Dr. Appel is a professor in the Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology (PLPM) at Texas A&M University. Since coming to Texas A&M in 1981, his research program has focused on the epidemiology, diagnosis, and control of forest and shade trees, with an emphasis on the devastating oak wilt epidemic in central Texas.

Dr. Stephanie Adams is a tree pathologist and an ISA Board Certified Master Arborist (BCMA) with 24 years of experience in the green industry. She has extensive field and lab expertise working with trees and landscape plants. Dr. Adams holds a B.S. in Botany with a minor in Urban Forestry from Western Illinois University, an M.S. in Plant Pathology from the University of Georgia, and a Ph.D. in Forest Tree Pathology from the University of Florida’s School of Forestry. She has been an ISA Certified Arborist since 2007 and earned the BCMA credential in 2017. Since 2019, she has served as Chair of the BCMA Test Committee.

Her professional background includes tree climbing, soil enhancement techniques like air spading and knifing, pesticide applications, field and clinical plant disease diagnosis, and insect and abiotic stress identification. Dr. Adams also provides consulting services for residents, HOAs, landowners, and municipalities. A passionate supporter of the green industry, she regularly volunteers at tree climbing competitions and enjoys mentoring others interested in plant health care, plant pathology, urban forestry, forestry, and arboriculture.

Ms. McBride, retired, was the diagnostician (Extension Program Specialist) at the Texas Plant Disease Diagnostic Lab. She had over 20 years of experience working at the Department of Plant Pathology & Microbiology at Texas A&M University, and is well-verse with nematodes, fungi and bacteria.

Hannah Ayala graduated with a B.S. in Bioenvironmental Sciences from Texas A&M University in 2018. As an undergraduate, she worked as a student worker at the Texas Plant Disease Diagnostic Lab (TPDDL). This is where she developed a deep fascination for the relationships between plants, pathogens, and the environment. Every day brought her a new puzzle to solve in the form of a diseased plant that needed a diagnosis. She worked at the TPDDL as an Assistant Diagnostician until she left for graduate school at the University of California, Riverside. Her M.S. research focused on the epidemiology of onion downy mildew in southern California. She monitored fields for symptoms, used spore traps, and tracked conducive weather conditions for Peronospora destructor to identify trends and develop strategies for disease prevention. She is now the Head Diagnostician at TPDDL.