Names in the News

Westphal named UCCE nematology specialist

Andreas Westphal joined ANR on Jan. 1 as a UC ANR Cooperative Extension specialist in the Department of Nematology at UC Riverside.

Westphal's research program focuses on nematode problems of tree and vine crops. He will explore a multitude of cultural, biological and chemical strategies for managing nematodes in almond, grape, peach, walnut and other crops.

Prior to joining UC, Westphal worked as a scientist at the Julius Kühn-Institut, Federal Research Center for Cultivated Plants at Braunschweig, Germany, where he researched nematode management on field crops and was responsible for determining plant resistance to plant-parasitic nematodes in the official cultivar release program.

Westphal is based at Kearney Agricultural Research and Extension Center in Parlier and can be reached at (559) 646-6555 and andreas.westphal@ucr.edu.

Maccree and Rodegerdts join Risk & Safety Services

Malendia Maccree and Kimberly Rodegerdts have joined the ANR Risk & Safety Services team.

Maccree, a safety specialist, will be the primary point of contact for safety issues at the research & extension centers and will also be the lead for respirator fit testing and ergonomics. Before joining ANR, she worked at UC Davis Environmental Health & Safety. She brings 20 years of experience in laboratory research and safety to the team. Maccree can be reached at mmmaccree@ucanr.edu or (530) 750-1364.

Rodegerdts joins our team as the custodian of criminal records, where she will help implement our program to centralize the receipt and management of background checks and criminal records clearance for employees and volunteers. Like Maccree, she also worked at UC Davis Environmental Health & Safety, where she provided analytical and regulatory compliance guidance to the Biosafety, Select Agent Program. Rodegerdts can be reached at karodegerdts@ucanr.edu or (530) 750-1383.

Along with adding these new staff members, ANR Risk & Safety Services has also implemented some organizational changes. David Alamillo will be splitting his time between emergency/business continuity planning and EH&S duties. Mark Barros is now the EH&S supervisor, managing implementation of safety programs, policies and audits. Barros is the primary point for safety coordinators. Linda Harris remains the primary point of contact for risk management and insurance issues.

For ANR Risk & Safety Services assistance, contact team members directly or use the “Ask” surveys at http://ucanr.edu/askehs or http://ucanr.edu/askrisk.

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