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Senior Vice President, External Relations, Vice President, Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of California. Dooley leads a statewide research and public service organization responsible for activities in agriculture, natural resources, environmental sciences, family and consumer sciences, forestry, human and community development, 4-H/ youth development and related areas.
Before joining UC, Dooley has had a long relationship with UC and the agricultural community. Throughout his career, he has held leadership positions in local, state and national agricultural organizations, as well as with the University. Dooley previously served as chief deputy director of the California Department of Food and Agriculture (1977-80) and member and chair of the California Water Commission (1982-86). He has chaired both the UC President’s Advisory Commission on Agriculture and Natural Resources and the UC Agricultural Issues Center’s advisory board, as well as serving as UC representative on the Council for Agriculture Research, Extension, and Teaching (CARET), a national grassroots organization of the land-grant universities and colleges.
Dooley was a partner at Dooley, Herr and Peltzer, LLP, a Visalia-based law firm emphasizing agricultural, environmental, business and water rights law, from 1993 to 2007. He has distinguished himself by successfully bridging environmental and economic considerations in a number of controversial legal issues, including the 2006 settlement of protracted litigation regarding the restoration of the San Joaquin River, the reintroduction of salmon and the maintenance of agricultural practices supported by water from the river.
From 1980 to 2002, he was a partner in family-owned Dooley Farms, a San Joaquin Valley farming operation that produces cotton, alfalfa and walnuts.
Dooley is a member of the National Academy of Sciences’ Board on Agriculture and Natural Resources and former chair of the Farm Foundation Round Table. He also served as vice chair of USDA’s National Agricultural Research, Extension, Education and Economics Advisory Board and as a member of the U.S. Trade Representative’s Agricultural Technical Advisory Committee for Trade.
A native of Hanford, California, Dooley received his bachelor's degree in agricultural economics from UC Davis and his J.D. from the McGeorge School of Law at the University of the Pacific. He is also a graduate of the California Agricultural Leadership Program.
Lori is the Boyd County Extension Agent for Horticulture. She has worked for the University of Kentucky Extension Service for 13 years. She has an active Master Gardener program in her county as well as an active program at the Federal Prison in Ashland, Ky. Lori is very involved with the Kentucky Association of Agricultural Agents and is serving her second term at secretary. Lori is a graduate of Eastern Kentucky University where she received a Bachelors Degree in Technical Horticulture. She is currently working on her master’s degree.
Master Gardeners and a Federal Prison: YouTube Video
Through the Master Gardener program there were 17 inmates at the Federal Correctional Institution in Ashland to be certified as Kentucky Master Gardeners and 5 individuals were certified through the program at the Extension Office. The main objective of this program is to not only educate individuals in horticulture but to train volunteers to work with the Extension Service on Community programs. This has always been the case with the class held at the Extension Office. However, this year it has been the program at the Federal Correctional Institution that has really come to the forefront. The facility has a garden that is approximately 4 acres in size and they are able to raise vegetable in three of the four seasons of the year. All the produce that they raised this year and that will be raised in the coming year is donated to River Cities Harvest. A community based organization that helps to distribute food to those in need. They supply food to local food banks and community kitchens. With the produce from this garden they are able to also supply fresh fruits and vegetables. This year was the trial year for this project and it got a late start but the garden was still able to supply close to 30,000 lbs of produce. How rewarding it has been to the inmates of this facility to be able to give back to the community that they are in. Not only do they get an education in horticulture practices, but they also get the opportunity to learn a new skill to aid them in getting a job upon release and they are able to experience what it feels like to truly help someone else in need.
PowerPoint Presentation
Sydney Park Brown is a member of the teaching faculty of the University of Florida's Department of Environmental Horticulture located at a distance campus near Tampa, FL. Sydney also serves as the state Extension Specialist for Consumer Horticulture developing educational resources for Extension agents, Master Gardeners and the public. Before becoming the state specialist, Sydney was a Horticulture Extension Agent in Hillsborough County where she initiated and managed a Master Gardener program for 27 years - training over 500 MG volunteers. She is an avid gardener, cook, and tennis player and is also a Master Gardener volunteer.
Lori is the Senior Extension Associate in Department of Horticulture at Cornell University; leading Adult and Family Education efforts in the Garden-Based Learning program including state coordination of the Cornell Cooperative Extension Master Gardener Volunteer program and Citizen Science in Horticulture.
Using the Web to Enhance Garden-Based Learning
PowerPoint Presentation
Connecting with audiences with web-based programs is now a fundamental part of our public education efforts. Web projects such as Vegetable Varieties for Gardeners citizen science and Growing Green Lawns will be featured to illustrate approaches to engaging the public and providing simple public messages that will lead to the lawn, garden and landscape success. Session participants will be asked to share innovative web projects examples and help brainstorm some keys to success in developing web-based public education programs in Garden-Based Learning.
Dave is the State Master Gardener Coordinator for Virginia Cooperative Extension. He has served in this role since 2004. Prior to moving to Virginia Tech, Dave was the Community Forestry Coordinator for the southern 36 counties in Illinois working jointly with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources and Southern Illinois University assisting small municipalities to manage their community forest resources. He received an M.S. degree in Forest Ecology from Southern Illinois University and has post-masters course work in Botany and Environmental Resources and Policy. In addition to working with the VCE MG program, he also co-facilitates the Horticulture Department’s graduate student seminar. He also currently serves on the Advisory Council for the Southern Region IPM Center and is the USDA NIFA southern region representative on the National Consumer Horticulture Committee. Dave and Constance, his wife of 17 years, live in Christiansburg, VA, and enjoy life raising their four daughters.
PowerPoint Presentation
Christiana manages the PlantRight project, which brings together the nursery industry with environmental groups, public gardens and arboreta, scientists, and government agencies to halt the introduction of invasive plants to California. Christiana brings over 10 years of experience in invasive species management and ecological restoration to Sustainable Conservation. She currently serves on the California Invasive Species Council Advisory Council. Prior to working with Cal-HIP, Christiana worked on large-scale riparian habitat restoration and invasive species removal projects in the Sacramento Valley for River Partners. She also served as the Invasive Species Chair for the California Native Plant Society Mt. Lassen Chapter, and helped to create a Central Valley version of Cal-IPC’s Don’t Plant a Pest brochure. She has also worked on restoration projects for the Insituto de Ecología in Mexico and Golden Gate National Recreation Area in the Presidio. Christiana received both her BS in Biology and MA in Ecology and Systematics from San Francisco State University. She recently published her thesis research, which looked at restoring coastal habitats invaded by iceplant (Carpobrotus edulis), in the journal Biological Invasions.
Greg Richardson is a Project Associate for the PlantRight campaign and coordinates its Spring Nursery Survey initiative, which was launched in partnership with the UC Master Gardener Program in 2010. Through this annual survey, PlantRight is gathering statewide information on the sale of invasive plants and will use this data to focus its outreach efforts more effectively across California’s 13,000 plant retailers, wholesalers and growers. Greg received a dual-degree Bachelor’s of Science degree from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor in 2009 for his studies in economics and environmental sciences.
PowerPoint Presentation
Karen has been affiliated with Marin County, University of California Cooperative Extension, for 22 years. For the past ten years she served as a 4-H community club leader and co-leader of the county’s SERIES, an after-school science program. During her tenure with Marin County 4-H she served terms as Board President and Regional State Representative. After joining the Marin Master Gardener program, Karen again served on the board in many positions, including a term as President. As a Master Gardener, Karen is responsible for helping to develop both the Bay Friendly Water Walk Program and the Indian Valley College Organic Farm and Garden. She is an avid gardener, and her home garden has been featured in both Better Homes & Gardens and Marin magazines.
PowerPoint Presentation
Mary Louise Flint is Associate Director for Urban and Community IPM, University of California Statewide Integrated Pest Management Project, and Extension Entomologist, Department of Entomology, UC Davis. She earned her Ph.D. in entomology from UC Berkeley in 1979. Previous to her appointment as Associate Director for Urban and Community IPM in 2007, she coordinated the University of California's educational materials in the area of integrated pest management and developed UC's popular IPM manual series, the UC IPM Pest Management Guidelines for agricultural crops, and the Pest Note series for home and landscapes. Her research has primarily been in the areas of biological control, adoption and dissemination of alternative pest management practices, and landscape pest management. She is author of over 100 research papers and books on integrated pest management including the University of California ANR Publications Pests of the Garden and Small Farm: A Grower’s Guide to Using Less Pesticide (Second Edition); Natural Enemies Handbook: The Illustrated Guide to Biological Pest Control; and IPM in Practice: Principles and Methods of Integrated Pest Management.
Established in 1979, the University of California Statewide Integrated Pest Management Program (UC IPM) develops and promotes the use of integrated, ecologically sound pest management programs in California to serve agriculture, urban and community, and natural resources audiences.
The mission of the UC IPM Program is to:
- Increase utilization of ecologically based integrated pest management programs
- Provide leadership in IPM including building coalitions and partnerships that link with communities and public agencies
- Increase the predictability and effectiveness of pest management techniques
- Develop science-based pest management programs that are economically and environmentally sustainable, and socially appropriate
- Protect human health and the environment by reducing risks caused by pests and pest management practices
UC IPM has created many resources for home gardeners, professional landscapers and other urban audiences to help them manage pests with less toxic approaches These include books, leaflets, online training courses, diagnostic aids, and a comprehensive web page at http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/menu.homegarden.html. UC IPM works closely with UC Master Gardeners and is their key resource for pest management information for the gardening public in California.
PowerPoint Presentation
Dave Fujino, a horticultural consultant with more than 19 years business experience in the nursery industry, is the founding director of the California Center for Urban Horticulture (CCUH) at UC Davis. He earned his B.S. in Plant Science at UC Riverside, and his M.S. and Ph.D. from UC Davis in Environmental Horticulture and Plant Physiology. Fujino’s experience includes many years in senior level management with a large wholesale horticultural company. His expertise includes organizational development, operations improvement, information technology, strategic planning, marketing, research and development, training, fund raising, and other areas.
Fujino is the current chair of the California Association of Nurseries and Garden Centers and the California Department of Food and Agriculture’s Nursery Pest Advisory Task Force. He also serves or has served on committees of the American Nursery and Landscape Association, USDA Agricultural Research Service, Nursery Growers Association, the State Water Resources Control Board, and others.
“We are fortunate to have found someone with Dave’s background to lead this groundbreaking new center that will serve as a horticultural research and education hub for the entire state,” said Neal Van Alfen, dean of the UC Davis College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. “He brings just the right mix of business acumen, academic foundation, and working relationships in government and industry to establish this new program. Dave is currently the Executive Director of California Center for Urban Horticulture (CCUH). The CCUH mission is to help California develop more enjoyable and sustainable gardens, landscapes and public parks with timely horticultural information. The CCUH is located at the University of California, Davis, and draws upon the knowledge and expertise of our partners in academia, industry and the public. Urban horticulture has a significant role in water, energy and resource conservation, reducing pesticide use, native plant propagation, wildlife preservation, and controlling invasive species. The CCUH public programs, demonstration gardens, and research provide Californians with horticultural information needed for creating and maintaining environmentally sound landscapes.
PowerPoint Presentation
Pam is the Academic Coordinator for the UC Statewide Master Gardener Program. She was the Environmental Horticulture Advisor in Fresno County for 25 years. She has an M.S. in Plant Science, with emphasis in pest management, and did her post-graduate work at Penn State in Agronomy, with emphasis in turf management.
Pam established the Fresno County Master Gardener program in 1981. The Fresno County Master Gardener program’s annual training sessions are so popular, volunteers are selected through an application and interview process. Geisel coordinated the Master Gardeners’ establishment of “The Garden of the Sun” on a one-acre portion of the Discovery Center, at Winery and McKinley avenues in Fresno. The garden includes a variety of distinct sections, such as a 75-variety tomato garden, a children’s garden, an All American Selections demonstration garden, turf grass, fruit trees, a perennial garden, a garden for the disabled and a covered outdoor classroom facility. The budget for garden maintenance is generated by fees for weekly workshops presented by the Master Gardeners on composting, pruning, turf management, pest control and garden crafts. Fundraisers, such as a spring garden tour and mid-summer tomato tasting event, also help meet garden funding needs. All labor is volunteered.
Program and Project Evaluation Presentation
National Grant Opportunities Presentation
Bill Hoffman's title with NIFA is National Program Leader for Agriculture Homeland Security. In this capacity, he provides national leadership for the Extension Master Gardener program; Serves as the institutes liaison to the USDA Peoples Garden Initiative; Serves as director of the Methyl Bromide Transitions program; Provides national leadership for the Extension Disaster Education Network; Works as a secondary national program leader, with NIFA's Jim Parochetti, to provide national leadership for the Pesticide Safety Education Program; Serves as the agency's co-liaison to the University of New Hampshire ; Coordinates the NIFA Food and Agricultural Defense Initiative funding; Consults with the USDA Office of Homeland Security on farm security regulatory matters; and Provides leadership for a portfolio of Hatch multi-state committees and congressionally designated grants.
Bill received his Doctor of Education degree in Higher Education Administration from George Washington University in 2009. He holds a Master of Education degree in Instructional Systems (2002) and a Master of Business Administration degree (1992), both from Penn State. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Agricultural Economics and Rural Sociology from Penn State in 1989. Prior to coming to NIFA in 2002, he worked for five years in Penn States Office of Pesticide Education. He spent the previous five years as a sales representative for two different crop protection product manufacturers.
Karen has served as the content development specialist/coordinator for the eXtension Consumer Horticulture Community of Practice (CHCoP) since the inception of the Gardens, Lawns, and Landscapes resource area in 2007. In 2009, Karen expanded her role as a content development specialist by joining the eXtension National Initiative content staff. In this role, Karen provides support for all communities of practice and extension personnel who develop content and engage audiences through extension.org and other online collaborative environments.
Prior to her work with the eXtension National Initiative, Karen earned her B.S in Horticulture from the University of Wisconsin – River Falls, and her M.S. in Horticulture from the University of Minnesota. Following her graduate studies, Karen provided research, education, and outreach support as a research and extension fellow in the Department of Horticultural Science at University Minnesota.
eXtension Consumer Horticulture Community and Content Development: Version 2.0 and beyond
PowerPoint Presentation
The Consumer Horticulture Community of Practice (CHCoP) launched a national Consumer Horticulture resource area, Gardens, Lawns, and Landscapes, aimed at the general public and Extension Master Gardener community through the extension.org Website in February 2008. This resource area include pages of basic information, faqs, news, events, and Ask an Expert (questions answering application and interface) which seeks to encompass the best of the best horticulture researched-based resources through Land-grant universities and Cooperative Extension.
Since then, new developments to feature the Extension Master Gardener community through a new eXtension resource area, (http://extension.org/mastergardener), accompanied by the Extension Master Gardener Blog (http://blogs.extension.org/mastergardener) were initiated and developed to keep up with shifts in demand for online communities and Web-based information and to promote community and interaction among the nations 96,000+ EMG volunteers. It is hoped that the new EMG resource area and blog will provide opportunities for individual states to share and highlight events, news, and FAQs that may be of interest to both their local and fellow national EMG audience. Just how well are these national consumer horticulture resources serving the CHCoP and who has become involved? With the continual evolution of Web-based information and online communities, what is the next phase of content development or community engagement for the CHCoP? Why will it matter or be helpful for all those with horticulture-related extension responsibilities within their Land-grant universities and/or throughout Cooperative Extension to participate in content or community development with the CHCoP and eXtension? Answers to these questions and more will be discussed during this session.
Integrating eXtension Ask an Expert and Minnesota Ask a Master Gardener: Using a national electronic question answering service for local consumer horticulture questions.
PowerPoint Presentation
Minnesota Extension Master Gardeners have been answering questions online through the “Ask a Master Gardener” (AAMG) volunteer opportunity for nearly 10 years via electronic forms of communication.
Prior to the 2007, the Ask a Master Gardener Program (AAMG) used a Web (discussion) board to respond to questions from the public. In 2007, loss of technological support for the AAMG Web board and the launch of the new national eXtension question answering application and interface, Ask an Expert (AaE), occurred nearly simultaneously, enabling Minnesota Master Gardeners an opportunity to migrate to using the eXtension AaE system without investing in new technological development or system support and maintenance. This session will discuss technological and group dynamics associated with transitioning Master Gardeners from answering consumer horticulture questions from a Web-based discussion board to the eXtension Ask an Expert system, including recruitment, EMG volunteer support, as well as future needs for making this volunteer opportunity more successful for EMG volunteers.
Mississippi Master Gardener Training Fee Outline
Lelia is an Associate Extension Professor and the Consumer Horticulture Specialist for the Mississippi State University Extension Service. Her duties also include statewide responsibility for the Master Gardener Program. She has her M.S. and Ph.D. in horticulture from Mississippi State and has worked for Extension for ten years. Before joining Extension she owned and operated two businesses, a landscape design and consulting business and a wholesale herb growing greenhouse operation. She is a regular contributor to Mississippi Gardener magazine and also contributes to newspapers and other gardening publications. She is a frequent speaker at garden events in the Southeast. She lives and gardens out in the country west of Corinth, Mississippi.
Dave Krause is the web team supervisor at ANR Communication Services. In addition to the California Master Gardener Volunteer Management System or VMS, Dave is lead programmer for various web-based ANR applications such as Site Builder and Collaborative Tools. Currently, ANR's web team is working on a multi-state version of the VMS. The goal is to provide a low-cost reporting solution to extension MG programs across the county.
Dave received a degree in English and has a background in project and event management. Even though he didn't purchase a computer until after college, Dave stumbled into web development in the late 90's by publishing his own fiction on the internet. As for gardening, Dave is a skilled lawn mower, and has even been known to mow the roses and tomato plants. His talents extend to integrated pest management, as he recently used a combination of childish screams and a flat-head shovel to eliminate a minor rodent infestation.
Scott Oneto is an Agriculture and Natural Resources Advisor and County Director with the University of California Cooperative Extension in El Dorado, Amador, Calaveras and Tuolumne Counties. Scott began his career with Cooperative Extension as a Master Gardener Coordinator in Amador County where he worked with volunteers for 8 years. Scott graduated from U.C. Davis with a Bachelors degree in plant biology and a Master’s Degree in Weed Science.
UC Statewide Master Gardener Program's FAQ (Frequently Asked Question) System
PowerPoint Presentation
The UC Statewide Master Gardener Program and ANR Communication Services are pleased to announce the launch of our new online system to assist Master Gardener volunteers find answers to hotline/help desk questions. The FAQ system (Frequently Asked Questions) enable volunteers to provide feedback to other FAQ’s and the ability to post their own questions with descriptions and photographs. UCCE Master Gardeners can access the FAQ system through the (Volunteer management System) VMS, or through their UC portal.
PowerPoint Presentation
Karan is a native of South Georgia, she received her B.S. degree in Biology, from the University of Texas in Arlington, Texas. She has also completed graduate work at U-TX-Arlington and worked with the Texas Invaders Program based at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in Austin. Karan is currently the Invasive Plants Coordinator for the Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health at the University of Georgia at Tifton where she is responsible for development and delivery of outreach materials, expanding the development and operation of the Georgia Invasive Species Task Force, development of Cooperative Invasive Species Management Areas in Georgia, development and training associated with the Early Detection and Distribution Mapping System (EDDMapS), and collection of field survey data.
Bruce Barbour, B.S. Agricultural Science '74 Cook College, M.S. Weed Science '79 Rutgers Graduate School, New Brunswick is Warren County Agricultural and Resource Management. He is creator and coordinator of the Rutgers Environmental Stewards. He has also served as statewide Environmental Program Leader for Rutgers Cooperative Extension, and as Chair of the Department of Agriculture and Resource Management Agents at Cook College and before that as Sussex County Agricultural Agent. Current Research and demonstration interests include invasive species, ecological restoration, vegetation management and water quality and alternatives to conventional turf management. Working with a team of Rutgers faculty and staff and partners from the Duke Farms Foundation he has initiated the Rutgers Environmental Steward Volunteer Training program in New Jersey, a new form of the successful Master Gardener program developed and run by Cooperative Extension. The program was awarded the Governor’s Award for Environmental Excellence in 2007. He serves on two committees of the NJ Invasive Species Council.
Bruce initiated and ran New Jersey's first Pesticide Clean Up Day that attracted statewide interest and was duplicated in throughout the state with the help of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. He was a Trustee of the Garden State Enviro-news, Editor of Rutgers Enviro-notes on-line newsletter and a past recipient of the Distinguished Service Award from the National Association of County Agricultural Agents.
Julie grew her first vegetable garden by reading the back of seed packets the summer she turned 18. As a horticulture agent for University of Alaska Fairbanks Cooperative Extension Service, her professional life is dedicated to teaching people how to garden. She works with home gardeners and the horticulture industry in Anchorage. During the past 26 years Ms. Riley trained over 1,000 Master Gardeners.
Refugee Farmers’ Market Project in Alaska
One of her most rewarding projects has been the Refugee Farmers’ Market Project, a collaboration with Refugee Assistance & Immigration Services (RAIS). In addition to learning cool season gardening techniques, the refugees were taught basic small business skills and marketing techniques. Selling at farmers’ markets also gave participants a chance to practice their English. Last year some of the West African families learned to prepare the vegetables they grew through Extension’s Alaska Nutrition Education Program. The Refugee Farmers’ Market Project started with a small grant from the USDA Risk Management Agency and after its first year, was one of six success stories highlighted at the 5th Annual USDA/Partners meeting in Washington D.C. A 12-minute documentary video has been created to describe the project.
Jon is the Director of the Home and Garden Information Center, Extension Specialist, Vegetables and Fruits, and the State Master Gardener Coordinator. Jon has over 30 years of agricultural and gardening experience. He earned a Masters Degree in Agricultural Extension Education from the University of Tennessee and was active in vegetable production and marketing in East and Middle Tennessee. In 1989 he became Urban Gardening Coordinator for University of Maryland Extension in Baltimore City where he helped develop community gardens and trained and supervised Master Gardeners. In 1994 Jon became the State Master Gardener Coordinator and the Vegetable and Fruit Specialist at the University’s Home and Garden Information Center. He was appointed Center Director in 2007. Jon is spearheading the new Grow It Eat It campaign to teach Marylanders to grow some of their own food.
The University of Maryland Cooperative Extension Master Gardener Program
Maryland Master Gardener Funding Outline
The Maryland MG Program celebrated 30 years of successful educational programs and service in 2008. The program operates in 18 counties and Baltimore City. Over 1400 active volunteers contributed 83,000 hours in 2009. Major outreach programs include plant clinics, Bay-Wise Landscaping, therapeutic horticulture, youth and school gardening, and the Grow It Eat It campaign that began in 2009.
The MG state office started an extensive advanced training program in 1996 to improve competency and reduce attrition. Single day and multi-day classes and courses covering a wide range of topics have proven popular and successful. The advanced training coordinator position is mostly self-funded through training fees and handbook sales. The Maryland program has been significantly improved by a state-wide strategic planning committee, initiated in 2002 to combat threatened budget cuts.
![UM[1].4c (450 x 300)](http://ucanr.edu/sites/master_gardener/files/27908display.jpg "UM[1].4c (450 x 300)")
PowerPoint Presentation
A two-time graduate of the University of Minnesota, Julie holds a Master’s degree in visual communication and worked 12 years in business marketing and management in the imaging industry. Shifting career gears, she graduated from the Department of Horticultural Science with a Master of Agriculture degree in 2002 where she taught landscape design and computer-aided design for the next five years. Julie was appointed to her current position as assistant extension professor and director of Extension’s Master Gardener Program in 2007. In addition to overseeing the Master Gardener Program, Julie enjoys presenting on landscape topics and teaching the landscape design basics workshop to Master Gardeners and the public. Julie and her husband, Karl, reside in Mound, MN, where Julie experiments in her own backyard with small space landscape design and can’t say no to a new plant.
As of Dec. 6, 1999 Tom has served as the Florida Master Gardener Coordinator in Gainesville at the University of Florida. This is a position that works with the 58 counties in the state that have Master Gardener Programs. In 2009 alone, the over 4100 Florida Master Gardeners donated over 400,000 volunteer hours to their communities. The clients he works with are the Extension Agents in each county which work directly with the volunteers.
Tom hosts the daily gardening radio show ‘Gardening in a Minute’. This show now in its fourth year has won numerous national awards. Tom now is part of the IFAS/Extension team working on the new television show ‘Your Southern Garden’. This half hour show airs in Florida and Georgia and brings research based gardening information from UF and UGA to the citizens of our two states. Tom coordinates the annual Florida School Garden Competition which recognizes elementary schools for their gardening efforts, and coordinates UF’s involvement with the Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival. Tom graduated from the University of Florida in 1986 with a B.S. in Ornamental Horticulture. He is currently working on his Masters degree in Instructional Technology at the University of Central Florida. Tom’s wife Becky and sixteen-year-old daughter Megan love to work in the garden with him when they are not following the Gators wherever they play.
Ellen Zagory serves as a spokesperson for the UC Davis Arboretum in their education and outreach program promoting more sustainable garden plants and practices. She has appeared on Hewell Howser's PBS Road trip, DIY TV and KFBK's Get Growing with Farmer Fred. She also has written a series for Pacific Horticulture Magazine on the UC Davis Arboretum All Star program, and travels the state lecturing to UCCE master Gardeners and regional garden clubs about beautiful heat-tolerant and low-water-use plants. A resident and gardener in the Central Valley for the past 24 years and a knowledgeable horticulturist, she recently has become more interested in the interactions our gardens have with the fauna of surrounding wild lands, and how our constructed landscapes can help support the biodiversity of native insects and other wildlife.
