Driss Benmhend

I am a regulatory action leader with the Biopesticides Division at the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA). I perform both risk assessment and management of the scientific data submitted to support the registration biopesticides under section 3 of FIFRA (Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act). I also represent the Agency, attend conferences and give presentations in the US and abroad, about biopesticide regulation.

I grew up in Sefrou, a town in Northern Morocco at the foot of the Middle Atlas mountains, about 20 miles South of Fes. When I was young, I had great interest in Math and Physics. After completing high school, I received a full scholarship to study at the Institut Industriel Superieur in Belgium. However, my family could not afford to pay for my trip and living expenses there. Luckily, I was accepted to attend l'Institut Agronomique in Rabat. In 1986, I graduated with an engineering degree in horticulture and plant pathology.

I worked for four years as a general manager of an agri-business company in the Agadir area. In 1990, I moved to the US with the intention of joining a graduate program in plant pathology at the University of Minnesota. Instead, I ended up working as a task manager with a government consultant, supervising staff scientists and document reviewers for EPA's Pesticide Registration Program.

While my wife was attending law school in Michigan, I enrolled and completed a Masters degree in Finance at Eastern Michigan University. I subsequently obtained my current position at EPA.

My biggest interest and devotion is for my family. In fact, the reason I choose to work for the government is mainly due to the flexibility it offers me to be available for my family members when they need me. When I am not busy with my kids, I love to coach and play soccer, and read and write, especially about the Amazigh culture. I am also in the process of writing my family biography to help my children understand their Moroccan roots.