Press Release: Julie Henderson Appointed New Director, Department of Pesticide Regulation

Julie Henderson appointed new Director of the Department of Pesticide Regulation, ushering in a new era in safer, more sustainable pest management

For immediate release:
Dec 3 2021

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SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom announced the appointment of Julie Henderson as director of the California Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) on December 2. Henderson has been Acting Director of the DPR since July 2021.

“My vision for my role at DPR is to accelerate the transition to safer, more sustainable pest management,” said Henderson. “While DPR’s work has long focused on promoting reduced-risk pest management, accelerating the adoption of safer and more sustainable tools and practices in agricultural and urban settings is essential to advancing our mission. protection of human health and the environment. I look forward to continuing to work alongside the dedicated DPR team to advance this vision, build on the foundations of our strong regulatory structure and rigorous evaluation of pesticide products, and support the leadership of the State of the art of safe and sustainable pest control.

Henderson has served as Assistant Secretary for Public Policy at the California Environmental Protection Agency since November 2017. While at CalEPA, she worked closely with the DPR on priority initiatives, including ending the use of the harmful pesticide chlorpyrifos in California, convening a cross-sectoral task force to advance more sustainable pest management and initiate the development of a statewide pesticide notification system to provide fair and transparent access to pest management information to protect our most vulnerable communities. Previously, Henderson was Senior Advisor to Governor Brown and Special Assistant Attorney General in the Attorney General’s Office.

“My priorities over the next year include expanding DPR’s engagement with communities, developing the statewide reporting system, improving access to languages, enhancing our partnership with county agricultural commissioners to prioritize enforcement efforts and continued collaboration with growers, the California Department of Food and Agriculture, the broader agricultural industry, academic researchers and other partners, including UC Cooperative Extension and CSU Agricultural Research Institute, to accelerate the transition to safer and more sustainable pest control, ”said Henderson.

“Julie’s vision for collaboration, equity and sustainability will move this department forward as we work together to support a thriving agricultural sector while improving public health and the environment,” said CalEPA secretary. , Jared Blumenfeld.

The DPR registers all pesticides sold or used in California, performs scientific evaluation of pesticide products to assess and mitigate potential harm to human health or the environment, monitors pesticides in air, water and soil and enforces pesticide regulations in coordination with 55 County Agriculture Commissioners and their 400 field inspectors. The DPR also conducts awareness-raising activities to ensure that pesticide workers, farmers and local communities have access to safety information, and invests in innovative research to encourage the development and adoption of tools and integrated pest management practices.

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