Kenneth Learned, District Biologist

Kenneth Learned has been employed by the Mosquito and Vector Management District of Santa Barbara County since 1991, initially as a vector control technician, and has served as the District Biologist since 1998. The District Biologist’s responsibilities include managing and overseeing the District’s Vector-borne Disease Surveillance program countywide, providing surveillance for diseases such as West Nile Virus, Mosquito-borne Encephalitis, Hantavirus, Bubonic Plague, Lyme Disease, and other tick-borne diseases. Other major duties involve providing technical expertise and information on vectors and vector issues to the public, to other government agencies, and to District staff. Mr. Learned also served as Interim General Manager for nine months in 2007. A Santa Barbara County native, Mr. Learned graduated from Lompoc High School and then attended Allan Hancock College in Santa Maria before transferring to California State University, Long Beach. While at C.S.U.,Long Beach, he received a B.A. in Entomology then spent some time in the Master’s in Biology (with entomology emphasis) program at the university. Previous employment includes doing quality control for a flower seed grower, worked as a salesman in a garden shop, a public transit bus driver, an insect trapper for the Santa Barbara and Ventura County Agricultural Commissioners, an agricultural inspector for the Ventura County Agricultural Commissioner, and worked on a special project as a hazardous materials inspector for the Santa Barbara County Environmental Health Services.