Education

• M.S. | University of Georgia
• B.S. | Auburn University

Research Interests

As the Rhododendron Collections Manager at Holden Forests & Gardens (HF&G), my job is to curate and build the Rhododendron collections across all three HF&G campuses. The genus Rhododendron, which consists of roughly 1,000 total species, contains four groups of plants significant to Northeast Ohio: evergreen azaleas, deciduous azaleas, large leaf rhododendrons and small leaf rhododendrons. This diversity, coupled with the ability of species to freely hybridize within their respective groups, provides ample opportunities to collect and display an array of interesting and rare rhododendrons from around the world. During the growing season, I am most frequently found at the David G. Leach Research Station, a 30-acre facility dedicated to Rhododendron breeding, evaluation, and display in Madison, Ohio. I am actively involved in the Rhododendron breeding program at HFG started by David G. Leach, PhD, and continued by Steve Krebs, PhD. I am interested in ex-situ plant conservation, ornamental plant breeding and evaluation, and plant propagation. Feel free to reach out if you are interested in collaborating or if you want to talk plants.