Dunkle Sets Retirement Date
News Date November 14, 2007
After eight years as the deputy administrator of Plant Protection & Quarantine (PPQ), Ric Dunkle has announced his plans to retire, effective January 3, 2008. He has 28 years of federal service and another seven years of state service at the California Department of Food and Agriculture.
In announcing his retirement, Dunkle listed numerous invasive species that PPQ has had the responsibility to deal with while he's been with the agency; e.g., numerous difficult eradication and suppression campaigns such as citrus canker, Asian long-horned beetle, emerald ash borer, fruit flies, and now light brown apple moth and potato cyst nematode, just to name a few. Dunkle noted in his retirement announcement the science-based achievements and dedication of the PPQ staff during his tenure; e.g., risk assessment and pathway analysis, regulatory reform, emergency preparedness and response, strategic and operational planning, workforce and succession planning, training and development, information technology, program management and financial accountability, and overall problem-solving capabilities.
On a personal note, Ric and his wife are building a retirement home near Winchester, Virginia in the Shenandoah Valley. He plans do a lot of gardening, wine making, fishing, traveling and spending quality time with their four grandchildren. On the professional side, he plans to help address the many and varied issues associated with seed health both domestically and internationally through an affiliation with the American Seed Trade Association.
NASDA has had the good fortune to work closely with Ric over his years at the helm of PPQ, in conjunction with the National Plant Board. (Contact: Bob Ehart)