He has held this position since 1989 and has been with the Division since 1982. He is Past-President of the American Assoc. of Pesticide Safety Educators (AAPSE) and The Pesticide Stewardship Alliance (TPSA), and past Co-Chair of the Certification and Training Assessment Group (CTAG). Ples has degrees in Biology, Plant Pathology, and Spanish. In addition, he and his wife have owned and operated a small fruit and nut farm in central Arkansas since 1985.