Dr. Karla Addesso received her Ph.D. from the University of Florida in December 2007. She completed postdoctoral work in the Chemistry Unit of the U.S. Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service's Center for Medical, Agricultural and Veterinary Entomology. She was awarded the Henry and Sylvia Richardson Postdoctoral Award by the Entomological Society of America in 2009.
In 2012, Dr. Addesso joined Tennessee State University as an Assistant Professor in ornamental entomology. Her current research focuses on management of woody ornamental pests including flatheaded borers, ambrosia beetles, mites, and armored scales as well as regulatory pests including imported fire ants and Japanese beetle. In 2014, Dr. Addesso was awarded the College of Agriculture Young Researcher Award for her program initiation. Since joining TSU, she has advised nine graduate students, published several dozen peer-reviewed, extension, and trade papers. She was promoted to the rank of Associate Professor in August 2018.
Dr. Addesso participates in the Ambrosia Beetle Working Group, the Wood Borer Working Group, and the NCERA224 Multistate Project and has served on several USDA and foundation grant panels. She has served ESA as a judge for student competitions and the Monsanto Graduate Student Travel Grant panel and is currently on the ESA Southeastern Branch Membership Committee. She is active in the Southern Nursery Association and is a judge for the Sydney B. Meadows Scholarship Endowment Fund. She is active in the Tennessee Entomological Society, previously serving as Member-at-Large and Editor, and is currently President-Elect. Dr. Addesso is an Associate Editor of Environmental Entomology and serves as a reviewer for other ESA and topical journals.