The mission of the Early Career Professionals Committee is to serve the needs of impending and recent graduates (those within ten years of graduation including postdoctoral researchers, Assistant Professors, and new principle investigators in academia, government, or industry), as well as those making a transition to new positions in phytopathology, by providing resources such as training, mentoring, career counseling, and networking opportunities. To achieve this mission, the Early Career Professionals Committee is envisioned to provide: 1) webinars dealing with various issues such as searching for a suitable position, starting new laboratories focused on plant pathology, and obtaining external grants for national and international funding agencies; 2) mentorship by fellow early career professionals who just successfully navigated similar changes faced when undergoing career transitions, and 3) networking opportunities such as those provided at the APS annual and divisional meetings and through committee participation.