Employees 
About half of APHIS’ employees 
work in PPQ. These 3,000 
employees represent a wide 
variety of academic disciplines and 
are a highly educated and skilled 
work force. Plant pathology, 
entomology, botany, ecology, 
zoology, veterinary science, 
biotechnology, computer science, 
statistics, and management are 
only some of the areas PPQ 
employees specialize in. The vast 
majority of them hold college 
degrees, and many have ad- 
vanced degrees in the sciences. 
PPQ employees work all over the 
United States and in several 
foreign countries. Management 
and staff specialists work at APHIS 
headquarters offices in and near 
Washington, DC. 
ge 
PPQ focuses its organizational 
structure on its 50 State plant 
health directors, who receive 
support from headquarters and 
two regional hubs: the eastern 
hub in Raleigh, NC, and the 
western hub in Ft. Collins, CO 
(opening in 2001). PPQ employ- 
ees work closely with State and 
local plant health officials and 
regulatory authorities. To manage 
the volume and scope of its work, 
PPQ depends on help from State 
cooperators and foreign counter- 
parts. PPQ realizes that the 
increasing interest and sophistica- 
tion of State agencies, declining 
State and Federal budgets, 
accessibility to critical expertise, 
and the reconciling of traditional 
agricultural and emerging environ- 
mental interests require teamwork 
among all participants in plant 
protection. 
& 
TED 
PPQ employees represent a wide variety of 
academic disciplines and are a highly educated 
and skilled workforce. 
