Rachel Morreale

Lee County Mosquito Control District

Manager, Applied Science and Technologies

Rachel Morreale leads the sterile insect technique program at Lee County Mosquito Control District. She received a Bachelor of Science from the University of North Florida and upon completion of her undergraduate studies, Rachel worked as a Seasonal Surveillance Assistant for LCMCD where she learned about the importance of mosquito control. In 2014, she earned a Master of Science in biology focused on medical entomology from Georgia Southern University. Upon returning to LCMCD, Rachel worked as Field Validation Biologist, in which she oversaw the Insecticide Susceptibility Program, conducted droplet characterization tests on the ground and aircraft fleet, evaluated new products, and researched techniques to improve current mosquito control methods. As the Applied Science and Technologies Manager, Rachel has developed the sterile insect technique program for LCMCD from its inception in 2017. She has directed the establishment of population surveillance, mass rearing of Aedes aegypti, and sterilization on male mosquitoes for releases. She constantly works to further the program’s goals of mosquito suppression and for the advancement of SIT with colleagues around the world.