Dr. Yilmaz Balci is the assistant director for the Plants for Planting Policy program in USDA-APHIS Plant Protection and Quarantine. His team of 13 develops science-based import policies for all propagative plant material imported into the United States. He has developed new import requirements and established special programs that helped US plant industries and consumers to have access to diverse agricultural or horticultural planting material and access to pest-free germplasm to increase US competitiveness in global market. Prior joining APHIS, Dr. Balci spent 15 years in academia at West Virginia University and at the University of Maryland where he built a plant health program. Dr. Balci’s formal education includes a PhD in Plant Pathology, a MSc in Botany and Mycology and a BSc in Forest Engineering.