years as a Biological Program Manager and has previously held positions at BASF, Becker Underwood, and Iowa State University.
Chandler Bennett is a graduate of Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, with a degree in agricultural systems and management. While working toward his major’s focus of ag engineering and business management, Chandler filled his electives with crop science and pest management courses in the hopes of someday farming for himself. As a student at Cal Poly, his focus shifted to innovation. In his junior year, he began the first sketches that would become Parabug.
Chandler is a California Pest Control Adviser, Certified Crop Adviser, Qualified Applicator, FAA Part 107 Pilot, and Unmanned Journeyman Pilot. His hands-on experience as a farm production manager coupled with his extensive licensing makes him an excellent resource and expert in the field of biocontrol by drone. With operations throughout the U.S. and Australia, Parabug has become a world leader in drone-based beneficial insect application. Chandler works side by side with his wife Jaclyn, Parabug’s GM, and long-time friend Kevin Hill, Parabug’s Operations Manager.
Trevor Suslow has fully transitioned from his role as Vice President of Produce Safety at the Produce Marketing Association and Emeritus Extension Research Specialist at the University of California, Davis, (UCD) Department of Plant Sciences. He has formed Trevor Suslow Consulting, LLC, and retains his Emeritus faculty position. His former full-time position at UCD included statewide responsibilities in quality and safety of perishable horticultural commodities. Dr. Suslow’s program spanned preharvest to postharvest research and outreach education on diverse whole fresh and minimally processed horticultural foods from annual row crops to tree and vine commodities.
Dr. Suslow received his bachelor’s degree in agricultural sciences with honors and his Ph.D. in plant pathology from the University of California, Berkeley. Before joining UC Davis, he was a Research Scientist and Director of Product Research for DNA Plant Technologies, Inc. for 15 years.
Dr. Suslow was recognized by the International Association of Food Protection (IAFP) with the 2018 Elmer Marth Educator Award and in 2019 the IAFP President’s Award for Extension and outreach to the food safety community.
Suzanne Wainwright-Evans is a graduate of the University of Florida with degrees in entomology and environmental horticulture. She has been in the horticulture industry for more than 30 years, focusing on biological control and using pesticides properly. Working throughout the U.S. and internationally, she has consulted to greenhouses, nurseries, and gardens. She is the owner of Buglady Consulting, now in business more than 20 years.
Buglady Consulting provides consulting services on pest issues to many areas of the horticulture industry. Specializing in biological control as part of an IPM program, all client recommendations are made to manage pests while being financially and ecologically minded. Buglady Consulting’s customer base includes greenhouse operations, botanical gardens, theme parks, nurseries, interiorscape, aquaponics, hydroponics, and cannabis. It is owned by Suzanne Wainwright-Evans.
Michael has more than 30 years of industry experience in greenhouse and outdoor production systems, biological control, and integrated pest management – with an extensive research history. He previously held positions at Vineland Research and Innovation Centre (Canada), AgResearch Ltd. (New Zealand), and the University of Vermont among others. Michael joined BioWorks in December 2019, as the Biological Program Manager – Disease Control. In this position, he is responsible for accelerating the adoption of current and new biological products, while providing expert advice and guidance to customers and partners on their successful use and integration.
Dr. Zamir Punja is a Professor of Plant Pathology and Biotechnology at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, Canada, with expertise in plant pathogens, tissue culture, and molecular biology. He obtained his Master of Science and Ph.D. degrees from the University of California, Davis.
Before joining Simon Fraser University, Zamir was the manager of plant biotechnology for Campbell Soup Company, where he researched cucumber and carrot diseases. Since then, his research has included investigating diseases of greenhouse vegetables, ginseng, blueberry, and wasabi. His group has utility of reduced risk products, including biocontrol agents, for disease management. Recently, his lab has developed methods for identifying and managing new and emerging diseases of cannabis, including the application of biocontrol agents. Zamir’s recent work with cannabis has produced numerous scientific publications and established him as one of the leading cannabis disease researchers in North America.
Since 2012, Brian Spencer has been the President/Owner of Applied Bio-nomics, a company that is a leader in the introduction and implementation of biological pest controls. The company’s products are used in North America and Europe on a variety of crops with a focus on ornamentals, because of their more stringent requirements of efficacy and prevention.
Spencer, who started with Applied Bio-nomics as CEO in 1991, has a Bachelor of Science degree in microbiology from the University of British Columbia. He is a board member of the Association of Natural Biocontrol Producers and is the Canadian industry representative for the North American Plant Protection Organization. He also is a professional winemaker, having served from 1978 to 1988 as the cellar master, senior winemaker, and winery manager at Peller Estates (formerly Andres Wines) in Ontario, Canada.
Richard Smith has been a vegetable crops farm advisor for the University of California Cooperative Extension for 34 years. He works in Monterey, Santa Cruz, and San Benito Counties, California. His research and education programs include working closely with growers and crop consultants on crop production issues of conventional and organic cool season vegetables such as lettuce, spinach, cole crops, celery, and other leafy greens. His research involves plant nutrition/soil fertility issues, crop production issues, abiotic disorders of vegetables and weed control strategies. He extends his research findings to growers by conducting educational programs, speaking at meetings, and writing articles for blogs, newsletters, trade magazines, and scientific journals.
Dr. Marrone spent her 30-plus-year career focused on biological products for pest management and plant health, having started and led three bioag companies. (She is one of only 32 women founders to have taken her company public.) In August 2020, Dr. Marrone retired as CEO of Marrone Bio Innovations and she remains on the Board of Directors as an advisor.
She is a board member and past treasurer of the Association for Women in Science and is on the board of the Foundation for Food and Agricultural Research. In addition, Marrone is a Senior Fellow of the Arizona State University Swette Center for Sustainable Food Systems and is a past alumni-Trustee of Cornell University. She is on the Dean’s Advisory Council for the University of California-Davis College of Ag and Environmental Sciences and is a member of CAL-DPR and CDFA’s Sustainable Pest Management Working Group.
Marrone advises numerous agbio/agtech startup companies on all aspects of their businesses. She has a bachelor’s degree in entomology with honors and distinction from Cornell University and a Ph.D. in entomology from North Carolina State University. She is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Marrone resides in Davis, CA, with her husband, Michael Rogers, Ph.D.
Dr. Michelle Jones studied agricultural biochemistry at Iowa State University for her B.S. degree and received her Ph.D. in horticulture from Purdue University. Her love of floriculture stems from an honors research project evaluating the effect of ethylene on carnation vase life.
She was on the faculty at Colorado State University and moved to The Ohio State University in 2001. She is currently a Professor in the Horticulture and Crop Science Department and serves as the D.C. Kiplinger Endowed Floriculture Chair. Her current research and Extension programs focus on the use of beneficial bacteria and biostimulants to increase nutrient use efficiency and improve disease and environmental stress tolerance in floriculture crops. She also works with greenhouse growers to identify and remediate ethylene damage in production greenhouses and improve the shelf life of flowering ornamentals.
