Emily Cantonwine is a Professor in the Department of Biology at Valdosta State University. She received a B.S. in Botany from Miami University, an M.S. in Biology from Florida International University, and a PhD in Plant Pathology from the University of Georgia. Emily currently serves as a Senior Editor for the journal Plant Health Instructor and chairs the MSA Education Committee. She is past President and Vice-president of the Georgia Association of Plant Pathologists, and former chairperson for two American Peanut Research and Education Society award committees. Her research program focuses on the peanut leaf spot pathogens Passalora arachidicola and Nothopassalora personata, characterizing their responses to host resistance and fungicides at the organismal and population levels. She teaches Introduction to Biology, Plant Pathology, Mycology, both on-campus and as a study abroad, and Biodiversity of Macrofungi. The latter course includes an undergraduate research experience that has led to a 5-fold increase in vouchered macrofungi for a poorly sampled region of South Georgia, most with an associated ITS sequence. Emily has mentored 35 students in research and advocates for public participation in science to increase scientific literacy. As such, she organized two local BioBlitz events and served on the Steering Committee for the North American Mycoflora Project, now Fungal Diversity Survey. In 2019, she was recognized with the Presidential Award for Service from her University.