Month: November 2021

The only creatures who are happy to hear that Stephen Compton has retired are invasive species. As a top hand for the Department of Plant Industry, Compton drew a bead on some of the most wanted criminal critters in the state, managing statewide programs for fire ants, invasive species eradication and the noxious weed survey. […]

When you consider the countless hours Meg Williamson has spent analyzing literally thousands upon thousands of samples in the Plant and Pest Diagnostic Clinic, it’s easy to think of her as a consummate scientist. She is, of course. But that’s far from all she is. Meg is also a teacher, and among the people who […]

Kristal Dysinger may be one of Regulatory Services’ newest employees, but when you meet her you can’t help but feel you’ve known her for years. A hometown girl from just across the river in Hartwell, Ga., Kristal will probably be among the first to greet you at the CAT Building, where she’s an administrative specialist […]

Gus Elmore grew up in Crouse, N.C., a small town near Charlotte. His appreciation for the outdoors started during childhood growing up on a small family farm. After high school he followed that appreciation to UNC-Chapel Hill where he studied Biology and Environmental Studies with a focus on Ecology. Through an internship working in the […]

Damon Doolittle is contributing to the South Carolina Asian Longhorned Beetle Eradication Program as a ALB Technician, but this is far from his first encounter with the pest. Damon got his start with ALB working for USDA APHIS in New York City in 2012. In 2013 he moved to Ohio to assist with the ALB […]

Ston Coles is excited to join the South Carolina Asian Longhorned Beetle Eradication Program team as an ALB Technician. Growing up outside Charleston in Goose Creek, Ston has always had a passion for wildlife and the outdoors, which lead to him earn his B.S. degree in Geological Sciences from the University of South Carolina. His biggest […]

Megan Schumpert began work in the Agricultural Service Laboratory as a chemist on October 18, 2021. She joins the Plant/Feed/Waste section of the lab, focusing on nutritional and chemical analyses of feed and plant samples. Megan is a South Carolina native who grew up on a pine and cattle producing farm along the Saluda River […]

November historically has been a time when we pause and give thanks for the many blessings in our lives. Before President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the resolution on Dec. 26, 1941, that established the fourth Thursday in November as the Federal Thanksgiving Day holiday. Before President Lincoln gave his Oct. 3, 1863, Thanksgiving Proclamation. Even before the colonists at […]

Regulatory Services thanks all its members who have served our nation. Here, Michael Atkins, who joined the Agricultural Service Laboratory as a research associate in July 2019, shares a photograph from his time in the service and describes his duties: Germany, Schweinfurt, Ledward Barracks, early 1990s. I conducted initial interviews for security clearances, typing forms […]