The Department of Entomology and Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service want to welcome Holly Davis as the new Assistant Professor and Extension Specialist for the Weslaco area.
Davis will begin her position in Weslaco on September 1. Before being hired by Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, Davis was a Research/Extension Associate at Kansas State University from 2015 to 2019. At Manhattan, she worked closely with Extension agents and specialists on providing viable recommendations to growers on pest control measures to lessen the impact of pests.
Davis also was co-owner of Protech Pest Management, where she planned, conducted and evaluated efficacy trials for different herbicides, fungicides, and insecticides. She also was responsible for contract negotiations, as well as employee recruitment, payroll and supervision duties.
As the Insect Diagnostician at Kansas State, Davis identified arthropods found in crops, homes, and gardens and communicated the information to KSU extension service constituents. She also has worked as a research assistant where Davis conducted various field pesticide efficacy trials and prepared and presented various presentations statewide.
Davis also has taught several classes while at Kansas State, including Animal Health Entomology and an online course in Economic Entomology in 2018. She also taught Economic Entomology as a classroom course, as well as Insect Pest Diagnosis.
Davis has served as a member of the Journal of the Kansas Entomological Society’s editorial board for 3 years, is currently the Secretary-Treasurer for the society, and was involved in various 4-H events from 2009-2016.
Davis has received numerous awards, including the Excellence in Undergraduate Mentoring Award from Kansas State Department of Entomology in 2017 and the Friends of Extension Master Gardener Award in 2012.
“I am very excited to become a part of the Texas A&M AgriLife system! I have worked in Extension Entomology for several years and I love what I do!” Davis said. “I am really looking forward to this new opportunity to collaborate with, and learn from, colleagues at the AgriLife Extension and Research Station as well as producers and all stakeholders throughout the region.”
She also wants to serve the Rio Grande Valley well and will be working with her stakeholders to solve the issues that are currently in the area.
“My ultimate goal is to serve the stakeholders in the Rio Grande Valley in the most effective way possible. I hope to work closely with commodity groups, producers, consultants, scientists, etc. to develop a good understanding of the key arthropod problems they are up against, and then plan to make use of all possible resources to help mitigate these issues,” Davis said. “I will also work hard to provide data-driven recommendations to stakeholders by any and all means necessary.”