Plant Manager
Resume:
Resumé
Brantlee Spakes Richter
abpns1@r.postjobfree.com
Biography
I received my Master’s
degree in Plant Biology from Arizona
State University in 1999, and went directly to work for BBC
Laboratories, Inc.,
a private environmental microbiology lab specializing in agricultural,
compost,
and bioremediation aspects of microbiology.
After two years, I was promoted to the lab manager
position,
which I held for three and a half years, before leaving to pursue a PhD
at North
Carolina State University. I expect to complete my PhD work
in the spring of 2009.
Education
PhD, Plant Pathology, 2009 (expected). North Carolina State University.
MS, Plant Biology, 1999.
Arizona State University.
Thesis: Potential
for use of arbuscular mycorrhizal
fungi in restoration of Sporobolus wrightii
grasslands.
Activities:
Botany Graduate Student Association
(Positions held: Secretary, President)
BA, English, 1993.
Arizona State University.
Honors:
Deans list (all semesters)
Summa
cum laude
Activities:
English Honor Society (positions held:
Secretary, Vice-President)
Relevant Professional Experience
2000-2005: BBC
Laboratories, Inc.
Positions
held: Plant Pathologist (2000-2002), Laboratory Manager (2002-2005)
Technical
Responsibilities (2000-2002): Maintenance of fungal
culture collection; Receipt,
processing, and reporting of all
plant pathology or mycology related samples (diagnosis of bacterial and
fungal
pathogens, conduction of pathogen inhibition assays, genus
identification of
various fungi from environmental samples);
General microbiological sample processing (dilution
plating, human
pathogen testing, compost maturity and stability analyses); Special projects
(statistical analyses,
protocol review and development, photography)
Management
Responsibilities (2002-2005):
Overview of all laboratory activities, including sample
flow and
processing, employee adherence to laboratory protocols, and general
laboratory
maintenance; Personnel
management
(hiring, dismissal, training, review, promotion, and arrangement of
work
schedules); Administration
of internship
program (development of intern projects, selection, supervision, and
grading of
interns); Interfacing
with USDA-APHIS
officials and ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements (Soil
and Pathogen
permits); Development
of protocols and
price quotes for custom analyses;
Client
interface (interpretation of analyses, presentations at trade meetings,
conferences, and workshops, guest lectures for university and community
college
classes); Final
review on general
laboratory reports; Writing
and review
of extended laboratory reports (including review of all statistical
interpretations).
1997-1999:
Arizona
State University, Department of Plant Biology
Positions
held: Teaching
Assistant [Plant Physiology
lab, Intro. Plant Biology lab, Horticulture lab (two semesters),
Laboratory
coordinator for Intro. Plant Biology labs (three sessions), Intern
supervisor
in Service Learning program], Graduate
Research Assistant
Teaching
Responsibilities: Taught
laboratory
sections of above courses, maintained student records, and submitted
final
grades; Set up and
performed laboratory
demonstrations; Assisted
in development
of new laboratory lesson plans (traditional and web-based); Directed interns in
Service Learning program
(set teaching schedules and deadlines, reviewed lesson plans,
supervised
teaching on site and in university lab).
Research
Responsibilities (S. wrightii ecology
project): Read and
recorded results of seed germination
assays from growth chamber studies;
Assisted in collection of field and greenhouse data.
Lab coordinator
Responsibilities: Prepared
all reagents
and demonstration materials for laboratory sections of the introductory
plant
biology course (~18 sections during regular semester, 3 sections during
summer
session); Set up
and dismantled all
materials for each laboratory, and maintained stocks and fresh material
between
classes.
1996-1997:
Arizona
State University, Disability Resources
Position
held: Tutor
Responsibilities: Tutored students with
disabilities in a
variety of subjects, including writing, biology, geology, basic
mathematics,
and Spanish.
Publications
Beauchamp,
V.B., Jacobson, K.M., Johnson, J., Kennedy, L.J., Richter, B.S., and Stutz, J.C. (in press) Mycorrhizal
Ecology. In Ecology and Conservation of Desert Riparian Ecosystems: the SanPedroRiver Example. Stromberg, J., and
Tellman, B. (eds). Tucson: University of Arizona
Press.
Richter, B.S.
and J.C. Stutz (2002). "Mycorrhizal inoculation of big sacaton:
implications for grassland restoration of abandoned agricultural
fields." Restoration
Ecology 10(4): 607-616.
Richter,
B.S., J.C. Stutz, R.L. Tiller. (2002). "Assessment of arbuscular
mycorrhizal fungal propagules and colonization from abandoned
agricultural
fields and semi-arid grasslands in riparian floodplains." Applied
Soil
Ecology 20(3): 227-238.
Oral Presentations & Posters (Original
Research)
Richter,
B.S., Benson, D.M., and
Ivors, K.L. (2008) Cellulase activity and microbiology of cultural systems for Phytophthora
control in Fraser fir. American
Phytopathological Society Centennial Meeting. Minneapolis, MN.
Richter,
B.S., Benson, D.M., and
Ivors, K.L. (2007) Microbiological profiling of cultural systems for Phytophthora
control in Fraser fir. American
Phytopathological Society - Society of Nematologists, Joint Meeting. San Diego, CA:
APS. (Phytopathology 97:S98)
Richter,
B.S.
(2006) A suppressive soils approach to management of Phytophthora root
rot in
field-grown Christmas trees. 15th Ornamental
Workshop on Diseases
and Pests, Hendersonville,
NC.
Richter,
B.S., V.
Bess, M. Manes, J. Snodgrass (2002). Effects of Compost Amendment on
Arbuscular
Mycorrhizal Colonization of Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum). Composting and Compost
Utilization, Columbus,
OH, J.G. Press.
Bess, V.H.,
M.
Manes, B.S. Richter, J.L. Snodgrass (2002). E. coli
Survival in Compost
Tea Using Different Nutrient Substrates. Composting and Compost
Utilization,
Columbus, OH, J.G. Press.
Spakes,
B.E. and
J.C. Stutz (1999). Potential for Use of Mycorrhizal Inoculum in
Restoration of
Sporobolus wrightii (big sacaton) Grasslands. Society for Ecological
Restoration, San Francisco, CA, SER.
Tiller,
R.L., L.
J. Kennedy, B.E. Spakes, J.C. Stromberg, J.C. Stutz, and D.T. Patten
(1999).
Ecology of Sporobolus wrightii (Big Sacaton):
Implications for Restoration
and Management of Riparian Grasslands in Southwestern North America. Arizona Riparian Council
Thirteenth Annual Meeting Flagstaff, Arizona.
Invited Presentations & Workshops
Analytical
Methods to Achieve “Ideal Compost Quality” (2005).
BioCycle West Coast
Conference, San
Francisco, CA.
Measuring Biology
in Compost Tea (2005). CTIA Workshop, 13th
Annual US Composting Council Conference, San Antonio, TX.
Soil
Microbiology: Measurement to Management (2004). Valley Conference on
Sustainable Agriculture, Texas
Organic Growers
Association, Weslaco,
TX.
Measuring Biology
in Compost Tea (2004). CTIA, 12th
Annual US Composting Council Conference, Las Vegas, NV.
Soil Microbiology
and Pathogen Resistance (2003). Organic Viticulture Seminar, Organic Ag
Advisors, Paso Robles, CA.
Compost Tea and
Human Pathogens: The E. coli Issue (2003). 23rd
Ecological Farming Conference, Ecological Farming Association, Pacific Grove,
CA.
Professional Associations and Honor Societies
American Phytopathological Society, 1999 to present.
Soil
Microbiology and Root Diseases Committee (term: 2002-2005,
2006-Present)
Positions
held: Vice-chair (2003-2004), Chair (2004-2005)
Mycological
Society of America, 2003 to present.
Plant Pathology Society of North Carolina, 2006 to present.
Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society, 2008 to present.
Grants and Awards
USDA Southern
Region Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) Program,
Graduate
Student Grant in Sustainable Agriculture, 2008.
American
Phytopathological Society, Elsie J. and Robert Aycock Student Travel
Award,
2007.
Initiative for
Future Agriculture and Food Systems (IFAFS) Training Grant Program,
2006.
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