Dr. Nathan Kleczewski (Kluh-chess-ski) is an Assistant Research Professor and Extension Field Crop Pathologist at the University of Illinois. He grew up near Sheboygan Wisconsin, and earned his B.Sc. in plant ecology and organismal biology from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh in 2004, and his Ph.D. in plant pathology from The Ohio State University in 2009. His extension and research program focuses on identifying new and emerging disease threats to field crop production in Illinois and the surrounding region, with a focus on fungal pathogens and mycorrhizal fungi. He has been working on Tar spot in corn since beginning his position at UIUC in the Fall of 2017, with research focusing on elucidating the biology and ecology of the tar spot pathogen, as well as improving management strategies. Prior to UIUC, Dr. Kleczewski worked for five years as the Extension Field Crop Pathologist at the University of Delaware, with informal responsibilities in Maryland and New Jersey, and for one year as a research and development scientist at FMC-GIO. He also completed a post-doctoral position in vegetable pathology at Purdue, and worked as a research scholar in plant microbial interactions at Indiana University.