Pesticide Regulatory Education Program

The PREP Network creates and promotes professional development opportunities for pesticide regulatory officials throughout the United States and its affiliated territories. States, tribes, and territories with a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to administer pesticide regulatory and enforcement programs under the Federal Insecticide Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), are eligible to attend these specialized professional development courses.

Our programs encourage active participation and provide opportunities for networking with peers and mentors to increase the value of each educational experience. In addition, the PREP Network provides you with tools to extend your learning beyond the classroom, such as an archive of reference material and Web-based platforms to share successes and challenges and build collaborations with others in the PREP community.

2026 PREP Network Courses

2026 Course Announcement

The courses listed below are part of our schedule for 2026. To learn more about the individual courses, click on the links below. To review past courses, check out our Archived Courses.

PREP Team

Suzanne Forsyth

Steering Committee

• Gretchen Paluch, Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship
• Kelly Friend, Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services
• Brian Verhougstraete, Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development
• Patrick Farquhar, North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services
• Sarah Caffery, Office of the Indiana State Chemist
• Bob Blankenburg, Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation 
• Otto Oemig, Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection
• Africa Dorame-Avalos, Inter Tribal Council of Arizona 
• John Pitcock, Kentucky Department of Agriculture
• Kelly Engle, EPA PIRT Liaison
• Kevin Martin, EPA Region 8 
• Liz Vizard, EPA Office of Pesticide Programs
• Ricardo Jones, EPA OECA, Office of Compliance

Overview

What is the PREP Network?

The PREP Network is a collaboration between Colorado State University, the EPA, and state, territory, and tribal representatives who plan, design, and implement four to five courses each year to address the most critical needs of pesticide regulators. Funded by a cooperative agreement with the EPA Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention and the Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance, PREP provides opportunities for professional development to senior staff and management at state, territory, and tribal pesticide regulatory agencies. Its dedicated team of pesticide educators present engaging, science-based courses that provide practical up-to-date information on technical, policy, and management issues, as well as a wide array of cutting-edge pesticide topics.

What are PREP Network courses?

PREP course curriculum will fortify and expand the programmatic capacity of regulatory personnel by providing them with expansive, interconnected, and relevant professional development opportunities. PREP courses are typically four-days long and hosted in different locations around the U.S. They feature focused learning, field trips related to the course topics, and fellowship opportunities to network with colleagues from across the nation. These courses are created and taught by leading pesticide experts from a variety of private and public sector organizations.

How can I participate?

Attendance at the PREP Network courses is determined by a nomination process. Prior to each course, state, tribal, and U.S.–affiliated territory pesticide regulatory agencies, and EPA regional offices are asked to nominate an individual for attendance if they meet the specific target audience criteria. While most courses are designed for senior state, tribal, and territory pesticide regulatory personnel, some courses focus on capacity building and are designed for newer pesticide regulators.

Contact Us

If you have any questions regarding the PREP Network or would like further information about the program, please contact us at PREPNetwork@colostate.edu.