Amara is the Biocontrol Specialist with the New York State Integrated Pest Management Program, whose office is located at Cornell AgriTech. Her primary responsibility is extension, with a small portion of her effort dedicated to research. She supports the effective use of biological control across New York as part of an integrated management strategy, and works with stakeholders in all agricultural crops and commodities, as well as community settings (where people live, work, play, and learn). Amara earned a B.S. in Biology from Juniata College, and both an M.S. and a Ph.D. in Plant Pathology and Plant-Microbe Biology from Cornell University.