Kevin Kern serves as the Pesticide Registration Program Specialist with the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) since October 2020, after working as a pesticide field inspector with MDARD for 18 years. During this time, Kevin has been very active in all aspects of MDARD’s pesticide programs, including complaint investigations, certification exam administration, federal and state registration inspections, training of new inspection staff, and industry outreach initiatives. Prior to coming to MDARD, Kevin worked for Michigan State University, as well as a short stint in agribusiness. Kevin grew up on a small farm in the Thumb area of Michigan, and graduated from MSU with a bachelor’s degree in Zoology in 1996 and a master’s degree in Horticulture in 2000. Kevin has served on the AAPCO Endangered Species Act Workgroup since its inception in 2022, and currently serves as the chair of the State FIFRA Issues Research and Evaluation Group (SFIREG) Endangered Species Strategy Implementation working committee.