History | Current Chair | Past Chairs | Advisory Committee
The D.C. Kiplinger Endowment and Chair in Floriculture
Dr. D.C. “Kip” Kiplinger was a faculty member in the Department of Horticulture for nearly 40 years. This D.C. Kiplinger Floriculture Endowed Chair was established in 1978 to recognize his outstanding leadership and contributions to the Floriculture Industry.
The D.C. Kiplinger Floriculture Chair is the first endowed Chair in floriculture in the United States. It was created with funds donated by the many friends, students and colleagues of Dr. Kiplinger and members of OFA and the Ohio State Floriculture/Landscape Horticulture Alumni Association.
The mission of the D.C. Kiplinger Chair in Floriculture is to advance the science and practice of floriculture.
Current D.C. Kiplinger Chair: Dr. Michelle Jones
Michelle is a Professor and Extension Specialist in the Department of Horticulture and Crop Science at Ohio State University. She grew up in Iowa and was introduced to floriculture during an undergraduate internship program at Iowa State University. She has been involved with floriculture education and research ever since.
Former D.C. Kiplinger Chair Holders
Henry M. Cathey, 1980-1981, USDA, Beltsville, MD
John G. Seeley, 1984-1985, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
Harold F. Wilkins, 1992-1993, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN
James D. Metzger, 1994-2001, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH
Anthony Stead, 2005-2006, University of London, Royal Holloway, UK
Current members of the D.C. Kiplinger Chair Advisory Committee
Keith Bemerer
Keith is an inside sales representative at Prospiant, Inc. (formerly Rough Brothers and Nexus Greenhouse Systems). Previously he was a greenhouse grower for West Hills Greenhouses in Cincinnati, OH. In 2004, he earned his Bachelor’s degree in Crop Science from The Ohio State University. He specializes in floriculture crops and greenhouse businesses. Currently, he is treasurer of the Cincinnati Flower Growers Association. Keith has been recognized by two industry trade publications as a Young Grower Award winner and GPN Forty under 40 in 2019. Keith was recently highlighted in the OSU Horticulture and Crop Sciences Alumni spot light: https://hcs.osu.edu/news/alumni-keith-bemerer
Alicain Carlson
Alicain has been with Syngenta Flowers for 8+ years and is currently their Head of Technical Services for the Americas region. Her team is responsible for providing greenhouse growers with technical growing support and conducting a vast array of research trials to support Syngenta Flowers’ innovative product portfolio, validating marketing claims, and building culture guides. Before joining Syngenta Flowers, Alicain earned her M.S. and Ph.D. at NCSU in Horticultural Science studying various aspects of production and postharvest of floriculture crops. She also holds a B.S. from Virginia Tech in Biological Sciences. Alicain is also a co-author of Postharvest Handling of Cut Flowers and Greens, a book that has become the premier go-to resource for best practices for cut flower growers.
Todd Cavins
Todd is a Technical Services Specialist with Ball Horticultural Company. He received his Ph.D. in plant nutrition/soil physics from North Carolina State University. He became a professor at Oklahoma State University and then served nearly 10 years in technical support and research and development for a leading potting soil & fertilizer manufacturer. For the past 8+ years, Todd’s major role is supporting plug growers and rooting stations for the Ball Seed network.
Mark Evans
Mark’s early interest in horticulture began in Cleveland where he worked in vegetable and floriculture greenhouses. He earned his BS and MS in Ag Ed (ACEL) at The Ohio State University in 1977 and 1980. He has a varied horticulture background, such as serving as an Agricultural Education teacher for three years and working in various positions in the floriculture industry for the past 43 years. Currently, Mark works for Eason Horticultural Resources. Mark also serves on the College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CFAES) Alumni Board.
Matt Foertmeyer
Matt is a second-generation grower and is now managing Foertmeyer & Sons Greenhouse. He attended The Ohio State University where he studied Crop Science with an emphasis on horticulture crops. After finishing his studies, Matt worked in Germany for West Flowers. After a short time away, Matt returned to his family’s business ready to put into practice the advanced production techniques he learned in Germany. Matt is currently the head grower at Foertmeyer & Sons Greenhouse, and because of his passion for the industry remains very active in various greenhouse organizations and committees.
Corwin Graves
Corwin Graves is the Vice President of Growing for Green Circle Growers, one of the largest producers of potted plants in the US. Corwin is an accomplished Grower and leader with nearly 20 years of experience in the horticultural sector. Corwin is motivated to provide value to the end-consumer via products that maximize consumer success with plants. Corwin graduated with honors from California Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo in 2003 with a bachelor’s degree in horticultural science. He currently resides in northeast Ohio with his wife and four children.
Peter Konjoian
Peter grew up on a family farm and retail greenhouse operation in Andover, Massachusetts and earned his B.S. at the University of New Hampshire. Both his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees were earned at The Ohio State University, graduating in 1982. He began his career as a faculty member at the University of Maryland before returning to Massachusetts to run his parents’ greenhouse operation. He formed Konjoian’s Horticulture Education Services, Inc. in 1992 and has been immersed in both the commercial and research arenas of the U.S. greenhouse industry for over four decades. Peter received Ohio State’s Distinguished Alumni Award in 2006, was elected to the AmericanHort (formerly OFA) board of directors twice, chaired several committees over decades of service, and has presented over 630 professional seminars throughout the U.S. and Canada. He has held adjunct university appointments at Ohio State, UMass, and the University of New Hampshire which have allowed him to guest lecture, serve on graduate advisory committees, and interact with the academic community. He publishes in trade magazines and on electronic platforms. Past experiences also include a weekly radio gardening show and weekly newspaper column.
Cathy Kowalczyk
Cathy works alongside her family as a second-generation owner of Willoway Nurseries in Avon/Huron, Ohio. The nursery was founded by her parents in 1954. Willoway Nurseries is a wholesale grower of trees, shrubs , perennials and seasonal crops. Cathy is the Chief of Greenhouse Operations where she oversees propagation, seasonal color crops and a portion of the perennial production. As an alumni of The Ohio State University, College of Agriculture (B.S.1981), Cathy enjoys being involved with OSU as a supporter of CFAES.