George Gann
South Florida's Own
Internationally Recognized Authority on
Conservation & Restoration
Over 40 years George has completed hundreds of projects, published more than 130 articles, technical reports, websites, and a book, and given more than 160 presentations to both the general public and technical audiences. He has worked intensively on native plants and rare plant conservation in Florida and the Caribbean, from large-scale floristic efforts in Florida, Puerto Rico, and Everglades National Park to intensive small-scale projects at residential sites and in botanical gardens. He has done significant organizational and conservation policy work globally for The Institute for Regional Conservation and the Society for Ecological Restoration, and botanical field work in more than a dozen Latin American and Caribbean countries. He believes in using traditional conservation tools, such as the establishment and management of protected areas, in addition to new approaches including scaling-up ecological restoration to meet global needs, and utilizing regional matrices of protected areas, restored ecosystems, and naturalistic landscapes to recover native plants, animals, and ecosystems. He has extensive experience in directing and managing nonprofit conservation organizations, and has worked professionally in the United States, the West Indies, Latin America, Europe, and Asia.
Keynote Address - What You Do Matters! From Native Gardening to Restoration
Alex Onisko
Invasive Species Biologist
Alex Onisko is a Lead Invasive Species Biologist with the South Florida Water Management District, specializing in upland and wetland ecosystems. Alex holds a Master of Science with a major in Agronomy from the University of Florida and a Bachelor of Science with a major in Environmental Studies from the University of Central Florida. She has worked in Land Management and Invasive Plant Management since 2011.
Session 1 - Identifcation and Management of Invasive Plants in Natural Areas
Session 3 - The Consequences of South Florida's History with Native Plants
Anne C Cox, PhD
President of Ecolo-G, Inc.
Anne Cox has been a member of the Florida Native Plant Society since September 1982 and is a current member of the Martin County Chapter. Anne started the FNPS Land Management Partner’s committee in 2004, continuing involvement with state lands until 2014 when she accepted the position of FNPS President (2014-2016). Education includes B.S. and M.S.in Biology from Florida Atlantic University (1982 and 1988) and a Ph.D. in Biology from Florida International University (1998).
Session 6 - The Scientific Language of Plants
Autumn Kioti Horne
Director of Education - Audubon Everglades
Autumn Kioti Horne (they/them/her) is the Director of Education + Outreach at Audubon Everglades, a Certified Master Naturalist, an environmental educator and the creator of AE's Bird Nerding series. When not nerding birds, they are an interdisciplinary artist, poet, and performer with over 20 years of working directly with diverse audiences to foster environmental awareness as a vector for equity and inclusion. Working primarily in New York City and South Florida often in urban settings, using creative engagement to help others develop a personal relationship with nature and build future advocates. And if you keep an eye out, you may just catch them on stage here in South Florida!
Session 5 - Plants for Birds: Gardening for Flock's Sake
Carly Batts
Owner & Designer; B the Change Natives & Martin County Chapter of FNPS President
Carly is a Florida Nursery, Growers and Landscape Association (FNGLA) Horticultural Professional, and a Florida-Friendly Landscaping (FFL) Certified Professional. She earned her bachelor's degree in Environmental Science from Stetson University and is currently pursuing a Masters in Soil & Water Science from the University of Florida. In addition she is also the President of the Native Plant Society; Martin County Chapter. Most recently, Carly won an 'Emerging Leader Under 30' Award from the State for her work with native plants, and environmentally innovative solutions in the urban landscape. Her favorite native plant is the Scarlet ladie's tresses orchid (Sacoila lanceolata) and has worked hard to restore this critically imperiled orchid to natural areas in her hometown. In her spare time she loves to ride her Spotted Saddle horse 'Quincy' in the many amazing places that make up Florida's great outdoors! She hopes you thoroughly enjoy today's workshop and leave feeling empowered to be the change you wish to see in the World!
Session 1 - Full Flip! How To Go From Turf to Triumphantly Native
Session 3 - Simple fixes; Landscape Design with Natives
Christian 'Crispy' Jansen
Horticultural Specialist- PBSC Environmental Horticultural Program
Christian Jansen graduated from the University of South Florida with a degree in Music and Political Science in 2021. After graduation he moved back to South Florida and began studying Horticulture at Palm Beach State College eventually becoming part of the inaugural class of the Florida Nursery, Growers and Landscape Association (FNGLA) Apprenticeship Program. He is currently an FNGLA Certified Horticulture Professional and works as the Horticulture Specialist for the Environmental Horticulture Program at Palm Beach State College.
Propagation Session 1 - The Scientific Language of Plants
Food Forest Tour - Tour of the new PBSC Permaculture Food Forest that incorporates many native edible and pollinator plants.
CJ McCartney
Environmental Steward
After moving to South Florida from Chicago, CJ McCartney started learning how to be a knowledgeable and effective Environmental Steward. Along with training to become a Master Gardener, she started taking a variety of botanical and horticulture classes as well as landscape workshops to supplement her formal Harvard education in public policy and urban management. Currently, she vouchers native plants for PBC, leads educational hikes and seminars, serves on several committees and Boards, including Florida Wildflower Foundation, and works as the Master Gardener in Residence at the Ann Norton Sculpture Garden.
Session 3 - The Nexus of Sustainable Landscapes
Session 6 - Wildflowers Blooming Across the Seasons
Craig Huegel, PhD
Ecologist
Dr Huegel has spent nearly 40 years teaching Floridians about the connection between native plants and wildlife and in creating living landscapes that provide habitat for pollinators, birds and other species. He has a BA and an MS in Wildlife Ecology from the University of Wisconsin and a PhD in Animal Ecology from Iowa State University. He founded the Wildlife Extension Program at the University of Kentucky before helping to establish the Extension Urban Wildlife Program at the University of Florida. He's served in a wide variety of consulting and teaching positions in Florida and now is the Curator at the University of South Florida's Botanical Garden. He's authored numerous articles and 6 books, the last 4 published by the University of Florida Press.
Session 4 - Native Ground Covers for South Florida Landscapes
Session 5 - Native Plants for Shady Landscapes
Dennis De Zeeuw
Founder of Sustainscape Inc.
Dennis de Zeeuw has been working in the native plant and landscape industry for 16 years. He is a Florida Certified Master Naturalist and Certified Horticulturist with a specilized expertise in native plants, organic soils, and biodiversity. One of the missions of Sustainscape is to connect the land and sea to strengthen our water quality issues. He owns and operates a growing native plant nursery in Boynton Beach, FL. Since 2013, the company has developed a unique fertilizer and soil amendment called Liquid Vitae BioChar. The product has been used at the Morikami Gardens for 5 years and has been successful reducing chlorisis while increasing resistance to the Slash Pine Beetle.
Session 2 - Propagation Techniques for the Native Nursery
Session 4 - Using Organic Soils for Plant Health and Pest Resistance
Diane Goldberg
Florida Master Naturalist and Florida Master Gardener
Diane Goldberg is a certified Florida Master Naturalist, Florida Master Gardener, and graduate of Barry University. She serves as the conservation chair for the St. Lucie County Audubon Society and for Conservation Alliance of St Lucie County. Both supporters of the Right to Clean Water initiative. She was a former board member of the St Lucie Chapter of the Florida Native Plant Society' Diane received ‘2023 Person of the Year Award’ from St Lucie Audubon, the 2022 Volunteer Service Award for Outstanding Service to the Indian River Lagoon from the Marine Resource Council and the 2021 Environmental Educator Award from Pelican Island Audubon.
Session 2 - Native Edible & Historical Medicinal Plants
Emily Marois
Urban Horticulture Extension Agent
Emily Marois is a UF/IFAS Urban Horticulture Extension Agent in Palm Beach County, where she creates and delivers horticulture programs with the support of the Master Gardener volunteers she trains. A South Florida native, Emily holds a Master’s in Agriculture Education and Communication and a Bachelor’s in Plant Science from the University of Florida. Her background includes working as a horticulturist at Naples Botanical Garden and experience in the floriculture industry. She specializes in Florida native plants, edible gardening, and Florida-Friendly Landscaping™.
Session 3 - Container Gardening with Natives
Session 6 - Native Plants for Small Properties
John Roberts
Commercial Horticulture Agent for UF/IFAS Palm Beach County
John Roberts has been working with trees for 20 years. His brother operates a plant nursery near Orlando and he formerly was a dendrology teaching assistant for UF's forestry department. As an extension agent with UF/IFAS, he works heavily the Florida Chapter of the International Society of Arboriculture and other horticulture groups to promote good maintenance and management practices around trees.
Session 5 - Underutilized Native Trees for South Florida
Kara Krueger
UF/IFAS Palm Beach County Environmental Horticulture Extension Agent
Kara Krueger is a University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Environmental Horticulture Extension Agent for Palm Beach County. She works with residents, Homeowners' Associations, and landscape professionals to provide education and programs on Florida-Friendly Landscaping™, landscape best management practices (BMPs), and general horticultural issues. Kara earned her master’s in environmental horticulture from the University of Florida and worked for a private landscape company specializing in high-end estates for nine years.
Session 3 - The Scientific Language of Plants
Session 4 - Propagation Workshop
Session 5 - Working with Homeowners' Associations (HOAs)
Matthew King
Environmental Program Supervisor
Matthew is an Environmental Program Supervisor for Palm Beach County's Department of Environmental Resources Management (ERM). With over two decades of experience at ERM, Matt leads outreach initiatives, GIS/GPS coordination, and management plans for the County’s Natural Areas Program, helping to protect thousands of acres of conservation land. A Florida native born in Miami, Matt previously worked as a biologist for Miami-Dade DERM in its Tree Preservation and Environmental Endangered Lands Programs.
Session 2 - Explore Palm Beach County Natural Areas
Melissa Smith
Research Ecologist
Dr. Melissa Smith is a research ecologist with the USDA’s Invasive Plant Research Laboratory in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Melissa joined USDA in 2012 and focuses on broad ecological interactions of large-scale plant invasions with the native community and introduced biological control herbivores. Some of the species to which Melissa contributes include Melaleuca quinquenervia, Acacia auriculiformis, Lygodium microphyllum and Pontederia crassipes. At the Invasive Plant Research Laboratory, Dr. Smith has delved into many collaborative projects to investigate larger ecological questions (e.g., competition, predation, parasitism, succession) within a biological control context.
Session 4 - The Introduction to Biological Control of Weeds in Florida
Mindi Ogden
Ecologist for the Preservation Foundation of Palm Beach
Mindi is the President of the Palm Beach County Chapter of the Florida Native Plant Society and works as the Ecologist for the Preservation Foundation of Palm Beach and as Program Associate for the Institute for Regional Conservation. Mindi was trained as a chemist and spent 12 years teaching high school and college chemistry before transitioning to horticulture and ecology and graduating from the Landscape and Horticulture Management program at Palm Beach State College.
Session 1 - Introduction to South Florida Native Plants
Session 5 - Right Plant Right Place!
Nancy Angermaier
Master Gardener
Raised in zone 7 (Long Island, NY) surrounded by fruit trees, berry brambles and vegetables, is where the horticulturist sprouted. Master Gardener since 1997, after retirement education continued in Florida with the Master Gardener and Master Naturalist programs. Nancy volunteered running propagation at her county extension for several years. Her home garden focus is on FL natives and attracting pollinators.
Session 1 - Math in the Garden! Let's Divide and Multiply!
Richard Moyroud
Owner of Mesozoic Landscapes
Richard Moyroud has been a prominant figure in the development of Native plant advocacy here in Palm Beach County for over 40 years: Charter Member of the Palm Beach County Chapter for the Florida Native Plant Society, Charter Member of the Association of Florida Native Nurseries (FANN), Charter Member of the Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council, Member of the Florida Endangered Plant Advisory Council since 1990, and Sanctuary Manager for the Audubon Islands Sanctuary in Lake Worth Lagoon.
Session 4 - The Land Selects The Plant: Landscaping Following Native Plant Communities.
Sean Mallee
Environmentalist
Sean Mallee currently works as an Environmentalist for Palm Beach County Department of Environmental Resources Management and sits on the board of the Palm Beach Chapter of the Florida Native Plant Society (FNPS). He grew up loving nature, particularly animals, and went on to study Zoology at SUNY-Oswego. Sean finished his B.S. degree working with exotic animals in “Zoo School” at the Santa Fe Teaching Zoo in Gainesville, FL. He has since worked as an animal caretaker and environmental educator at Palm Beach Zoo, Lion Country Safari, and Daggerwing Nature Center, where he also served as manager. His passion for native plants and habitat conservation grew with the development of his own backyard butterfly garden, which is still a work in progress!
Session 1 - Native Alternatives to Tropical Exotics
Session 6 - Native Alternatives to Tropical Exotics
Susan Lerner
Director of Horticulture, Preservation Foundation of Palm Beach
Susan Lerner is the Director of Horticulture at the Preservation Foundation of Palm Beach. Her focus is environmental and landscape stewardship and the management of the Foundation’s green spaces, including Pan’s Garden, Florida's first all-native botanical garden. She is currently engaged with the Foundation's new town-serving project - the all-native, $35 million renovation of Palm Beach's 20-acre Phipps Ocean Park. Susan has been a Florida Master Gardener since 2009 and a Master Naturalist since 2022. She has served three terms as president of the Palm Beach County Chapter of FNPS and two terms as president of the Palm Beach Chapter of the Rare Fruit Council. In 2017 Susan was honored with the Earth Steward Award from District X of the Florida Federation of Garden Clubs.
Session 2 - Good Hedges Make Good Neighbors
Teri Jabour
President , North American Butterfly Association- Atala Chapter
Teri has been active with the North American Butterfly Association (NABA)-Atala Chapter here in Palm Beach County since its inception in 1995 and currently serves as president. She has been a Master Gardener Volunteer with UF/IFAS for more than 28 years. Her interest in native plants has been ongoing since 1990s when she joined the Florida Native Plant Society. She worked at The Nature Conservancy’s Blowing Rocks Preserve and City of West Palm Beach’s Grassy Waters Preserve, which provided the opportunity for hands-on experience with native plants as well as being an educator and advocate for Florida’s complex environment. She enjoys sharing her passion for all creatures great and small as well as the natural world where they live!
Session 2 - Butterfly Gardening for Everyone
Session 6 - Native Habitats for Butterflies
© 2020 Palm Beach Chapter, Florida Native Plant Society