Speakers
Evan Alderman
Iowa State University
Evan Alderman is a Co-Coordinator and Agricultural and Natural Resource Extension Specialist with the Pesticide Safety Education Program at Iowa State University. Evan coordinates and produces all specialty crop pesticide continuing instruction courses for the state of Iowa. Evan’s background includes a MS degree from Kansas State University in Horticulture with an emphasis in Turfgrass Science, and a BS degree from Iowa State University in Horticulture with an emphasis in Turfgrass Management.
John Ball
South Dakota State University
John Ball is a Professor of Forestry at South Dakota State University where he instructs courses in arboriculture and forestry. Dr. Ball also serves as the extension forestry specialist and the forestry health specialist for the South Dakota Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources. In his spare time, he also does tree pruning and removal for the campus!
Jane Beggs-Joles
Spring Meadow Nursery
Drawing on over three decades of experience in the wholesale nursery industry, Jane Beggs-Joles has been instrumental in introducing many exceptional plants to North American horticulture. She holds a B.S. in Horticulture and an M.S. in Agricultural Economics, both from Michigan State University. In her work, Jane enjoys engaging with professionals, discussing new plant varieties, and learning how these plants are being incorporated into various landscapes. When not working, she resides in beautiful West Michigan with her husband. The couple enjoys spending time at the beach, hiking, and cross-country skiing, and are sometimes joined by their two college-aged daughters for camping trips in National Parks.
Mark Chisholm
Aspen Tree Expert Co
Mark Chisholm is a third-generation arborist who works with his father Steve and brother Stephen for the family-owned Aspen Tree Expert Company. Mark has won the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) New Jersey Chapter Tree Climbing Championship 21 years and is a past president of the chapter. He has conquered the International Tree-climbing Competition (ITCC) on three occasions, most recently in 2010. The ITCC in Tampa, FL 2015 marked the 20th time Mark has placed in the top 5 overall! He is the creator and owner of the interactive website TreeBuzz.com that sees over 80,000 users each month. He is a Licensed Tree Expert with the state of NJ, an ISA Certified Arborist and a TCIA CTSP. Mark is also a spokesperson for STIHL Inc, and a brand ambassador for Teufelberger Fiber Rope Corporation and Kask Helmets. He now serves as a Strategic Advisor for the Canopy Group.
Edward F. Gilman
Wood Architecture Inc.; University of Florida
Dr. Gilman, Principle at Wood Architecture, Inc. and Professor emeritus at the University of Florida, received the prestigious Award of Merit, ISA’s highest award for his dedication to the arboriculture profession. Following a 35-year career serving students and the arboriculture industry, Dr. Gilman now writes specifications and conducts training in many parts of the U.S. and abroad. He authored the PPQ Manual used in the Prescription Pruning Qualification and its 15 hours of PowerPoint and outdoor training. He is a woodworker, a stained-glass craftsman, and father of two daughters making his home in Jacksonville, FL and Banner Elk, NC with his wife of 45 years.
Morgan Grubbs
TreesLouisville
Morgan Grubbs is the Programs Director of TreesLouisville, a non-profit located in Louisville KY. A graduate from Indiana University with a BS in Environmental Management she slowly found her way into arboriculture after a decade of environmental education work in conservation. She currently is an ISA Certified Arborist with a Tree Risk Assessment Qualification. Through her role at TreesLouisville she manages volunteer projects and a maintenance staff of 3 people, designs tree landscapes, assists in fundraising for the organization, directs large scale educational opportunities, including Louisville’s annual Arbor Day Celebration, and gets her hands dirty in the planting and maintenance work herself. If she isn’t working with trees she is probably still hanging out with them as an avid biker, hiker, and runner.
Laura Iles
Iowa state University
Laura Jesse Iles is an entomologist at Iowa State University and Co-Director of the North Central IPM Center. She enjoys helping people better understand insects and plant health and has spent her career connecting research with practical solutions for professionals and home gardeners.
Brian Kelley
Gathering Growth Foundation
Brian Kelley moved to New York City in 2006 and received his BFA in photography from the School of Visual Arts. Kelley’s extensive work in still-life photography continues to support his artistic pursuit of providing to the cultural archive of American ephemera and landscape—including a variety of long-term projects, such as Gathering Growth Foundation, a visual archive of the oldest and largest trees in the U.S., The National Park Service Brochures Archive, and the Archive of NYCTA Artifacts. Kelley was born in Horseheads NY, and currently lives in Lumberland, NY.
James Komen
Class One Arboriculture Inc.
James Komen is a consulting arborist in California specializing in risk assessment and tree appraisal. He helps clients make informed management decisions for individual trees and for tree inventories. His work has been published in various peer-reviewed journals. He is an ISA TRAQ instructor and has taught workshops on tree appraisal around the U.S. and Canada. He is also a licensed California attorney.
Chris Lee
Chris Lee is an Organizational Ecologist and leadership consultant known for translating ecological wisdom into workplace culture strategies. A longtime conservation leader, Chris combines lessons from the natural world with the best of organizational science to help teams thrive. He’s worked with businesses and nonprofits, associations, and government agencies across Iowa, and is the founder and co-host of the Parks and Restoration Podcast, a show focused on developing leaders in the parks and natural resources industry. He is also a regular newspaper columnist in Des Moines County where he has served as the county conservation Executive Director since 2013.
Jeremy Martin
Willow Gates Home & Landscape
Jeremy Martin is the owner of Willow Gates Home & Landscape, which he co-founded in 2005. Willow Gates is an award winning design/build construction company, specializing in permeable hardscapes and complex outdoor living areas. Jeremy is an authorized CMHA instructor and a frequent guest contributor to Hardscape Magazine. He has a passion for educating other contractors and introducing the trade to high school students. He resides in eastern Pennsylvania with his wife & 6 children.
Emmett Muennink
Arborjet|Ecologel
Emmett holds a B.S. in Agronomy and a M.S. in Crop Science from Texas Tech University. He’s an ISA Board Certified Master Arborist and self-proclaimed tree nerd with 15 years of plant health care experience. Emmett bleeds red and black, enjoys BBQ, and sharing his tree knowledge with others.
Dylan Rolfes
Bentley Ridge Tree Farm and Nursery
Dylan Rolfes grew up in central Iowa and attended Iowa State University where he studied Horticulture, specializing in fruit and vegetable production. After graduating he spent a few years traveling around the country, managing vineyards and vegetable farms, and teaching viticulture classes before returning to Iowa to become the Production Manager at Bentley Ridge Tree Farm and Nursery. We are a pot-in-pot nursery producing shade and ornamental trees to sell direct to consumer in both retail and wholesale markets in central Iowa.
Zach Schumm
Iowa State University
Zach is an entomologist with a passion for insect conservation. After earning degrees in entomology and wildlife conservation from the University of Delaware and Utah State University, he now works in insect diagnostics, helping clients identify and manage insect pests. He is dedicated to changing perceptions about insects and promoting their importance in ecosystems.
Amanda Snodgrass
Originally from Iowa, Amanda received her Bachelor of Science and Master of Science in Horticulture from Iowa State University. Amanda spent over 10 years leading diverse teams across the National Park Service, US Forest Service, and Bureau of Land Management. In late 2024 she returned to her roots in Iowa and now serves as an independent contractor addressing horticultural, botanical, and people management topics for a variety of companies and organizations across the country.
Guy Sternberg
Starhill Forest Arboretum of Illinois College
As the co-founder of Starhill Forest Arboretum, Guy Sternberg has played a pivotal role in creating the most extensive oak research collection in the United States, housing approximately 250 taxa and six globally endangered species.
Guy’s dedication to conservation is exemplified by his roles as a founding member of the Illinois Native Plant Society and past president of its central chapter, as well as his lifelong memberships in prominent organizations such as the International Dendrology Society, International Society of Arboriculture, and the International Oak Society, which he also founded.
In addition to his academic roles as adjunct faculty in Biology at Illinois College and adjunct research associate in Botany at the Illinois State Museum, Guy is an ISA-certified arborist, a retired licensed landscape architect, and a consultant to several state and federal agencies, along with numerous communities. He further serves as a tree consultant and tour coordinator for Oak Ridge Cemetery, home to President Lincoln’s Tomb and designated as Illinois’ National Living Memorial site due to its historic tree collection.
Adam Thoms
Iowa State University
Dr. Thoms is an Associate Professor of Commercial Turfgrass at Iowa State University. He works on improving turfgrass surfaces while still be economical and finding more sustainable ways to maintain turfgrass. He works closely with the various Iowa turfgrass industry organizations and national turfgrass associations.
Mark Vitosh
Iowa DNR Wildlife Bureau
Mark Vitosh is originally from Iowa City, and he has a B.S. and M.S. degrees in forestry from Iowa State University. Mark has been a professional forester since the fall of 1988, and has worked in Oklahoma and Iowa (including Iowa State University). He has been a District Forester with the Iowa DNR Wildlife Bureau since 2000. He assists private landowners in managing their forest resources in Benton, Iowa, Jasper, Johnson, Linn, Muscatine and Poweshiek counties. He loves to hunt mushrooms in the spring.
Ryan Watkins
HortMentor
Ryan Watkins is an award-winning landscape designer, a Certified Nursery & Landscape Professional with 18 years of horticultural experience. He is a horticulture & business mentor, who loves inspiring people to grow. As CEO of a 46 year-old garden center and design-build firm, Ryan received the 40 Under 40 Award for Greenhouse Product News in 2020. He has been featured on numerous local and national media outlets including the DIY Network. Ryan serves on the board of the South Carolina Green Industry Association and is the host of the new SC Green TV Show. He has helped inspire numerous organizations to grow and saw record breaking sales and other successful analytics achieved through his passion, leadership, and creativity. He has an amazing wife of 20+ years and four incredible children. He finds fulfillment in helping people achieve their God-given purpose and passion in life and in business. As founder of HortMentor he is here to provide Inspiration and Education to help you grow your Green Industry Business.
Liz Westberg
Growth Solutions
Liz Westberg is originally educated as a Wildlife Ecologist, earning her B.S. from the University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point. Since transitioning to the Utility Arboriculture industry, she has earned the ISA Utility Specialist and Professional Utility Vegetation Management credentials. Liz has held several roles for Growth Solutions – a tree growth regulator application company – including operations, quality assurance, safety, technical training, and most recently business development; and has been speaking on tree and safety topics around the country. She was awarded the Will Nutter Silver Shield Award for safety contributions to the industry by the Utility Arborist Association in 2024.
Ed Zaworski
Iowa State University
Ed Zaworski is an extension specialist at Iowa State University. He worked in the ISU plant and insect diagnostic clinic from 2014-2022 working with the public on various tree related problems among other things. Ed continues to work with Iowa state extension on programs educating the public on tree related plant pests and diseases. Ed also hosts a podcast called I See Dead Plants which showcases research being done on various plant pests and diseases.
Jim Zwack
Davey Resource Group
Jim Zwack is a strategic leader with over 25 years in the green industry, dedicated to advancing products and services that protect and preserve landscapes, ecosystems, and water resources. As Vice President & General Manager of Environmental Consulting at Davey Resource Group, he provides vision, strategic leadership, and financial oversight for a national network of approximately 30 offices offering services in wetlands and stream studies, ecosystem restoration, stormwater management, urban forestry, and more. Holding a Master’s degree in Plant Physiology from Iowa State University and a Bachelor’s in Urban Forestry from the University of Minnesota, Jim is a respected public speaker, published researcher, and active industry volunteer, including leadership roles with the International Society of Arboriculture and the TREE Fund.