I have been the Director of the Plant Disease Diagnostic Clinic of the Department of Plant Pathology at Cornell University since July of 1998 and the Associate Director of the Northeast Plant Diagnostic Network since November of 2002. I was born to diary farming and grew up in New Jersey. I received my Bachelor of Science degree from Cornell in Floriculture and Ornamental Horticulture. I became very interested in plant pathogens during my undergraduate work and decided to pursue a Masters of Professional Studies degree in the department of Plant Pathology. My Masters research focused on an evaluation of onion flower susceptibility to a known fungal pathogen. As Director of the Clinic, I am responsible for diagnosing plant diseases on a wide range of host plants such as woody ornamentals, herbaceous plants, fruits, vegetables, turfgrass, and field crops. Additional duties include training Master Gardeners, Extension Educators, and other green industry members on the basics of plant disease and the pathogens that cause them, as well as introducing youth to the vast world of fungi. As Assistant Director of the NEPDN, I support the overall mission of providing detection of a possible bioterrorist attack of the nationÕs natural and agriculture systems.