Laurie Lafferty is a retired teacher with a master’s degree in education. After 25 years in the classroom, Laurie retired and moved to Arroyo Grande, California, a long time ...

Douglas Airhart is a Professor of Horticulture in the School of Agriculture at Tennessee Tech University, Cookeville. He teaches production horticulture (landscaping, nursery, greenhouse), turf, and provides FFA training and ...

Sue Amatangelo brings a well-rounded background to America in Bloom which includes the position of Eastern US and Canada Sales Manager for EuroAmerican Propagators, founder of the #1 plant ...

Connie Baggett is the Director of Program Management for the City of Brewton where she has spent 11 years working to improve her hometown. Under her leadership focusing on ...

Diane Blazek, Executive Director of All-America Selections and National Garden Bureau, has been deeply (and happily!) immersed in gardening from an early age. From growing up on a small ...

Rod Barnes currently serves as the Town Administrator for Edmonston, Maryland. Edmonston is a small community in the Washington DC metro region. He has a Master of Public Administration from ...

Shannon Beatty brings 26 years of administrative experience as the City Recorder and City Clerk for Lewisburg, WV, and over a decade leading Lewisburg in Bloom. As an herbalist ...

Jack Clasen, PhD, has been an avid gardener for 50 years. He was a college professor, business co-owner, and served on numerous community boards. He continued as a volunteer after ...

Jennifer is a 1992 graduate of Auburn University in the field of Horticulture and landscape Design. She worked for city government for over 24 years in Eufaula and Fairhope, Alabama. ...

Galen believes strongly in community engagement, pragmatic research, education, and public gardens that remain relevant to their constituents. He actively pursued these interests during his 30-year career at the Chicago ...

Evadne Giannini, originally from Somerset County, New Jersey, moved to New York City to attend the New School for Social Research where she acquired a master’s degree in behavioral science. ...

Irisa D. (Flowers) Green is the founder of Sunstone Garden LLC and an avid gardener. In 2015, Irisa fully embraced the horticultural nature of her name and committed herself ...

Sharon Hadden moved from the UK to the USA four years ago to accompany her husband. Sharon has joined Allisonville Garden and Home and has taken over the responsibility of ...

Debbie Hamrick's life work has been about relationships and connecting people—connecting people to business information, connecting people to new ideas, and most importantly, connecting people to one another. Her ...

Beth Hart is a native of Nevada and currently lives in Las Vegas. She holds a bachelor's degree in regional planning from the University of Nevada, Reno, and a ...

Ellen Hearn is giving back by volunteering for her hometown in Decatur, Il. She knows that community goals and leadership drive positive change. She is a board member of ...

Ed Hooker, III currently serves as the first Historical Architect of the National Cemetery Administration (NCA), Veterans Affairs (VA). The NCA oversees 156 National Veterans Cemeteries through the United ...

Millie Murphree, PhD, is the County Extension Coordinator for Escambia County, Alabama. Her job responsibilities include community workforce, leadership and economic development as well as local programming. She leads ...

Ellen Paparozzi, PhD is a retired professor from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Ellen became interested in horticulture tending her grandmother Congetta’s rose garden. During high school and college (Cook ...

Alex Pearl, Centerville, Ohio has been an America in Bloom judge since AIB’s inception. He is among the founding individuals. Alex’s affiliation began as a judge during AIB’s 2001 pilot ...

Brent Pemberton received a B.S. in Ornamental Horticulture from Texas Tech University in 1978 and a Ph.D. in Floriculture from the University of Minnesota in 1983.  He recently retired ...

Leslie Pittenger is an AIB board member and Past President of the AIB board. She served on the national awards program committee as the judge’s coordinator for 5 years ...

Bruce Riggs currently free-lances in horticulture and is involved in several not for profit institutions. He is also very involved in the family landscape design business with his wife Melanie ...

Melanie Riggs resides in New Rochelle, New York. Melanie is a Landscape Designer who has had her own Landscape Design business for over thirty years. She is the principal and ...

Karin Rindal. Karin Rindal’s wide ranging business career in manufacturing and government includes time involved in international trade program evaluation and training in Total Quality Management (TQM) and Malcolm Baldridge ...

After retiring from a career as a science teacher, Carolynn (Carrie) Sears became a Master Gardener (2008), an Advanced Master Gardener, and a member of the Pound Ridge Conservation Board (2010- ...

Nikki Springer is an environmental consultant with a background in landscape architecture, sustainability, and facility management. She recently completed a PhD in Environmental Management from Yale University and was the ...

Brian is recently retired (as of January, 1, 2025) from an amazing 37 years in Parks, Recreation, and Environmental Stewardship.  Brian assisted with an exceptional professional team suggesting park ...

Barbara Vincentsen is owner of Vincentsen Associates, a medium-sized award-winning architectural firm in Westfield, New Jersey. She grew up in a gardening family and has continued her family tradition in ...

Kristina Whitney currently works  within the Federal Government overseeing cultural resource management and environmental law. Her background is in archaeology and historic preservation. This passion for history and preservation ...

A long-time America in Bloom advisor, Teresa brings a background in magazine writing and gardening experience. She is co-author of the American Roots: Lessons and Inspiration from Designers Reimaging Our Home ...

Jessica Young currently works as a Program Manager for New South Associates, a cultural resources consulting firm based out of Stone Mountain, Georgia. With an M.A. from Northwestern University ...

Steve Zwiep served the City of Holland, Michigan for 30 years. He attended Calvin College and majored in Plant Biology. After college, he became the lead grower for the ...