People and Events

People

Melanie Yelton joined LumiGrow Inc. as director of research. Yelton’s appointment furthers the company’s ability to engineer and customize energy-efficient LED greenhouse lighting systems that improve plant growth, seed and fruit production.

After 19 years as Hunter Industries’ president and CEO, Richard Hunter is retiring. Effective immediately, the Board of Directors has appointed Greg Hunter to president. Richard helped start Hunter with his father, Edwin, brother Paul, and sister Ann in the early 1980s. Greg assumes this role having held executive leadership positions within several key departments at Hunter including engineering, product management, information systems and marketing. Greg is an engineer with a degree in mechanical engineering from Cornell University.

Mid-Florida Research and Education Center Director Wayne Mackay will take on a new role as chairman of the University of Florida’s Environmental Horticulture department. The move becomes effective May 1.

Kevin Folta, a University of Florida associate professor and interim chair of the horticultural sciences department, is a recipient of the 2013 Postdoc Mentoring Award. The award is given to encourage and reward excellence, innovation and effectiveness in the mentoring of postdoctoral associates and fellows. Folta received the award for his program that mentors postdocs from the Plant Molecular and Cellular Biology Program and other campus departments. The program prepares postdocs to be competitive in the job market by providing strategies for successful presentations, interviews, grant writing and research paper publication.
 

EVENTS

April

6-11, California Spring Trials,
www.springtrials.com.

11, OFA & Planet Interior Plantscape Symposium, Longwood Gardens; Kennet Square, Penn.,
www.ofaconferences.org.

14-16, NGMA spring meeting, Tucson, Ariz.;
www.ngma.com.

20, Proven Winners Outdoor Living Extravaganza, Pacific Inn, Surrey, British Columbia;
www.provenwinners.com.

23-26, European Spring Pack Trials, The Netherlands;
www.fleuroselect.com.
 

May

10, National Public Gardens Day, nationwide;
www.nationalpublicgardensday.org.

14-15, Floriculture Field Days, Epcot Theme Park, Orlando, Fla.;
www.fngla.org.


June

1, Oklahoma Nursery & Landscape Association Summer Workshop, Duncan, Okla.;
www.oknla.org.

4, Tennessee Green Industry Field Day, McMinnville, Tenn.;
www.tnla.com.

19, Darwin Perennial Days, The Gardens at Ball, West Chicago, Ill.;
www.ballperennialday.com.

25, Tennessee Green Industry Field Day, Knoxville, Tenn.;
www.tnla.com.
 

July

13-16, OFA Short Course, Columbus, Ohio;
www.ofashortcourse.org.

21-27, Perennial Plant Symposium, Vancouver, B.C. Canada;
www.perennialplant.org.

31-Aug. 1, PANTS, Philadelphia;
www.pantshow.com.