It is only through the generous financial contributions from our sponsors that make this event possible. Their donations are greatly appreciated. Interested in becoming a sponsor? Visit the Sponsorship Opportunities page.
We are dedicated to providing a harassment-free experience for everyone, regardless of gender, gender identity and expression, age, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, ethnicity, religion (or lack thereof), or technology choices. We do not tolerate harassment of participants in any form. Suggestive statements, sexual innuendo, or offensive remarks are not appropriate during any activity, including during talks, poster sessions, workshops, social functions, after hours parties, via Zoom chat or on Twitter or other online media. Participants asked to stop any harassing behavior are expected to comply immediately. Those violating these rules may be sanctioned or expelled without a refund at the discretion of the organizers. If you are being harassed, notice that someone else is being harassed, or have any other concerns about participant behavior, please notify the organizers immediately.
It is possible you may be contacted by a company claiming to be the official housing bureau for this conference. These companies contact conference exhibitors and attendees, telling them the guest room block is sold out at the host hotel. The company then quotes a rate at another hotel, claiming it is an official room block and that you must reserve through them to get discounted rates. They ask for your credit card information so they can make a reservation for you. DO NOT FALL FOR THIS or you will lose your money. This scam is affecting conferences all over the country. No matter what meeting you attend, always use the hotel reservation links provided on the host organization’s website.
Senior Environmental Markets Analyst, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Office of Environmental Markets, Washington, D.C.
Dr. Christopher Hartley is responsible for the development of policy, tools, and metrics to facilitate private investment in conservation and the participation of farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners in emerging environmental markets. He previously worked for the Natural Resources Conservation Service in Washington, DC and in California building partnerships to accelerate voluntary conservation and served with the U.S. Peace Corps as an agricultural extension agent in Senegal, West Africa. He is a Certified Crop Advisor, and a licensed Pest Control Advisor with more than 25 years of experience working in support of production agriculture and the promotion of clean air, clean water, and a safe and abundant food supply. Dr. Hartley earned a Ph.D.in Ecology, emphasis Agroecology, M.Sc. Agronomy, MSc. International Agricultural Development from the University of California at Davis.
Science Information Specialist, U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, VA
Shonté Jenkins is the Science Information Specialist at the US Geological Survey (USGS) Science and Decisions Center (SDC) in Reston, VA. While at the center Shonté has been instrumental in producing products, which communicate the many efforts and projects by the SDC scientists within the center through print and digital media. Shonté is passionate about early education outreach and bringing more diversity to science. She pursues these efforts for the center and across the USGS as a member for the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, & Accessibility (DEIA) Council. Shonté has served an active role in the A Community on Ecosystem Services (ACES) conferences as a program and planning committee member since 2012 and more recently as Co-Chair. In addition to her many professional accomplishments, Shonté considers her greatest accomplishments being a mother, wife, and woodworker loving life in beautiful and rural Northern VA.
Assistant Center Director, CCTE MI: SHC and SSWR US, Environmental Protection Agency/ORD, Gulf Breeze, FL
Dr. Marc Russell is responsible for his Center’s planning and implementation of research in EPA’s Sustainable and Healthy Communities and Sustainable and Safe Water Research Programs. He works with other EPA centers, offices, national research programs, and communities to develop innovative, scientifically sound, and sustainability focused decision support tools. These tools assure that the integrated research vital to the future of environmental protection is robust, defensible and useful. Dr. Russell specializes in landscape system ecology with foci in estuarine net ecosystem metabolism, freshwater inflow, landscape characterization, net anthropogenic nutrient budgets, system dynamics models, functional equivalency, ecosystem services, and natural capital accounting.
Owner, Plantsman
Jenks Farmer
Columbia, SC
Augustus Jenkins Farmer III is a renaissance plantsman. He fell in love with the natural world while growing up in a family of artists, musicians, and farmers. Jenks went on to get a more formal education in plant sciences at Clemson University and then botanical garden design at the University of Washington.
Jenks Farmer is a renowned horticulturist, inspiring author, and visionary garden designer whose work has profoundly influenced Southern gardening. With a unique blend of scientific knowledge, artistic vision, and hands-on experience, Jenks has spent decades crafting sustainable, beautiful landscapes that tell stories and connect people with nature. He played a pivotal role in developing two of South Carolina's largest public gardens, which now inspire over a million visitors annually to explore the joys and responsibilities of gardening. His expertise has been recognized nationally, serving on the American Horticultural Society's book review awards committee.
A passionate advocate for ecological gardening, Jenks runs an organic nursery on his family’s 1750s farm and has authored several influential books, including his latest, "Garden Disruptors" and his in progress, “Secrets of Southern Gardens and Landscapes.”
His approach combines traditional Southern gardening wisdom with innovative practices, addressing the challenges of changing climates and evolving cultural landscapes. As a founding member of the Charleston Parks Conservancy, Jenks has been instrumental in shaping public green spaces. Through his designs, writings, and lectures, Jenks continues to champion a new vision for Southern gardens - one that is rooted in history, mindful of the present, and optimistic about the future.
Extension Horticulture Specialist (Retired)
Univerity of Tennessee
Jackson, TN
Carol Reese retired from being an Extension Horticulture Specialist with the University of Tennessee in 2021. Her degrees in Horticulture are from Mississippi State where she taught classes in Plant Materials, and co-taught Landscape Design for non-LA majors alongside a “real” landscape architect - to students likely confused by the contrasting accents of a woman with a British accent and the other a farm girl Mississippian. Carol has been a newspaper garden columnist, the Q&A columnist for Horticulture magazine “back in the day”, a horticulture editor for Tennessee Gardening, and co-authored the UT Extension Master Gardener Handbook. She is working on a book she hopes will help her figure out how she saved enough brain cells from her party years to to cobble together a rewarding career that eventually enabled her to build a secluded secluded haven for homeless dogs and their human friend.