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KEYNOTE SPEAKERS
Jeff Raska
Horticultural Program Coordinator – Dallas County
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service
Jeff ”retired” to AgriLife 11 years ago after being in the Horticulture business for 25 years managing wholesale and retail nurseries as well as working for an ISD for 10 years as a landscape supervisor. He was certified a Texas Master Gardener in 2003 while supporting Dallas County Extension as a program sponsor and has been working with school and community gardens over his professional career. He currently oversees Dallas County Master Gardeners as well as Extension programming and runs the Urban County Farm and research gardens as part of Dallas County’s R.E.D facility.
Session: The Urban County Farm
Kimberly Benton
County Extension Agent – Horticulture, Cherokee County
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service
Kimberly Benton earned a Master of Science degree in Agriculture at Stephen F. Austin State University under Dr. David Creech in 2006 and has served as Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Agent for Horticulture in Cherokee County since 2010.
Her professional focus is providing horticultural education to Cherokee County and surrounding areas through classes and projects like Snake Woman’s Garden at Caddo Mounds State Historic Site as well as gardens at multiple schools within the county and public education opportunities. She has been blessed to share her knowledge in locations as far reaching as Romania and has had national rose trials in Maine and at the Smithsonian gardens.
Kimberly is coordinator for the Cherokee County Master Gardener Association, an award-winning and active group who manages multiple gardens and has yearly educational conferences, plant sales, and a scarecrow trail. Additionally, she is a member of Texas County Agriculture Agents Association and National Association of County Agriculture Agents and was given the Achievement Award from each association in 2017, as well as both the Superior Service Award (2013) and the Vice Chancellors Award in Excellence (2014) for her work with the National Earth-Kind® Rose Team.
She is a single mom of two amazing kids, 12 and 14, and they share many family hobbies like travel, rockhounding, and fostering rescue dogs and cats. Kim also loves photography, horses, reading, and the beach.
Her very first memory is of being in the garden, and she has been going back as often as possible since then. There is a long history of gardening in her family. Strong hands have worked the soil for many generations, and she is proud that hers do also.
Session: Agent Panel
Brittnay Meyer
County Extension Agent – Home Horticulture, Tarrant County
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service
Brittnay has a bachelor’s degree in Horticulture and Crop Science from Sam Houston State University, with a Master of Science in Plant Pathology and Microbiology from Texas A&M University. Therefore, I have the knowledge to help with not only what and how to grow a beautiful garden or landscape but help determine what is potentially wrong with your plants when they are not performing well. I have worked in the commercial landscape industry and public gardens for six years. Realizing the gap between consumers and industry/research, I wanted to be a part of Extension to help bridge that gap. I am passionate about agriculture and gardening education in both adults and youth within the county. To have the general public learn from good sources where our food comes from is the next step for the agriculture community.
I grew up in agriculture and have loved every minute of it. Growing up I rode horses, raised cattle and swine, and played outside in the dirt at every opportunity. I love to learn and believe learning never stops! Though my degrees are both in horticulture, I have a diverse knowledge base that includes both small and large animals, as well as construction. I love to read and play boardgames, or any other nerdy thing. I have three ridiculous cats that drive me insane, but who I love a ton.
Session: Agent Panel
Kyla Moeller
County Extension Agent – Family and Community Health, Grimes County
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service
Kyla is a native of Del Rio and was a member of the Val Verde County 4-H program. She was very active in a variety of 4-H projects, including food and nutrition educational events. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Animal Science from Texas A&M University. During her time at Texas A&M, she was a member of the Saddle and Sirloin Club, the A&M Wool Judging Team and served as the DeWitt County AgriLife Extension Intern in Cuero.
Kyla is currently working towards a Master of Agriculture from Sam Houston State University and is currently in her third year as the County Extension Agent for Family and Community Health and 4-H Youth Development in Grimes County.
Clint Perkins
County Extension Agent—Ag/NR, Smith County
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Program
Clint Perkins started his Extension career as the Agriculture Agent in Milam County in 2003. He then transferred to Wood County and served as the Agricultural Agent for 12.5 years before recently transferring to Smith County. He works closely with his program area committees to address programming needs in Livestock and Forages, Horticulture, Master Gardeners, Wildlife and Natural Resources, Earth-Kind® Living, and Result Demonstrations and Applied Research Projects to serve the needs of the county. He received his Bachelor of Science Degree from Texas A&M University in Agronomy and a Master’s in Soil Science from Texas Tech University.
Session: Agent Panel
Brie Arthur
Author and Horticulturist
Brie the Plant Lady
Originally from southeastern Michigan, Brie Arthur studied Landscape Design and Horticulture at Purdue University. With two decades of experience, she shares her expertise as an advocate for consumer horticulture and home gardening across America.
The author of The Foodscape Revolution and Gardening with Grains, Arthur also contributes to the Emmy-winning PBS television program, Growing a Greener World. Brie is an ambassador for Soil3 organic compost, and shares expert advice through her YouTube channel, “Brie the Plant Lady”.
She is Past President of the International Plant Propagators’ Society Southern Region and is on the board of the North Carolina Botanic Garden Foundation.
The American Horticultural Society recognized Brie with the first Emerging Horticultural Professional Award for her efforts in connecting a new generation to the art of gardening.
As a passionate garden communicator, Brie offers a wide selection of programs for both live and virtual events.
Session: Marketing to Generation Me
BONUS SESSION SPEAKERS
Jayla Fry
Program Extension Specialist – Master Gardener Program
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service
Jayla graduated from Texas A&M University with a Bachelor of Science in Horticulture and a master’s in Agriculture Education. She is currently pursuing a Doctorate of Education in Organizational Leadership. Her work experience began by facilitating a horticulture program at a federal prison camp. She currently works with Master Gardener volunteers and coordinators throughout the state of Texas. She teaches an introduction of the Texas Master Gardener Program and Plant Growth and Development.
In 2019, she was the editor for the seventh edition of the Texas Master Gardener Handbook. She authored the Introduction and co-authored the Plant Growth and Development chapter within the handbook.
Jayla serves as the advisor to the Texas Master Gardener Association and supports the state Master Gardener conference and leadership training.
Session: The Volunteer Management System
Nicky Maddams
State Program Assistant – Master Gardener Program
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service
Nicky supports the Master Gardener Program at the state level, as the key resource for the Volunteer Management System (VMS) and in planning annual conferences. She also manages the website and social media and enjoys assisting volunteers across the state.
Nicky served on the Board of Directors for the Texas Master Gardener Association as Secretary, Second Vice President, First Vice President and President. She authored Chapter 7: Landscape Design for the seventh edition of the Texas Master Gardener Handbook and co-designed the cover.
Nicky moved to Texas from Canada in 2010, residing near Houston before moving to the rolling hills of Virginia. She is an adrenaline junkie who enjoys wandering the globe seeing new sights and having grand adventures such as skydiving and wing-walking. Her expansive gardens, herd of miniature donkeys and four cats keep her busy in her spare time.
Session: The Volunteer Management System
Elisabeth Castro
VMS Coordinator – Montgomery County Master Gardener Association
1st Vice President – Texas Master Gardener Association
Elisabeth is a Master Gardener with Montgomery County Master Gardener Association (MCMGA) since 2014. She joined the board of MCMGA in 2015 as Assistant Treasurer and became President in 2016. She also served on the Plant Sale Committee as the Plants and Publicity Coordinator from 2017 till mid-2020. Since then, she worked in the Greenhouse as a propagator and is responsible for verifying the botanical names of all the plants propagated in the greenhouse. In addition, she is also responsible for the association website and publishing events as a blog to subscribers regarding plants sales and educational classes. In 2021 she took on the Volunteer Management System project and is the principal coordinator for VMS at MCMGA. It was successfully implemented in November 2021.
In 2017 she became the Treasurer of Texas Master Gardener Association and served two terms. In April 2019, she took over the role of Data Manager, a position she held until the end of 2021. She rejoined the board in 2020 as Second Vice President and is currently serving as First Vice President.
Session: The Volunteer Management System
BREAKOUT SESSION SPEAKERS
David Rodriguez
County Extension Agent – Horticulture, Bexar County
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service
David Rodriguez is deeply rooted in the Texas gardening and landscape plant world. He started working at the prime age of ten with local nurseries which included Grimm’s Garden Centers and Landscape, Wolfe Nurseries and Calloway’s. David then went off to Texas A&M University and earned bachelor and master’s degrees in horticultural sciences. Before and during these formal educational years, he often worked seven days a week to save up money for his educational and living expenses.
David joined the ranks of the Extension Service an educational agency of the Texas A&M University System in 2006 as the area Extension Horticulturist. During his service with the Extension Service, David has helped expand youth horticulture programming, enhanced outreach to the green industry which includes trialing and releasing new plant introductions in support of the Texas SuperStar™ Plant Program as well as increasing the awareness of the Bexar County Master Gardener program and their significant contributions to the community.
David also oversees the Bexar County Youth Gardens program, which serves more than 80 schools, the majority of which are in low-income areas of Bexar County. Among the most popular of his youth gardening programs are two award winning and national recognized Children’s Vegetable Gardens at the San Antonio Botanical Garden and at Phil Hardberger Park. As part of these programs, children are provided a plot and learn to grow their own vegetables, herbs, and seasonal annuals under the mentorship of a Master Gardener. For many urban youths, these programs provide their first experience working in a vegetable garden and learning how plant-based foods are grown and how their nutritional value impacts overall health. It also teaches them responsibility, teamwork, and leadership in addition to many aspects of earth science.
David can be heard every Saturday morning on the WOAI 1200 AM Lawn and Garden Radio Show answering horticulture and gardening questions. He regularly provides his expertise through television interviews, print articles and numerous presentations on gardening and landscape topics at venues countywide and beyond.
David has received numerous awards and recognition including most recently The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service Superior Service “Greenies Urban Farm” Team award for growing and harvesting 25,000 pounds of fresh vegetables during the COVID-19 pandemic to supplement the food needs of needy citizens in Bexar County and The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Vice Chancellor’s Superior Team Award in the category of Earth-Kind® Environmental Landscape Stewardship for his many community activities and educational outreach efforts.
Session: Whose Garden is This?
Sheila McBride
Extension Program Specialist – Head Diagnostician
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service
Sheila graduated from Texas A&M University in 1985 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Microbiology. She graduated in 2016 with her Master of Science in Plant pathology working on cotton root rot of grape vines. She is the lead diagnostician at the Texas Plant Disease Diagnostic Lab. She has had over 30 years of experience working in the Department of Plant Pathology & Microbiology at Texas A&M University, and is well-verse with identifying plant parasitic nematodes, fungi, and bacteria. As the plant disease diagnostician for the National Plant Diagnostic Network member lab, she sees over two thousand samples per year.
In the Texas Plant Disease Diagnostic Lab, she provides support to arborists, researchers, homeowners, private industries, the nursery industry, growers, and the Texas AgriLife Extension service.
Session: Practical Steps to Diagnose Plant Problems
Corie Ritter
Marketing Strategist
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service
Corie is the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service Marketing Strategist for horticulture, entomology, soil, crop, and water. She graduated from Texas A&M University with a B.S. in agricultural communications and journalism in 2018 and a M.A. in animal science in 2020. Starting her journey as a student worker for Extension, Corie has moved through multiple facets of the organization before transitioning to collaborate with agents, specialists, and experts across the state.
Session: Enhancing and Growing Your Social Media Presence
David Oates
County Extension Agent – Horticulture, Jefferson County
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service
David was born and raised in East Texas in Shelby County, immersed in all the usual agriculture aspects. He was active in 4-H and FFA activities as well as raising cattle on the family farm. He attended SFA and graduated with a BSAG in Horticulture and then obtained his teaching certification that allowed him to teach high school agriculture as well. David recently completed a master’s degree from Sam Houston State University with emphasis on Sustainable Agriculture and Food Development. He taught agriculture in Marlin ISD and Center ISD for four years, working to implement successful horticultural programs as well as career development activities and leadership activities. David was also in retail sales for a major food company for nine years. He seized the opportunity to utilize his degree and talents to their fullest extent and potential by becoming the County Extension Agent/Horticulture in Jefferson County, Texas in 2015. He continues to be involved in the family farm – Stone Lake Ranch, assisting in operations for commercial hay production. In his minimal spare time, he is an avid fisherman, looking for that next trophy bass on Lake Sam Rayburn or Toledo Bend Lake.
David’s long-term goals or desire are to eventually retire to the family farm in East Texas where he can “play in the dirt” with a pick-your-own blueberry operation when he feels like it and maybe do a little fishing as well.
Session: Grow to Share: How to Reach Underserved Populations with New Community Partnerships
Christina Reid
County Extension Agent – Horticulture, Lubbock County
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service
Christina received her bachelor’s degree in Landscape Architecture with minor in Horticulture from Texas Tech University. She has worked in many factions of the industry including landscape design, commercial nursery production and tree farms, and finally education within the Extension service with Oklahoma State University and Texas A&M University. Christina is currently serving as the County Extension Agent- Horticulture in Lubbock County, where she resides with her husband, Nick, and son, Brooks, 7.
Session: Introduction to Landscape Design
Pamela J. Bennett
Associate Professor and State Master Gardener Volunteer Program Director
Ohio State University
Pam is an Associate Professor with The Ohio State University and serves as the State Master Gardener Volunteer Program Director and Horticulture Educator for OSU Extension in Clark County, Ohio. In July 2020, she was appointed Interim Program Director for Chadwick Arboretum.
Pam specializes in herbaceous ornamental plant trials and presents programs on annuals and perennials as well as other landscape topics locally, statewide, and nationally. Pam has also lectured in South Korea, China, Greece, Italy, and Turkey. She is a Clark County Park District Commissioner, and a Board member of the Hartman Rock Garden and The Abilities Connection. She is the Past-President of the Friends of the Ohio Governor’s Residence and Heritage Garden.
Pam is the co-author of an award-winning book, Garden-pedia, An A-to-Z Guide to Gardening Terms, writes a weekly gardening column for eight counties receiving the Cox Publishing brands, authored the bi-monthly Ask the Expert Column for Ohio Gardening magazine and has written for gardening magazines as well as trade publications. She was recently awarded the Ohio Nursery and Landscape Association Service Award and the National Association of County Agriculture Educators Ohio Distinguished Achievement Award.
Session: Plant Clinics
Larry Smith
Park Ranger and Texas Certified Nurseryman, Retired
National Park Service
Larry is a retired National Park Astronomy Ranger, Texas Certified Nurseryman, Texas Certified Secondary Science Teacher, Coast Guard Certified Seaman and NASA Astronaut Teacher. He is the co-founder of Comanche Springs Astronomy Campus in Crowell, Texas, a horticulturist at White Bluff Resort at Lake Whitney, Texas. He was also a University Administrator for 25 years. He obtained his Bachelor of Science at Baylor University and his master’s at Texas Christian University. He has authored weekly newspaper articles and hosted monthly Star Parties at Waco Mammoth Historical Park and Lake Whitney State Park. He is a Baylor University Lifelong Learning board and faculty member.
Session: Gardens of our National Parks
Dr. Shane McLellan
County Extension Agent –Ag, McLennan County
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service
Shane grew up on family farm near Avoca, Texas, north of Abilene. He received his bachelor’s in Agricultural Services and Development and his master’s in Agricultural Education, both at Tarleton State University. He received his Doctorate in Agricultural Sciences at Texas A&M/Texas Tech.
Shane started his Extension career in 1998 as an Assistant Agent in Hill County, moved to Freestone County as the Ag/Nr Agent and is currently serving as the Agriculture Agent in McLennan County, Waco Texas. McLellan takes great pride in the fact he has always offered a very good and broad-based agriculture education program for clientele: 4-H, beef and forage, row crop and horticulture being the major programs offered. He was recognized as a “Distinguished Agent” in 2017.
He is married to Amanda, who is the assistant principal at Lake Air Montessori, Waco ISD. Together they have two kids: Chloe (17) and Travis (14). In their “free time”, they raise and show sheep and goats and chase their kids who participate in school athletics, summer athletics, 4-H activities, etc.
Session: Volunteer Money Management – Reinvesting in the Program
Greg Grant
County Extension Agent – Horticulture, Smith County
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service
Greg Grant is an award-winning horticulturist, writer, photographer, conservationist, preservationist, and seventh-generation Texan from Arcadia, Texas. He is author of In Greg’s Garden-A Pineywoods Perspective on Gardening, Nature, and Family and Texas Fruit and Vegetable Gardening, and co-author of Heirloom Gardening in the South, Texas Home Landscaping, The Southern Heirloom Garden, and The Rose Rustlers. He also writes the popular “In Greg’s Garden” column for Texas Gardener magazine, a garden column in the Tyler Morning Telegraph, and writes a monthly “Greg’s Ramblings” blog. His real job however is the Smith County horticulturist for the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service in Tyler, Texas.
He has degrees in floriculture and horticulture, both from Texas A&M University and attended post graduate classes at Louisiana State University, North Carolina State University, and Stephen F. Austin State University where he is currently working on a PhD in Forestry. He has previous experience as a horticulturist with SFA Gardens, Mercer Arboretum, and San Antonio Botanical Gardens, an instructor at Stephen F. Austin and Louisiana State Universities, director of research and development at Lone Star Growers, and with the famed Antique Rose Emporium.
Greg has introduced a number of successful plants to the Southern nursery industry including Blue Princess verbena, dwarf pink Mexican petunia, Gold Star esperanza, Laura Bush petunia, John Fanick phlox, Stars and Stripes pentas, Pam’s Pink honeysuckle, Lecompte and Flora Ann vitex, Henry and Augusta Duelberg sages, Big Momma and Pam Puryear Turk’s Cap, Peppermint Flare hibiscus, and the Marie Daly and Nacogdoches (Grandma’s Yellow) roses.
Greg and his Cajun bride live in the Pineywoods of Deep East Texas in his grandparents’ old farmhouse, where he tends his Rebel Eloy Emanis Pine Savanna and Bird Sanctuary, two dozen chickens, one terrier, and three cats.
Session: Demonstration Gardens
Brandi Keller
County Extension Agent – Horticulture, Harris County
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service
Brandi been with Extension for five years, with four of those as Master Gardener Program Coordinator in Harris County. She was presented a Superior Service Award in 2021 for Program Support. She writes a weekly gardening column for the Houston Chronicle newspaper. With a B.S. in Conservation from Kent State University in Ohio, her love of nature and gardening is both professional and personal.
Brandi enjoys photography, art, birding and bragging that she never lived on a ship despite being a US Navy veteran.
Session: Writing Good Content for Publication
Dr. Brent Pemberton
Professor and Regents Fellow
Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension
Brent Pemberton was born in Temple, Texas. He received a B.S. in Ornamental Horticulture from Texas Tech University in 1978 and a Ph.D. in Floriculture from the University of Minnesota in 1983. He has been a project leader for Ornamental Research at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center at Overton, Texas since 1982. His current title is Professor and Regents Fellow, Texas A&M AgriLife Research, Texas A&M University System. He is also a Fellow of the American Society for Horticultural Science. His research specialties include bedding plant production and greenhouse and garden performance evaluations, field and nursery production of garden roses, field evaluation of roses for disease resistance and heat tolerance, effects of heat on flowering of poinsettia, postharvest performance, and plant growth regulators. He is a member of the Executive Board for the Texas Superstar® Program.
Session: Annual Color Trends for 2022
Dr. Dan Hale
Associate Director for Ag and Natural Resources and Path to the Plate Coordinator
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service
Dr. Dan Hale is associate director for agriculture and natural resources for Texas A&M AgriLife Extension. Hale oversees programming for agriculture and natural resources, also works closely with ag oriented organizations across Texas. Hale is the co-director of the Path to the Plate Program which helps Texans better their lives through education on the important connection between agriculture and health. Hale earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Kansas State University and a doctorate in food, nutrition, and institutional sciences at Oklahoma State University.
Session: Partnerships
Dr. Mengmeng Gu
Assistant Professor and Extension Specialist – Dept. of Horticultural Sciences
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service
Mengmeng’s programs focus on providing science-based solutions to address real-world issues and problems, such as season extension production of specialty crops, sustainable management of crapemyrtle bark scale using biochar to replace peatmoss in container substrate and educating stakeholders on emerging issues. She is recognized nationally and internationally through her 90 peer-reviewed publications, one patent, two book chapters, 58 invited international and national presentations, and many awards. She is VP-International Division and Chair of Executive Committee (Southern Region) of the American Society for Horticulture Science.
Session: Beyond Bok Choy
Pat Reilly
Master Gardener Coordinator – Prince William County, Virginia
Virginia Cooperative Extension Service
Pat Reilly has 25 years of experience as a Master Gardener volunteer, ten years as a local Master Gardener coordinator and 11 years-experience in the public sector educating homeowners on proper plant selection and care. Her current position is with a large garden center in the trees and shrubs department, assisting homeowners and landscapers on proper selection, care and problem solving. She is active in her local and the state Master Gardener associations and serves on the Virginia Master Gardener “College” Advisory Team.
Session: Gardening with Aches, Pains, and Injuries
Dr. Tim Hartmann
Extension Specialist and Assistant Professor
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service
Originally from Blanco, TX, Tim Hartmann received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Horticulture and Plant Breeding, respectively, from Texas A&M University. He received his Ph.D. in Horticulture from Texas A&M in May 2020 after completing a project focused on the feasibility of golden kiwifruit production in Texas. Tim has been with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service in College Station since 2014. As Extension Specialist and Assistant Professor, Tim focuses primarily on fruit production, but also works with propagation and general horticulture. His research has recently focused on alternative fruit crops such as kiwifruit, pineapple guava, Asian persimmon, and apricot.
Session: Invasive and Aggressive Plants in Texas: Identification, Control, and Alternative Native Options
Lisa Whittlesey
Senior Extension Program Specialist and International Program Director – Junior Master Gardener Program (JMG)
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service
Lisa Whittlesey is an employee of Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and received her bachelor and master’s degrees from Texas A&M University in horticulture with an emphasis in education/curriculum development.
Lisa serves as the program director for the JMG’s International Junior Master Gardener program which currently operates in all 50 states and has expanded internationally through collaborative partnerships with the Borlaug Institute for International Agriculture, JMG Korea, and expansions through US Military and National Guard projects.
She is the author/co-author of nine award winning youth environmental curriculums and her horticulture work and expertise has been featured in over 170 popular press/newspaper articles including Saturday Evening Post, Southern Living, Better Homes and Garden, Readers Digest, Cosmopolitan, Family Life, seven national children’s magazines, local/regional television appearances and on HGTV. She has been an invited speaker to over 275 regional and national conferences and her recent work has focused on utilizing the Junior Master Gardener program (Learn, Grow, Eat & GO curricula) as an intervention as a part of a 5-year USDA AFRI funded Extension and Research project focused on child and family interventions for obesity prevention.
In additional to her work with the JMG Program, Lisa provides leadership to horticulture programming, staff development/management and as a PI federal contact with the Federal Bureau of Prisons, Windham Schools – TDCJ, and with Lee College prison programming efforts. Lisa is a guest lecturer for floral design and socio-horticulture classes at Texas A&M University and does educational videos for the public through Texas A&M AgriLife Extension social media outlets.
In her spare time Lisa enjoys doing floral design, cooking, teaching Bible classes, playing piano and traveling. She is married to Randel Whittlesey and has two grown children.
Session: Using your Garden to Grow Good Kids!
Molly Keck
Integrated Pest Management Program Specialist/Board Certified Entomologist
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service
Molly Keck is an Integrated Pest Management Program Specialist with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension in Bexar County, TX (San Antonio, TX). Molly is a graduate of Texas A&M University with both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in Entomology and is a Board-Certified Entomologist and hobbyist beekeeper.
Molly has been working for Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service since 2005 and specializes in urban and structural entomology, providing pest management and identification programs to Master Naturalists, Master Gardeners, the general public, school age students, and pest management professionals.
Session: The Plight of our Backyard Pollinators
Caren Walton
Extension Program Specialist – International Junior Master Gardener Program (JMG)
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service
Caren Walton is a Program Specialist with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension in the International Junior Master Gardener (JMG) program. Caren worked closely with the AFRI grant project titled, “Texas Grow! Eat! Go! (TGEG)” comprised of horticulturists, nutritionists, health experts & public health leaders from Texas A&M Extension Service, The University of Texas Health Science Center (UT Health), Texas A&M University and Texas A&M University School of Public Health. Caren collaborated with school districts from across Texas involved with the TGEG grant and statewide county Extension personnel. Currently, she assists with the dissemination of JMG’s health and nutrition curriculum titled, “Learn, Grow, Eat & GO! and provides support and direction in the continued expansion of the JMG program. With her public-school classroom teaching and professional educational school administration background, Caren provides program implementation, educational planning, and support of school district implementation for the JMG program. As a 1990 graduate of Texas A&M University with a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education and a Master of Education in Administration from Sam Houston State University in 2003, Caren has almost 30 years of experience in education as a classroom teacher, curriculum coordinator, manager of volunteer programs, school principal/administrator, project coordinator and program specialist.
Michael Potter
County Extension Agent – Horticulture, Montgomery County
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service
Michael Potter was born and raised in Corpus Christi. Since 2012, he has served as the Horticulture Extension Agent for Montgomery County.
Prior to his Extension career, he worked with the U.S. Department of Agriculture on the Big Island of Hawaii as a Plant Protection and Quarantine technician from 1991-97. He relocated back to Corpus Christi where he worked in the retail and wholesale nursery industry in 1997-98. From 1998-99, he worked as a Field Technician in the Horticulture Lab at Texas A&M University Kingsville while pursuing his B.S. Degree. During that time, he also moonlighted as a landscape designer/landscaper from 1997-2005. From 2001-2006 he served the Demonstration Assistant for Nueces County working with local farmers and ranchers. In 2006 he became the Extension Agent for Horticulture in Nueces County.
His expertise lies in environmental education, landscape water conservation, plant pathology, turfgrass management and landscape design.
Potter holds a B.S. in Plant and Soil Science from Texas A&M University Kingsville and a M.S. in Agriculture Science, also from Texas A&M Kingsville. He is also a Certified Professional Turf Manager with the Texas Turfgrass Association.
Session: Quality over Quantity: Impactful Programming and Volunteer Service
George Cates
Operations and Land Management
Native American Seed
George Cates began interning for Native American Seed (NAS) in 2002 and was hired full time after graduating Austin College in 2006 with a B.A. in Environmental Studies. For the past 19 years, he has led many NAS prairie restorations, managed seed production on the Farm in Junction, TX, and managed harvest operations across the many ecoregions of Texas. George currently manages NAS consulting and land management, farming and production, harvesting, and seed processing operations. He even chips in when the phones are busy. His new endeavors include greenhouse production of rare hand collections and hard to propagate native species to add more diversity to NAS offerings. He has a remarkable capacity for looking at problems as “challenges” to be met, and the kind of willingness to learn that is a priceless asset. He loves to teach and share what he has learned through his experiences, especially to his son Fisher and the next generation of land stewards.
Session: Native Seed Harvesting, Processing, Storage, and Planting
Randy Seagraves
Extension Program Specialist and Curriculum Director – Junior Master Gardener Program
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service
Randy is an Extension Program Specialist and Curriculum Director for the International Junior Master Gardener program. A former third grade teacher in College Station ISD, Randy is the lead author of 9 JMG® curriculum guides, including the evidence based Learn, Grow, Eat & GO curriculum and the new Early Childhood Learn, Grow, Eat & GO curriculum developed for teachers of our youngest gardeners. He is a guest lecturer for horticulture and education courses at Texas A&M, he has been a guest host for the Weekend Gardener television segment for local CBS affiliate in College Station, and Randy regularly speaks at regional, state, and national conferences across the country.
Session: Growing Sustainable JMG School Gardening Programs
Dr. Andreea Botezatu
Assistant Professor and Extension Program Specialist – Enology
Texas A&M University, Dept. of Horticultural Sciences
Dr. Botezatu received her honors bachelor’s degree in Horticulture, majoring in Oenology from the University of Agronomy and Veterinary Sciences ‘Ion Ionescu de la Brad’, Iasi, Romania in 2000 and her master’s degree in Agricultural Management from the same University in 2001. From 2000 until 2006, she worked as a commercial wine maker in Europe and Canada. She obtained her PhD in Oenology in 2013 from Brock University in St. Catharine’s, Ontario, Canada where she then held a postdoctoral position from 2013-2015.
In 2017, Andreea joined the faculty of the Department of Horticultural Sciences at Texas A&M University, as Assistant Professor and Extension Enology Specialist. Her mission is to service the Texas winemaking industry through applied research as well as through developing educational opportunities for current and prospective winemakers.
Dr. Botezatu’s previous work focused on wine aroma compounds and wine faults remediation, with a focus on methoxypyrazines and ladybug taint. Her approach was both from a chemical perspective as well as one from sensory evaluation.
Currently, Andreea is directing her research towards solving wine quality issues associated with hot climate winemaking, such as low TA, high pH, wine color instability and microbiological instability. Her interest continues to focus on chemical as well as sensory aspect as they relate to wine quality. Texas wine consumer attitudes are also an area of interest for Dr. Botezatu’s research.
Session: The Winederful Saga of Your Glass of Merlot
Robert “Skip” Richter
County Extension Agent – Horticulture, Brazos County
Texas AgriLife Extension Service
Skip received his master’s degree in Horticulture from Texas A&M University, “the source of all earthly knowledge.” He has been with the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service for 33 years in Montgomery, Travis, Harris, and Brazos County where he currently serves as a County Extension Agent in Horticulture.
Skip has gardened in the brush country of south Texas, the rocky hills of the Missouri Ozarks, the acid sands of the East Texas piney woods, the semi-arid climate and high pH soils of central Texas, and the humid, hot climate and black clays of southeast Texas.
He is an enthusiastic student and teacher of natural gardening techniques. He helped develop Extension’s “Don’t Bag It” yard waste recycling programs, the “Composting for Kids” educational web page, and the Grow Green environmental education program which educates Austin area residents on landscaping practices that protect water quality.
Skip is a popular speaker for garden clubs, Master Gardener programs, and other gardening events across Texas. He has written numerous gardening articles for magazines and newspapers, including his weekly gardening column for The Eagle newspaper in Bryan/College Station. His “Gardening with Skip” YouTube channel features over 120 brief gardening videos.
Skip has served as the National Gardening Association’s regional horticulturist for the southeastern U.S. and is a contributing editor to Texas Gardener magazine. He is the host of the Gardening Success radio show in College Station, which is also available by podcast online. His book, Texas Month-by-Month Gardening provides guidance on planting and caring for your garden and landscape every month of the year.
Skip’s happy place is sitting in his garden observing and musing about the interactions of plants, insects, and the soil. Okra is the latest in a long list of his horticultural obsessions.
Session: When Programs are on Target, Amazing Things Happen