New leadership Joins PAm Board

​​Project Apis m. welcomes Tammy Horn Potter to its Board of Directors. A native of Kentucky, Tammy is currently the State Apiarist. She is a consummate bridge-builder and master of bee history and lore. She brings her passion for honey bees, apiculture education, collaboration, and pollinator protection to PAm’s mission.

​​Tammy is inspired by new advances in queen bee breeding, what she describes as “the heartbeat of honey bee health,” and the movement to bring more clean, nutritious pollinator habitat back into the landscape.

​ “It’s tangible. It takes a long-term commitment. And it’s not easy,” she says. “But if we get long-term commitment, the land is living again. The bees are buzzing. Plants are growing. Nectar is flowing. I get to be a part of it. And that’s exciting.”Tammy has studied the pulse of beekeeping and beekeepers – large operations and small. “I want to do whatever I can to build bridges. Bring diversity and a different perspective. This is important for beekeeping and bee health,” Tammy adds.

Tammy became interested in beekeeping in the late 1990s while working with her grandfather in his apiaries. Tammy has authored Bees in America: How the Honey Bee Shaped a Nation (2005) and Beeconomy: What Women and Bees Teach Us About Local Trade and Global Markets (2012), and is now working on her third book about forest-based beekeeping. She has worked in the queen bee production industry, in forest-based beekeeping with Coal Country Beeworks, with surface mine companies to increase pollinator habitat, and as an apiary educator.

Tammy is no stranger to the multitude of issues influencing bees, beekeeping, agriculture and honey production. “It’s a complicated industry. And this is a complicated time, and there are no easy answers. We need to be asking the right questions. Roll up our sleeves. Marshal resources,” says Tammy. “PAm does a great service for the bee industry in lots of different ways.”

Tammy is a trusted voice in beekeeping circles and for honey bee advocacy. We are proud Tammy has chosen to share her experience, wisdom and leadership with PAm. Read Tammy’s bio here, and a wonderful article about Tammy published in Bee Culture here.