Julie Henderson to Lead Department of Pesticide Regulation, Ushering in New Era for Safer, More Sustainable Pest Management
Governor
Julie Henderson
Director
Jared Blumenfeld
Secretary for Environmental Protection
SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom announced the appointment of Julie Henderson as director of California’s Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) on Dec. 2. Henderson has been serving as DPR’s acting director 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 been focused on fostering reduced-risk pest management, accelerating the adoption of safer, more sustainable tools and practices across agricultural and urban settings is vital to advancing our mission to protect human health and the environment. I look forward to continuing to work alongside the dedicated team at DPR to advance this vision, build upon the foundation of our robust regulatory structure and rigorous evaluation of pesticide products, and support the state’s leadership in safe, sustainable pest management.”
Henderson served as the California Environmental Protection Agency’s Deputy Secretary for Public Policy since November 2017. During her time at CalEPA, she worked closely with DPR on priority initiatives including ending the use of the harmful pesticide chlorpyrifos in California, convening a cross-sector workgroup to advance more sustainable pest management and initiating the development of a statewide pesticide notification system to provide equitable and transparent access to information to protect our most vulnerable communities. Previously, Henderson was a Senior Advisor to Governor Brown and Special Assistant Attorney General at the Office of the Attorney General.
“My priorities over the next year include expanding DPR’s engagement with communities, the development of the statewide notification system, improving language access, enhancing our partnership with County Agricultural Commissioners to prioritize enforcement efforts and continuing to work with growers, the California Department of Food and Agriculture, the broader agricultural sector, university researchers and other partners including UC Cooperative Extension and CSU Agricultural Research Institute to speed the transition to safer, more sustainable pest management,” said Henderson.
“Julie’s vision of collaboration, equity and sustainability will move this department forward as we work together to support a thriving agricultural sector while elevating public health and the environment,” said CalEPA Secretary, Jared Blumenfeld.
DPR registers all pesticides sold or used in California, conducting scientific evaluation of pesticide products to assess and mitigate potential harm to human health or the environment, monitoring for pesticides in the air, water and soil, and enforcing pesticide regulations in coordination with 55 County Agriculture Commissioners and their 400 field inspectors. DPR also conducts outreach to ensure pesticide workers, farmworkers and local communities have access to safety information, and invests in innovative research to encourage the development and adoption of integrated pest management tools and practices.
ABOUT THE DEPARTMENT OF PESTICIDE REGULATION
The California Department of Pesticide Regulation’s mission is to protect human health and the environment. DPR is accelerating a transition to safer and sustainable pest management practices and operates a robust regulatory system to monitor and manage the sale and use of pesticides across the state. More information about DPR can be found on our website.
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