What happens when an extension scientist like me teaches high school? Well, first off, students don't just sit quietly in rows, taking notes while I lecture at the chalkboard. Instead, they are out of their seats, talking, working together, solving problems--and learning content because they can't solve the problems without knowledge. We go outside, collect water samples, measure lichens on trees, then come back to the classroom to study our findings. We read maps, data tables for lead poisoning and other environmental hazards and look for connections. We build dams, solar arrays, and wind farms and generate power. And somewhere along the way, my kids learn everything that I would have included in a lecture, only they learn it because they want to solve the problems we are studying. And they not only learn the content, but they also learn teamwork, critical thinking skills, problem-solving, and perseverance, all key attributes for the leaders of tomorrow.Over $2,000 in Grants:2024 Wisconsin State Science Teachers Foundation Grant2021 Chrysalis Fund Grant by the Entomological Society of America2021 Back to School Grant by the Wisconsin State Science Teachers Foundation2020 Stay at Home Grant by the Wisconsin State Science Teachers Foundation

As an officer in the US Army Reserve, I stand ready to help solve the next national public health crisis, such as the disaster following hurricane Katrina, and to provide force health protection to our warfighters in the next military engagement. For my annual service, each summer I travel to the US Army public health laboratories at Fort Meade, MD to provide additional manpower for the seasonal surge in specimens sent through the region’s vector-borne disease surveillance program.

While I was on active duty, I led the reestablishment of the Department of Defense’s primary Vector Surveillance Lab for the Pacific Area of Command, collaborating with US Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine installations in Japan, Guam, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, and the British Indian Ocean Territory (Diego Garcia), supporting over 200,000 DoD personnel, dependents, and foreign national employees.I was also responsible for the Department of Defense Pesticide Applicator Training Center for the Western Pacific, which provided training and entomological support to military preventive medicine personnel and foreign national pest management professionals.Performed Technical Assistance Visits focusing on integrated pest management program reviews at other US Military sites, including Kure Pier 6, Akizuki Ammunition Depot, Kawakami Ammunition Depot, Hiro Ammunition Depot, Shariki Communications Site, and Akasaka Press Center.I provided technical guidance to the III Marine Expeditionary Force senior leaders / command staff and Navy Environmental and Preventive Medicine Unit 6 during the 2014 Leptospirosis Outbreak at Camp Gonsalves in Okinawa.

Attended and graduated from Army Medical Department Basic Officer Leadership Course (BOLC).

I help companies and homeowners solve challenging pest problems and train pest control technicians to do the same. Contact me for help identifying insects, pest management program reviews, and inspections.Co-authored the official Wisconsin Pesticide Applicator Training Manual (8th Edition).

As a classroom teacher, I drew upon my experience as an entomology officer to build a hands-on, practice based environmental science curriculum. My students went to our local river and tested its water quality, used bioindicators and CO2 meters to evaluate the air in and around our school building, conducted mosquito surveillance, designed a native pollinator garden, and more.

I served as part of the operating committee of senior managers that ran Batzner Pest Management. In eight years, we grew the company from $4 million to $10 million in sales.My duties included:• Responsibility for Quality Assurance (QA) and Training & Development of 90 employees. • Primary corporate spokesperson for media, industry, and public events, with over 40 TV interviews. • Project management and leadership on strategic and operational projects related to training, technical services, and quality assurance.• Established a Knowledge Management system and Standard Operating Procedures• Stand-up training and development of computer-based training resources.• Skill development of 20 subject matter experts who function as trainers in other departments.• On-boarded and trained over 100 new technicians to pass state certification; facilitated and presented at monthly training meetings for technicians.In addition, I published over twenty articles on state-of-the-art integrated pest management in places such as Pest Control Technology, Pest Control Magazine, NPMA Commercial Newsletter, Executive Housekeeping Today, Food Safety Magazine, and Cabin Life Magazine and was interviewed by local television stations on entomology and integrated pest management topics over 40 times.

I founded and ran a web design company in the late 1990s. Although the company closed, I learned the essentials of financial management, business to business sales, marketing, and business operations. These lessons would inform all of my future management roles.