REGISTRATION opens on October 1, 2026
KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Laura Rosenwald,
MS, BCE
Originally hailing from Maryland, Laura obtained her Bachelor of Science in Environmental Biology from Georgetown University in 2015. Following a year of working at a brewery, she moved to Lexington, Kentucky. There, she worked as a research analyst at the University of Kentucky and additionally attained her Master’s degree in Entomology in 2020. Her thesis focused on bacterial infections that cause reproductive manipulations in an agricultural sheet-weaving spider.
Laura became a Board Certified Entomologist in 2023 and currently serves as the Associate Director of Education and Training for the National Pest Management Association (NPMA).
EDUCATION SESSIONS
Pest Management Professionals: Protectors of Public Health - Laura Rosenwald
Pest management professionals are at the forefront of protecting communities from public health threats. Many of the structural pests that we’re asked to manage are key contributors to disease, food contamination, and the general well-being of our clients. In addition, pest management professionals also play a role in environmental stewardship, which is another key contributor to the overall health of the communities that we serve. This session will cover the public health pests that you need to be aware of, as well as your role as a pest management professional in addressing these public health concerns.
The Bugs Inside of Bugs: How Bacteria Can Influence Pest Management - Laura Rosenwald
Bacteria influence virtually every single aspect of our lives. They inhabit our bodies, they are essential to agriculture, they can cause disease, and they can be influential to the arthropods we consider pests. Can we utilize bacteria in our pest management efforts? In this session, Laura will discuss her background in how bacteria can control spiders and explore ideas about how bacteria can be used in pest management.
Beyond the Checklist – Practical Hazard Assessment for Pest Management Operations - Joshua Becker, AIP Safety
This session will provide attendees with straightforward tools they can apply in the field to better recognize hazards, assess changing conditions and make safer operational decisions. We will explore how workers can move beyond simply completing a hazard assessment form and use the process to identify changing conditions, recognize higher-risk activities, and select appropriate controls before beginning work. Using practical examples and discussion we will demonstrate how a good hazard assessment should be an active decision-making process rather than simply a completed piece of paperwork.
AEPA Refresher on Record Keeping and REIs - Tanya Rushcall, AB Environment
Contamination Sources, Exposure and Symptoms - Andrea Sawatzky & Jason Burt, Health Canada
The Rat Patrol - Karen Wickerson & Garrett Girletz, AB Agriculture
NOTE: Application will be made in September for Recertification points. These will be listed as soon as they are confirmed.
Pre-event Workshop | Safety in the Workplace
with Joshua Becker, AIP Safety
November 5, 2026 - 8:30am - 4:30pm
Get hands-on with workplace safety in this full-day workshop designed for pest management professionals. The day combines classroom instruction, demonstrations and practical exercises covering:
Fall protection and fall arrest
Hazard assessments
Respiratory protection and fit testing
Spill response and spill kit use
Ladder safety
Working alone
7 hours of instruction | 4 hours classroom/theory + 3 hours practical/hands-on
Lunch and refreshments included.
