The 2013 Horitculture Conference speakers are listed in the order that they are presenting.

Joe Boggs

Professional Title:

Assistant Professor, Ohio State University Extension and the OSU Department of Entomology; Commercial Horticulture Educator, OSU Extension, Hamilton County

Biographical Sketch:

MR. Boggs holds a B.S. in Biology/Chemistry and M.S. in Entomology. He has managed high-profile landscaping (Pennsylvania Governor's Residence and the PA Capital Complex) and a 500 acre tree farm in central PA. He has worked for more than twenty years with Ohio State University Extension, focusing on landscape plant problem diagnostics and management. Boggs has published numerous articles in trade and professional journals and averages more than seventy teaching presentations per year.

Richard Weber

Professional Title:

Owner of Springhouse Gardens, Nicholasville Ky

Biographical Sketch:

Richard J. Weber is a Registered Landscape Architect and the owner/founder of Springhouse Gardens, a landscape company and garden center in Nicholasville, Kentucky. Weber is a graduate of the Longwood Gardens Summer Student Program, earned a B.S.L.A. from the University of Kentucky, and a M.L.A. from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. He has worked in the Design/Build and Landscape Industry since 1986, and has an extensive background in plant materials.

Gregg Munshaw

Professional Title:

UK Turf Extension Specialist

Biographical Sketch:

Gregg Munshaw is a native of western Canada. He has been involved in the turf industry for nearly 20 years and holds a PhD in turfgrass science from Virginia Tech. His research focuses on reduced input/sustainability.

Emily K. Dobbs

Professional Title:

First Year Masters Student in Dr. Daniel Potter's Turfgrass and Ornamental Entomology Laboratory at the University of Kentucky

Biographical Sketch:

Emily K. Dobbs is originally from the Cincinnati area and graduated in May 2011 from Transylvania University. Her research focuses on insect biodiversity and ecosystem services in naturalized areas on golf courses and on pollinator biodiversity and services in Operation Pollinator sites.

Jonathan L. Larson

Professional Title:

Ph.D. Student in the Turfgrass Entomology Laboratory at the University of Kentucky

Biographical Sketch:

Jonathan L. Larson is originally from Indiana and graduated from Purdue University. His research is focused on the ecotoxicology of insecticides and what their impacts are on beneficial invertebrates.

Dr. Nicole Ward

Professional Title:

Extension Specialist for Fruit Crops, Ornamentals and Forestry

Biographical Sketch:

Dr. Nicole Ward joined the Department of Plant Pathology at UK this August as an Extension Specialist for fruit crops, ornamentals, and forestry. In addition to earning a B.S. in Horticulture Science and a PhD in Plant Pathology at Louisiana State University, Nicole owned and operated a landscape contracting business for 12 years. Nicole looks forward to working with county Extension agents, growers, and other stakeholders around the state.

Julie Beale

Professional Title:

Diagnostician in the University of Kentucky’s Plant Disease Diagnostic Laboratory

Biographical Sketch:

JULIE BEALE has been the Diagnostician in the University of Kentucky’s Plant Disease Diagnostic Laboratory (Lexington) since 1996. She is a native of North Carolina and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1989 and then completed a Master of Sciences in Plant Pathology from the University of Minnesota in 1995. In addition to her diagnostic responsibilities, Julie assists in teaching general plant pathology and plant diagnostics at UK, as well as providing Master Gardener and other training on plant disease diagnosis and management at the county level. She recently conducted research comparing various detection methods for Phytophthora root and crown rot in woody ornamentals, which was presented at the 16th Annual Ornamental Workshop of Diseases and Pests in 2008.

Steve Foltz

Professional Title:

Director of Horticulture at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden

Biographical Sketch:

Steve is responsible for one of the regions largest plant collections that include 3,000 varieties of trees, shrubs, tropical plants, grasses, bulbs, perennials and annuals. His expertise is widely-known in the industry and he is frequently asked to speak to horticulture groups.
A graduate of the University of Kentucky with a B.S. in Ornamental Horticulture, he is currently teaching Woody Landscape plant classes at both Cincinnati State College and at the University of Cincinnati. He also teaches a sustainable plants class at CTC.
Steve has been a member of the Ohio Plant Selection Committee, serving as Chair of the committee for two years. He is also a member of the Theodore Klein Plant Awards Committee in Kentucky. A board member of the Ohio Invasive Plant Council, and a member of the International Plant Propagators Society, Eastern Region.
The Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden is proud to be one of only two botanical gardens in Ohio that is accredited by the American Association of Museums.
For more photos and information on plants go to the website www.plantplaces.com which Steve co-founded.