Mr. Hanrahan is a Certified Professional in Erosion and Sediment Control, and he has more than 45 years of industry experience. In addition to presentations in Canada, Taiwan and the Dominican Republic, Peter has also presented at the national level for many organizations, including the International Erosion Control Association, Land Improvement Contractors of America, the Geotechnical Fabrics Institute, the National Working Waterfront Network, and the American Water Works Association. His articles have been published in many industry magazines, including Erosion Control, Land & Water, Geosynthetics, and Landscape Architect & Specifier News. He has produced webinars for the International Erosion Control Association, Half Moon Education, Forester University, the International Association of Hydroseeding Professionals, the New York State Society of Professional Engineers, the Saco Watershed Collaborative and Stormwater University. He has also served as a guest lecturer at the University of Mississippi, Ohio Northern University, The University of New England, the University of Maine, and Vermont Technical College. Peter has also been active in industry organizations. He was national president of the International Management Council in 1991-92, and also served four terms (2010-13) as President of the Northeast Chapter of the International Erosion Control Association. He was also a founding board member of that organization’s Great Rivers Chapter. Peter is also a member of the Senior Advisory Committee and Strategic Advisory Committees for Envirocert International, a member of the Stormwater University Advisory Board, and a member of the Editorial Review Board of the International Erosion Control Association.

Dr. Mallinger is a pollinator ecologist focusing primarily on native wild bees. She is interested in the basic biology of native wild bees, their response to anthropogenic disturbance, and their role in the pollination of both crop and wild plants. A major focus of her research program is to integrate approaches from landscape ecology and community ecology to better understand pollinator community dynamics and plant pollinator interactions at multiple spatial scales. She conducts research in a variety of ecosystems, including natural, agricultural and urban, with the overarching goal of informing pollinator conservation and improving pollination services.

Ms. Neal is the owner of Green Gardens Education and Designs. Prior to that, she was a biologist at Fernbank Science Center in Atlanta for over 30 years. She retired in 2017. Ms. Neal areas of expertise are composting, vermicomposting, ornithology, environmental education, establishing outdoor classrooms and wildlife gardens and educating the public about the wonders of monarchs. She has a bachelor’s degree in biology and a master’s degree in science education with an emphasis in animal behavior. In 2015 Ms. Neal received the Outstanding Biology Teacher Award for Georgia from the National Association of Biology Teacher in recognition of her career’s work in environmental education.
Ms. Neal was also the project director for the School Master Gardener program that trained over 300 Master Gardeners from 50 different schools across DeKalb County. Since 2003 these participants have volunteered over 50,000 hours at their local schoolhouses with over 35,000 students. Numerous Junior Master Gardener Clubs were formed in the local schoolhouses. This program also brought in over $63,461 in grant money at the local schools to support these school outdoor classrooms.
Upon retirement, she realized that her depth of knowledge offered an opportunity to help homeowners transition from a traditional lawn yard to a landscape that welcomes wildlife and pollinators with native plants. This type of landscape is critical in protecting threatened species and establishing a healthy ecosystem for humans and wildlife. Doug Tallamy, author of Bringing Nature Home, says “Gardening is a way of showing you believe in tomorrow”. Based on this belief, Ms. Neal formed an LLC called Green Gardens Education and Designs (GGED) and works with homeowners to make their residence a part of the solution, instead of it being part of the problem. When a customer works with GGED, they can expect a design that uses over thirty years of knowledge and experience and takes into consideration how a space is utilized by both humans and wildlife. This design will transform the landscape into both an aesthetically pleasing space and a space that is a part of the solution to the problems our earth is currently facing. By connecting yards and habitats, homeowners can actively work to offset their carbon footprints and support species that are struggling.

Ms. Wilson is a professor in the Department of Environmental Horticulture at the University of Florida (UF). She completed her B.S. and M.S. degrees from the University of Delaware, her Ph.D. from Clemson University and conducted postdoctoral studies at Clemson University and Chiba University, Japan. Her research focuses on characterizing the invasive potential of ornamental plants and native plant propagation and production. Complementary to this, she teaches courses in plant propagation, native landscaping, and annual and perennial gardening. Throughout her career she has been recognized with a number awards including the UF Undergraduate Teacher of the Year Award, the
UF Roche Professorship Award, the American Society for Horticultural Science (ASHS) Outstanding Undergraduate Educator Award, and the ASHS Outstanding Graduate Educator Award. Most recently, she co-authored the world standard textbook Hartmann and Kester’s Plant Propagation-Principles and Practices, 9th edition. For her outstanding
contributions to horticultural science and education, she holds the distinction of Fellow within International Plant Propagators Society (IPPS), American Society for Horticultural Science (ASHS), and the North American Colleges and Teaching of Agriculture (NACTA).