I joined the Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology in 1992. I had just finished a Post-doc with the USDA Agricultural Research Service at Washington State University in Pullman, WA, where I studied soil edaphic factors that impact biological control with Pseudomonas and Trichoderma species of take-all disease of wheat. My mentors were Drs. David Weller and R. James Cook. My interest in biological control, plant pathology, mycology, and soil science stems from undergraduate and graduate training with Dr. Lindsey Olive at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Dr. Gareth Morgan-Jones at Auburn University, and Dr. Mike Benson at North Carolina State University.

I value equity and diversity and firmly believe that diversity is the greatest strength of innovative organizations, especially research-intensive institutions like The University of Tennessee. I am committed to activities that increase access to education for all people, especially underserved and underrepresented groups.I am currently the Graduate Director of EPP, and am here to encourage and assist our students in achieving their academic and professional goals.

My research program is focused on pathosystems involving soilborne plant pathogens, such as Rhizoctonia solani, various species of Bipolaris and Fusarium, Sclerotium rolfsii, and Sclerotinia sclerotiorum. I am currently working with organic growers to evaluate the efficacy of biostimulants and biofertilizers for plant growth, yield, and disease control, and determine their value to producers. My laboratory is also studying various biological and cultural and methods to control diseases of a variety of specialty crops. We are interested in environmental, edaphic, and crop factors that influence whether biological disease control methods will be effective.

My academic outreach has focused on working with the Girl Scouts in a program called Gadget Girls. The goal is to engage middle and high school girls in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) activities to encourage them to continue their education in college and beyond in a STEM field.

My teaching and research activities are highly integrated. I teach courses on mycology, soilborne plant pathogens, and phytobacteriology. I have mentored one postdoctoral associate, 19 graduate students, and have served on the graduate advisory committees of 45 additional students. I also actively engage undergraduates in my research projects. All of my graduate students and several undergraduates have presented their work at professional scientific meetings and/or university competitions.

EPP 505 Mycology
EPP 512 Soilborne Plant Pathogens
EPP 514 Phytobacteriology
EPP 531 Plant Disease Diagnosis and Reporting