Dr. Darlene Cowart’s election as Fellow of the American Peanut Research and Education Society (APRES) reflects her groundbreaking impact on peanut food safety, industry leadership, and service to the profession. With over three decades dedicated solely to peanuts, Dr. Cowart has emerged as a national voice for food safety, earning widespread respect across industry and academia.

As Vice President of Food Safety and Quality at Birdsong Peanuts, she has spearheaded critical quality and safety initiatives and served as the industry’s technical representative during major events, including testifying before Congress during the PCA salmonella outbreak. Her leadership catalyzed meaningful change—helping shape legislation like the Food Safety Modernization Act.

Her service spans the USDA Peanut Standards Board, the American Peanut Shellers Association, the Peanut Institute, the Peanut Research Foundation, and the American Peanut Council. She has played pivotal roles in promoting aflatoxin research, implementing safety standards for U.S. peanuts, and strengthening international market protocols.

Dr. Cowart also led the Peanut Institute’s research committee and personally advanced its mission, including helping to select its executive director. She wrote a chapter in a foundational peanut textbook, and regularly engages media to educate and advocate. Even during peak shelling seasons, she hosts plant tours and supports public outreach.

Through APRES, she served on key committees (Public Relations, Finance, Peanut Quality), the Board of Directors, and as a recurring symposium speaker, showcasing her dedication to educating and leading across disciplines.

As one evaluator stated, “When serious technical issues arise in the US Peanut Industry, especially around food safety and/or food quality, Dr. Cowart is often the first person called to provide her perspective and organize an industry response.” For all these reasons, her election as Fellow of APRES is both a recognition of immense influence and a testament to lifelong service.

Dr. Baozhu Guo’s election as a Fellow of the American Peanut Research and Education Society (APRES) underscores an extraordinary career spanning over three decades in plant pathology, with a significant impact on peanut disease resistance and genomics. As a Research Plant Pathologist in the USDA-ARS since 1996, Dr. Guo has pioneered efforts in mitigating aflatoxin contamination and enhancing resistance to TSWV, nematodes, and leaf spots through genetic and genomic innovations.

Among his major achievements are the development of foundational genetic resources, including expressed sequence tags, QTL maps, and microarrays for peanut, which were instrumental in sequencing the cultivar “Tifrunner” as the reference genome. His leadership in launching and advancing the U.S. Peanut Genome Initiative has driven international collaborations and genomic breakthroughs.

From 2020 onward, Dr. Guo led the creation of the first Aspergillus flavus pangenome and developed the PeanutMAGIC population—over 2,500 RILs—for high-resolution trait mapping, including newly identified genetic markers for resistance to TSWV and root-knot nematodes, and enhanced oleic acid content.

He has authored over 200 peer-reviewed publications and mentored numerous students, many of whom have achieved national recognition. His service to APRES includes committee leadership and significant contributions to graduate student development, fostering the next generation of researchers and advancing the society's mission. In the words of one former student: “To say Dr. Guo is a good mentor, is a gross understatement. His students are not a simple requirement of his position nor a line on a CV, but an honor that he upholds. Not only has he facilitated an environment to develop my scientific career through resources and connections but has improved my character through his wisdom and challenging experiences.”

Dr. Guo’s research has not only propelled scientific understanding but also enabled practical breeding tools for peanut improvement, earning him prestigious awards and a global reputation. His recognition as a Fellow of APRES reflects a legacy of innovation, mentorship, and transformative contributions to agricultural science.