Alexander, Basia
Ms. Basia Alexander, “Chief Listener” 201-745-5494 B.A. Communications, Teacher, Workshop Leader, Co-Creative Innovator, Author, Coach, V.P. of Plant Health Alternatives, LLC. As founder of the Institute for Co-Creative Cooperation with NATURE, she advances widespread adoption of NATURE-partnership concepts and practices. www.PartnerWithNature.org

Asplundh, Scott
Scott attended St. Lawrence University in New York where he received a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics. He then earned his Master’s Degree in Business Administration from Pennsylvania State University. During his college years, Scott worked on various Asplundh crews where he gained field management expertise with assignments in Pennsylvania. He was one of the first “third generation” family members to participate in the Asplundh Family Management Development Program, which led him to work in Connecticut, Illinois, Massachusetts, Missouri and Kansas.

Britton, Denice
Denice Britton is an ASCA Registered Consulting Arborist. She is the former co-owner of Britton Tree Services in St. Helena and is currently the Urban Forest Manager for the City of Chico, CA. Denice has a Bachelor’s Degree in Plant Pathology and a Masters Degree in Urban Forestry. She worked for the University of California Cooperative Extension before joining Britton Tree. Denice has been a successful consultant since 1984, specializing in tree management programs, appraisal and expert witness work. She has been a leader and teacher in the industry for many years, concentrating on the development of certification for arborists, as well as establishing pruning and other industry standards. She is currently involved in managing the Urban Forest and in vegetation management strategies for Chico’s 3670 acre Bidwell Park.

Conroy, Jim
Dr. Jim Conroy: The Tree Whisperer™ 201-650-1231 “I heal trees...I inspire people.” PhD. Plant Pathology, Purdue U., Developer/Principal Practitioner of the Green Centrics™ System–he makes “house calls!”, 25 Yrs as Plant Health Business Executive, Certified Organic Landcare Specialist, Teacher, Speaker, Healer, Rose Grower, Founder/President of Plant Health Alternatives, LLC. The Tree Whisperer provides professional,on-site, alternative health care services for trees and plants. “Healing stressed and declining trees from the inside-out, coming from the tree’s point of view.” www.TheTreeWhisperer.com and www.StrengthenForests.com

Costello, Larry
Dr. Larry Costello currently works as an Environmental Horticulture Advisor at the University of California Cooperative Extension for San Mateo and San Francisco Counties. He earned a Ph.D. in Plant Physiology from UC Berkeley in 1981, a M.S. from UC Davis in 1975 and a B.S. in Plant Science from UC Davis in 1972. He recently earned the Alex Shigo Award for Excellence in Education and has earned several research awards both regionally and internationally.

Downer, James
Dr. Jim Downer received his B.S. in Botony and Ornamental Horticulture in 1981 from Cal Poly University, Pomona. He subsequently received an M.S. in Biological Sciences from Cal Poly in 1983 and a Ph.D. from U.C. Riverside in 1998. He has worked as a horticulture advisor and plant pathologist for University of California Cooperative Extension for the last 25 years in Ventura County.

Fischer, Niel
A native of Sacramento, Niel graduated in 1987from the University of California at Berkeley with a Bachelor of Science in Forestry. Niel has been a RPF since July 1992 and practiced private, industrial and non-industrial forestry for about 18 years.

Hayden Smith, Rose
An academic with the University of California, Rose Hayden-Smith serves as Director of Cooperative Extension in Ventura County. She has served as a 4-H Youth Development Advisor and Master Gardener Coordinator since 1992, developing educational programs about agriculture and gardening for youth, educators, and community audiences. Her work focuses on facilitating school, home and community gardening efforts; garden-based learning in both formal and non-formal education settings; food systems education; and volunteer development. A practicing US historian, she is a nationally recognized expert on the topic of Victory Gardens and the school gardening movement in America, and American food policy during wartime. Hayden-Smith also offers workshops on the use of social media to provide advocacy and education, and wrties for her own Victory Grower blog, the Huffington Post, and Civil Eats.

Johnson, Tim
Tim A. Johnson is a second-generation registered consulting arborist. His career in Arboriculture started in 1961 with his father's tree care firm. Tim has a Bachelor of Science degree in Ornamental Horticulture from California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo, California, is Registered Consulting Arborist #360 and has experience in all aspects of Tree Health Management throughout the United States and overseas. He founded Artistic Arborist, Inc., in 1978. The firm provides consulting, training, research, and tree health management services. Artistic Arborist also has a retail outlet for tree care tools and equipment.

Karcher, Dana
Dana Karcher is the Market Manager for the western region of the Davey Resource Group. She assists communities with the development of urban forestry programs including, management plans, inventories, special consulting projects, fire safe plans and grant procurement. Ms. Karcher is a Certified Arborist and member of the Western Chapter of the International Society of Arboriculture serving on the board of directors. Ms. Karcher is a founding member of the planning and teaching faculty for the Municipal Forester Institute. She is a member of the Society of Municipal Arborists and the Utility Arborist Association. She is past President of the California Urban Forests Council. Ms. Karcher joined the Davey Resource Group after a successful career as a non profit executive and the owner of her own consulting firm. She holds a Bachelors Degree from California State University, East Bay.

Knight, Spencer
H. Spencer Knight serves the City of Palm Desert, California as its Landscape Manager and among his job responsibilities is the development and management of the City’s urban forest. He has worked in the agriculture and landscape Industry for over thirty five years. The first twenty five years was spent in the private sector as a ranch manager, landscape contractor, and consultant. In 1997 he moved to the public sector and has worked for the City of Moreno Valley and the City of Palm Desert. He also teaches irrigation classes for the University of California at Riverside Extension Education Program.
Mr. Knight has a Bachelor of Science degree in Soil Science from California Polytechnic State University at San Luis Obispo and has done graduate work in Agronomy at Ohio State University. He is certified as a California State Pest Control Applicator, an International Society of Arboriculture Arborist, and an Irrigation Association Landscape Irrigation Auditor. His professional memberships include the Pesticide Applicators Professional Association, the International Society of Arboriculture, the Irrigation Association, and the American Public Works Association. Mr. Knight has presented on various landscape and irrigation topics at professional seminars, training, and conferences.

Kuo, Frances E. (Ming)
Frances E. (Ming) Kuo is a nationally and internationally recognized scientist examining the impacts of the urban landscapes on human health. Her research focuses on how the presence of trees, grass, and other natural elements within the settings of daily life supports healthy human functioning in both individuals and communitiesDr. Kuo’s work has convincingly linked healthy urban ecosystems to stronger, safer neighborhoods, lower crime, reduced AD/HD symptoms, reduced aggression, and an array of mental health indicators.

Lilly, Sharon
Sharon Lilly, Director of Educational Goods and Services at the International Society of Arboriculture, is a past president of ISA and former chair of the ISA Certification Board. She has more than 25 years experience in the commercial sector as a climber and tree service owner, and has also taught arboriculture at the college level. In addition to authoring and producing the interactive CD-ROM series, she is the author of several popular books, including the ISA Arborist Certification Study Guide, The Tree Climbers’ Guide, The Tree Worker’s Manual, and Managing Golf Course Trees, as well as countless articles, workbooks, and other publications. She has been instrumental in directing and producing many arborist training videos including the ArborMaster Training Series, Basic Training for Tree Climbers, The Art and Science of Practical Rigging, and The Legends of Arboriculture. Sharon continues to write and conduct seminars on many aspects of arboriculture.

Lee, David
David N. Lee, MSc is a field biologist and environmental consultant with a background in environmental awareness training for utility and construction projects. He founded Wildlife Training Institute (WTI) to bring increased awareness of wildlife to utility corridors, urban forests and residential neighborhoods nationwide. Through WTI's nationwide Wildlife Friendly Certification program, Lee trians tree care professionals on how to protect wildlife and comply with federal, state and local laws.

Mellick, Roger
Roger Mellick graduated from Boston University as well as University of Colorado’s Environmental Design School. He is a past chair of the National Arborist Association, a past trustee of the National Arborist Fund, a past & charter trustee of the TREE Fund, and a current TCIA tree-pac. Mr. Mellick is an active supporter of both the ISA & TCIA.

Miller, Randy
Randall H. Miller has a Master's Degree in Urban Forestry from the University of Wisconsin Stevens Point. He has worked in arboriculture for nearly 30 years, half as a utility arborist. He is currently Director of Vegetation Management at PacifiCorp. He is immediate Past President of the Utility Arborist Association, a Certified Arborist and Utility Specialist, and writes and speaks widely on arboriculture and utility arboriculture.

Morris, Bob
Mr. Morris is a Horticulture Specialist for the University of Nevada Cooperative Extension working out of Las Vegas, Nevada. He has been working in horticulture since 1979 with the last 26 years located in Las Vegas. With a previous background in turfgrass and ornamentals, Mr. Morris shifted gears to work in pomology in 2003 due to an increased public demand for locally grown foods in the Las Vegas area. Since this time local small-scale producers now sell home grown fruit at local farmers markets and market these products to haute cuisine chefs in Las Vegas. Besides writing for mass media, Mr. Morris established and manages a 600 tree and vine research and demonstration orchard in Las Vegas, created Southern Nevada’s Producer to Chef and Backyard Fruit Orchard programs for Cooperative Extension as well as his very popular Landscape Design With the Desert in Mind series of classes.

Peper, Paula
Over the past 15 years at the US Forest Service’s Center for Urban Forest Research, Paula has developed region-specific tree growth information on nearly 300 species of urban street trees across the U.S., supervisingthe field data collection and analysis for the STRATUM reference cities. Her current work includes completing the Central Florida Climate Region project for iTree Streets and providing tree growth and carbon storage equations for the new Tree Carbon Calculator. She has authored 2 books and 18 urban forestry publications, co-authoring or contributing to an additional 22 urban forest research publications.

Reames, Richard
Richard Reames opened a tree shaping nursery in 1994 and published the book "How to Grow a Chair" in 1995. Since then he has traveled the world in search of live trees being shaped into useful items and structures. In 2005 he published "Arborsculpture - Solutions for a Small Planet". Reames was designated International Coordinator for the Growing Village pavilion at the World Expo 2005 in Japan. He teaches Arborsculpture at the John C. Campbell School of Folk Art, and lectures worldwide.

Roth, Frederick
Dr. Frederick Roth earned a Ph.D. in Plant Pathology in 1977 from Cornell University. Since then he has worked as a professor of Plant Sciencce at Cal Poly University, Pomona, and has been semi-retired as of June 2009. His main courses were Plant Pathology, Diseases of Ornamental Plants, Arboriculture and Urban Forestry. Fred is an avid bike rider and cycled across the country this past summer.

Schuch, Ursula
Dr. Ursula Schuch earned a M.S. in Forest Science and a Ph.D. in Horticulture both from Oregon State University. Since 2000 she has worked with the green industry in Arizona and regionally to develop research based knowledge relevant to the production of ornamental plants and the management of plants in the urban landscapes. Her research interests include irrigation requirements of landscape trees, and how water quality and different abiotic stresses affect landscape plants.

Smiley, Tom
Dr. Tom Smiley is an arboricultural researcher at the Bartlett Tree Research Laboratory in Charlotte NC and an adjunct professor of Urban Forestry at Clemson University.

Smith, Kevin
Kevin T Smith is a plant physiologist and project leader with the USDA Forest Service in Durham, New Hampshire. Smith's research centers on the effects of environmental disturbance on tree biology, especially tree growth and the response of trees to injury and infection. Part of this research involves understanding how trees survive, grow and die in the stressful urban environment. Research tools include dedrochronology, forest pathology, and biological chemistry. Smith has received national awards for research excellence, is an Affiliate Professor of Plant Biology at the University of New Hampshire, and has authored more than 50 publications in scientric journals, book chapters and magazine articles.

Sorensen, Michael
Michael Sorensen graduated from Walla Walla Community College with an A.S. in Turf Management and from Washington State University with a B.S. in Crop Science. He has over 12 years of experience in the Golf and T&O Industries, serving for 8 years as a Golf Course Superintendent and over 4 years as a Sales Representative.

Tankersley, Stephen
Steve Tankersley has 32 years experience in Gas and Electric Utility Corporations holding a variety of positions in engineering and construction, project management, financial management and most recently in vegetation management where he has served as Manager of Operations since 1999. Mr. Tankersley is responsible for one of the largest UVM programs in the nation covering 70,000 square miles with 133,000 line miles of overhead transmission and distribution.

Thompson, Russ
Russ Thompson is a horticulturist and certified arborist with the Clark County Department of Parks and Recreation in Las Vegas where he also has his own horticultural consulting business. He graduated from the State University of New York, majoring in Ornamental Horticulture in 1974. Since moving to Las Vegas over 30 years ago, he has written articles for several different green industry publications and speaks regularly at various conferences in the southwestern US. He currently serves as Secretary of the Southern Nevada Arborists Group and is involved with several other green industry committees and organizations.