Dr. Ernest S. ("Del") Delfosse is a 42-year ESA member. He is an international authority on biological control and IPM. He received a Ph.D. from the University of Florida, an M.Sc. from South Dakota State University, and a B.Sc. from the University of Louisville. He conducted foreign exploration for natural enemies of invasive species in Australia, Africa, the United States, and Europe. Other areas of interest include tri-trophic ecology, risk analysis, ethics, and science-based regulations. Del was a Research Scientist and Research Leader for Biological Control of Weeds with CSIRO in Australia (1979-91), where he developed the relatedness host-specificity testing procedure and the phenology-event agent evaluation system. Del was first Director of the USDA National Biological Control Institute (1991-97); Senior National Program Leader with USDA-ARS (1997-2008); and Chairperson of the Michigan State University Department of Entomology (2008-13), where he is currently a Professor. He published >110 scientific papers, edited seven books, and presented >300 talks. Del mentored students in Africa, Australia, Europe and the United States, and teaches biological control, IPM, ecology, and international plant protection. Del’s service to ESA includes President (2011); Governing Board (2009-12); Chair of Subsection Ca-Biological Control (1999); Chair of Section C-Ecology (2000); student paper and poster judge; and chair or member of six other committees. He was Global President of IOBC (1992-96) and served on the editorial board of seven journals. He has received over a dozen awards and honors, including the 2007 Distinguished Scientist award from IOBC-NRS and the Florida Entomological Society’s 1994 Entomologist-of-the-Year.
Dr. David B. Hogg is a 40 year ESA member. Hogg received B.S. (1970) and M.S. (1974) degrees in Entomology from Purdue University, and a Ph.D. (1977) in Entomology and Insect Ecology from the University of California, Berkeley. He then spent several years on the faculty at Mississippi State University, and in 1979 he accepted a faculty position at the University of Wisconsin, where he has been for 37 years. During his tenure at Wisconsin Hogg has served two terms as department chair (1998-2002 & 2011-2015), and he has served as executive associate dean (2002-2005) and as interim dean (2005-2006) of the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences. He became active in ESA (including North Central Branch) affairs in the early 1980’s, which led to various leadership roles: ESA Annual Meeting Program Committee (1990 & 1991), ESA Section C Chair (1991), ESA presidential committee on transitioning to electronic publications (1997-1998), NCB Executive Council (1998-2000 & 2004-2006), NCB President (2000), co-chair of Local Arrangements for the Madison NCB meeting (2003), twice on committees to search for ESA executive directors (2007 & 2010), ESA Governing Board (2008-2011), and ESA President (2010). Hogg received the 2004 J.V. Osmun Alumni Award in Entomology (Purdue University), the 2015 NCB-ESA C.V. Riley Achievement Award, the 2015 Spitzer Excellence in Teaching Award from the UW College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, and he has been named a UW-Madison “Honored Instructor” (student nominated) four of the past five years. Hogg has been a Board Certified Entomologist since 2012.
Dr. Norman C. Leppla has dedicated his nearly 50-year career as a professional entomologist to advancing the science and practice of entomology by studying insects in an effort to protect agriculture and human health. He received his B.S. and M.S. degrees from Arizona State University and PhD degree from the University of Arizona. Currently, he serves as professor and program director of IPM at the University of Florida, and previously was employed by the USDA (APHIS and ARS). His major accomplishments include cooperatively establishing the USDA-APHIS National Biological Control Institute, a new research and education center in Central Florida, and the first statewide IPM program at the University of Florida. Dr. Leppla has been an active ESA member since 1968, including membership in the Pacific, Eastern, and Southeastern Branches. He has continuously presented symposia and research papers at national and branch meetings, became a Board Certified Entomologist in 1982, and directed the American Registry of Professional Entomologists during and after its transition to the Board Certified Entomologist program. He has chaired or served as a member of many ESA committees, including the ESA Public Information Committee (1997-1999), ESA-SEB Program Committee (1993), ESA Strategic Planning Committee (1995), ESA-SEB Program Committee (1997), ESA-SEB Local Arrangements Committee (2008), and ESA-SEB Nominating Committee (2013-14), among others. He was elected ESA-SEB President in 2012, served as ESA-SEB Linnaean Games master and judge, and was Biological Control subject editor for Environmental Entomology (2005- 2008). In 2014, he was founding chair of the ESA Grand Challenges Committee.