Colby Colona

Colby Colona graduated from Southeastern Louisiana University in 2006 with a Bachelor of Science
degree in Biology and in 2008 with a master’s degree in Evolutionary Biology.

She joined the Tangipahoa Mosquito Abatement District #1 as the entomologist in March 2008 and
became Assistant Director at the beginning of 2018. She oversees the laboratory and surveillance
operations as well as supervises district operations in the absence of the Director. She has had an
integral role in implementing loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) testing at the district in
2018 in order to test mosquito samples for West Nile virus. This allows for less time waiting for positive
arbovirus results and has led to greater accuracy in our treatment operations.

She has been a member of both the Louisiana Mosquito Control Association (LMCA) and American
Mosquito Control Association since 2008 and is 8A and 8D certified. She was elected to the LMCA board
in 2012, served as Vice President in 2014 and 2021, and President in 2015 and 2022. She currently
serves on multiple LMCA committees and was previously a co-editor for the newest addition of the
Louisiana Mosquito control training manual. She is also a graduate of the 2012 class of Leadership
Tangipahoa.

Colby currently lives in Hammond with her husband, Aaron, their daughter, Madeline, and two
mischievous cats, Leo and Loki.