Joshua Villazana began March 1 as the pesticide safety education program coordinator in the Department of Agronomy and Horticulture. He is also a statewide assistant extension educator within Water and Cropping Systems and Horticulture, Landscape, and Environmental Systems at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
Beyond the opportunity Villazana knew he could find here, he came to work and study in Nebraska because of the state’s rich history. He is fascinated by Nebraska’s fossils, iconic authors, annual sandhill crane migration and its status as the birthplace of Kool-Aid.
“Additionally, Nebraska Extension’s strategic direction—the “Big 3”—resonated with me, and I hold it in high regard,” Villazana said.
In his new positions, Villazana balances coordinating safety training and educating Nebraskans about pesticide and chemigation through educational materials and presentations.
“I translate ‘EPA-ese’ and ‘NDA-ese’ into plain English, and shuttle between Zoom boxes, local events, expos and conferences to make sure Nebraskans know their PPE like they know the Cornhuskers scoreboard,” Villazana said.
Villazana grew up in Brownsville, Texas. He earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of Texas at Brownsville and studied integrated pest management at Texas A&M University. He then earned a Master of Science in entomology from the University of Maine.
“During my master’s program, I organized several outreach activities with Maine Extension Services in concert with the entomology club to promote sustainable agriculture, arthropod conservation and entomophagy,” Villazana said. “Although my degree path was research-based, that side venture sparked my interest in working in extension.”
Now, on top of his work responsibilities, Villazana is a part-time Doctor of Plant Health graduate student. He is focusing on using his doctoral studies to establish “a more interdisciplinary, integrated pest management approach for extension services.”
Before coming to the university, Villazana worked in several roles across five states.
“I’ve served as a staff entomologist, fumigation integrated pest management specialist, and landscape team lead,” Villazana said. “In Nebraska, I worked in the UNL Department of Entomology as a research technician (known as the forensic bug man) and then at the Nebraska Department of Agriculture as an agricultural inspection specialist, where I drove 35,500 miles across the state to keep perennials and popcorn kernels free of pathogens and insects.”
Outside of work, Villazana uses his specialized expertise to serve his community. He is a board-certified entomologist specializing in urban and industrial entomology, a member of the Entomology Society of America, the Nebraska Chapter of Gamma Sigma Delta, the Nebraska Pesticide Board and the American Associate of Pesticide Safety Applicators.
Villazana also enjoys baking sourdough, bringing his dog along on insect-collecting and fossil-hunting adventures and playing board games, specifically Everdell and Wingspan.
