Julie Beale has been Diagnostician at the University of Kentucky Plant Disease Diagnostic Laboratory (Lexington) for the past twelve years. Her work in the PDDL includes diagnosis of approximately 2000 plant disease specimens annually, as well as research and teaching activities in the Department of Plant Pathology. She teaches plant pathology for numerous county Master Gardener programs throughout the state and assists in departmental course offerings in general plant pathology and diagnosis. A native of North Carolina, she received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1989. She completed a Master of Sciences in Plant Pathology from the University of Minnesota before settling in Lexington. Ms. Beale is a member of the American Phytopathological Society.