Earlier this month, the Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) announced Sapna Thottathil will lead the department’s statewide collaboration and coordination to foster sustainable pest management (SPM) across California’s urban, agricultural and wildland settings. Thottathil brings 20 years of experience as a leader in sustainable food and farming, and climate, health and equity program management, policy and research to her role as DPR’s Deputy Director of Sustainable Pest Management.

“We are excited for Sapna Thottathil to join our team and engage broadly with agricultural, community, government, academic and other stakeholders and partners to advance the practical, measurable next steps outlined in the Sustainable Pest Management Roadmap,” said DPR Director Julie Henderson. “Thottathil’s experience in environmental protection, resilient farming practices and health protective programs will expand our collaborative efforts to advance safe, effective and sustainable pest management.”

SPM is a whole-system approach that builds on the decades-long practice of integrated pest management (IPM) to include the wider consideration of pest management impacts on communities and the environment; impacts of climate change and extreme weather on pest pressures; and availability of economically viable pest management solutions that support stable and affordable food production.

Prior to joining DPR, Thottathil was Managing Director at the University of California (UC) Center for Climate, Health and Equity, where she oversaw more than 20 research and education programs and facilitated a multi-stakeholder strategic planning process. Previously, she was the Associate Director of Sustainability at the UC Office of the President, where she helped lead a UC Regent-supported task force that developed a statewide IPM policy for UC’s 10 campuses and six health systems. Thottathil was also a leader in a variety of other roles that will advance her collaborative work in addressing the challenges of SPM adoption, including building strategic partnerships and supply chains between institutions like K-12 schools and hospitals and food producers. Earlier in her career, Thottathil was a climate researcher at the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research in England and documented on-the-ground organic farming practices in India.

She began her career at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as an Environmental Protection Specialist. Thottathil earned a BA in environmental studies and at BA in international studies from the University of Chicago, an MS in environmental change and management from Oxford University, and a PhD in Geography from UC Berkeley.

“I am thrilled to join DPR to build on decades of work to accelerate integrated pest management tools and practices and implement sustainable pest management in a way that supports and protects all Californians and our environment, builds resilient communities, and supports the stability of our food systems,” said Thottathil.

Thottathil joined the department as of Monday, Sept. 9, 2024.

For more information about SPM, visit the DPR website.