ORGANICS - Key Persons
Alex worked on the farm during the summers of 2009-2011. He is a Plant Sciences graduate and has always been involved in outdoor jobs involving plant life. Since as long as he can remember, he has been helping his dad with vineyard production. They started building a large-scale vineyard in Arrington, Tennessee, about 7 years ago, which is where he worked up until becoming a student at UTK. During college, Alex also worked at the UT Gardens and did an internship with Dick Ott involving the maintenance of interior plants in greenhouses. Aside from plant work, one of Alex's main passions is music. He performs in a band, Arpetrio, who is currently on a nationwide tour.
Alexandra was a Plant Sciences major and worked with the OSCP Program in the spring and summer of 2009.
Alexandra is interested in sustainable production practices for both ornamental and food crops. Some of her activities and interests outside work and school are spending time outdoors and with those she loves, music, art, and reading.
Andrea was a student intern in the OSCP Program in 2011.
Ann Ramsey was an intern in the OSCP Program in 2011 and a graduate student in Anthropology where her research interests included food security, food sovereignty, and social justice. A native Tennessean, Ann grew up working the backyard garden in her bare feet. Her love of the natural world drew her into sustainable agriculture. She is interested in the community-enhancing aspects of local food systems and sees organic farming as a way to shorten the food chain from field to table and acquaint consumers with producers.
Job Titles:
- UT Vegetable Extension Specialist
- Vegetable Specialist
Annette Wszelaki is the UT Vegetable Extension Specialist and has statewide responsibilities for developing a comprehensive educational program in commercial vegetable production. The main focuses of her extension program include production and variety recommendations, diversifying production, developing alternative crops, organic and sustainable production, crop sensory and nutrition evaluations, and postharvest handling. She also has co-coordinated the design and implementation of research projects at the Organic Crops Unit in Knoxville, TN, with emphasis on alternative crops, season extension, minimum tillage, cover cropping and farmscaping. The focus of her program is to help growers reduce their off-farm inputs and increase farm profits.
Annette received her Bachelor's degree from The Ohio State University in Plant Biology with an emphasis in Ecology in 1996. In 2001, she received her doctorate from UC Davis in Plant Biology with an emphasis in Postharvest Physiology and studied alternatives to pesticides for postharvest handling and storage. After completing her graduate work, Annette returned to The Ohio State University as a postdoctoral researcher, examining transitioning to organic vegetable production at the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center in Wooster, OH. Prior to joining the faculty at the University of Tennessee, Annette was an Assistant Professor at the University of Puerto Rico in Mayagüez, where she conducted a teaching and research program in organic agriculture and postharvest physiology.
Ashley Taft worked as a student intern at the UT Organic Crops Unit while pursuing her Bachelor's degree in Plant Sciences, concentrating in Organic Production. Ashley received her degree in 2015, and hopes to contribute to the field of sustainable agriculture, both globally and here in her native Knoxville.
Job Titles:
- UT Farmers Market Manager
- UTFM Manager
Becca Harman moved to Knoxville from Dallas in 2012, and has absolutely fallen for Knoxville. Native of Nashville, she is happy to be back in Tennessee and closer to the Appalachians. She was working toward her masters in Soil Science as an avenue to international development. She has worked here and there, managing a small organic farm in Dallas and doing agricultural development in northern Haiti. She was the UT Farmers' Market Manager in 2013 and enjoyed getting to meet many fantastic Knoxvillians along the way. She and her husband David, a MFA student in painting at UT, live in Old North Knoxville with their daughter and Haitian pup Bear.
Job Titles:
- Student Intern
- Student Intern UTFM Manager
Elizabeth Stanford was born and raised in East Tennessee. Beth plans to use her degree in Food and Agricultural Business to help farmers adapt to a changing market and to eventually have a small farm of her own. She is currently the UTFM 2016 Manager. Her passions include chickens, sunhats, and spreadsheets.
Job Titles:
- Service Supervisor at the Organic Crops Unit
- Service Supervisor, Organic Crops Unit / East Tennessee Research and Education Center
- Service Supervisor, Organic Crops Unit / East TN Research and Education Center
- TN Organic Production Network
Bill Lively is the Service Supervisor at the Organic Crops Unit. He joined the Organic and Sustainable Research and Extension Team in the summer of 2008. His responsibilities include implementation and management of research projects at the UT Organic Crops Unit. His responsibilities also include the maintenance of facilities and equipment.
Prior to working at the Organic Crops Unit, Bill maintained the grounds of the UT Gardens for nearly 20 years. He also once had a professional wrestling career.
. BJ worked in the OSCP Program in 2010-2012. He is now the manager of the East TN AgResearch and Education Center Plant Sciences Unit.
Bonnie Craighead is majoring in environmental and soil science at UT. From Clay County, Tennessee, Bonnie grew up on her fifth generation family farm. She plans to continue her family's agricultural interest by one day owning her own farm. As an intern on the organic unit, she learned sustainable practices. to apply to her own operations. After receiving her bachelor's degree, she aspires to become a soil scientist, conduct research, and volunteer in third-world countries to teach farmers about soil conservation.
Dr. Ownley earned her Ph.D. from North Carolina State University in Plant Pathology with a minor in Soil Science. She received her M.S. in Microbiology from Auburn University, and a B.S. in Biology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She joined the faculty in the Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology at the University of Tennessee in 1992.
Dr. Ownley has research and teaching responsibilities. Her appointment is 85% research and 15% teaching. Her research program is focused on the biology, biological and cultural control, and epidemiology of soilborne plant pathogens; ecology and population dynamics of beneficial soil microorganisms; and etiology of diseases of vegetable and biofuels crops.
Dr. Ownley's educational program includes teaching graduate courses in Bacterial Plant Diseases, Soilborne Plant Pathogens, and Mycology.
Brandon Smith was a Research Assistant Professor of Organic and Alternative Crop Production at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville from 2006 to 2008. He played an integral role in establishing and beginning the transition of the UT Organic Crops Unit, the 21-acre research farm, to certified organic production. Brandon's research at the University of Tennessee focused on cover crop management, conservation farming, and season extension. He was involved with reduced-till/no-till vegetable and agronomic crop production, and developed a passion for using cover crops to improve soil fertility, enhance beneficial insect populations, and manage weeds.
Brandon earned a Bachelors of Science in Horticulture & Agronomy from the University of New Hampshire in 1997. As an undergraduate student, he also worked at the UNH Woodman Horticultural farm where he helped maintain fruit and vegetable plots for both field and high tunnel production research. Brandon also earned a Masters of Science in Plant Biology from the University of New Hampshire. His thesis focused on pH management and micronutrient nutrition of container-grown greenhouse crops. Brandon left NH in 2002 to begin a Ph.D. at Cornell University. His dissertation research dealt with the impact of soil pH and iron deficiency on chlorosis, photosynthesis, and the antioxidant system of ‘Concord' grapevines.
Brandon is currently a Conservation Agronomist with the NRCS in Durham, NH.
Brenna Wright is originally from the Great Plains of Kansas. There she earned her undergraduate degree in psychology from Friend's University and decided afterwards to join the United States Peace Corps. That experience helped spark a passion for agricultural communities and even more so for the land we depend on. She hopes to one day be a part of an organization dedicated to reconciling our ground from the ills of progress and overuse and to be a part of the slow movement working to reinstitute a sense of stewardship in our culture. Locally, she hopes to be involved in the reclamation of blighted downtown "green" spaces and also to continue some work in the community development sector internationally. She is continuing her education at the University of Tennessee and will be a graduate student in the Environmental/Soil Science sect. She was an intern in the OSCP Program in 2012.
Christopher Thompson was born in Cookeville, TN. After moving around some, his father became the farm manager on a registered Red Angus farm. Christopher followed in his father and grandfather's footsteps and started work on the farm with them when he was 14. At 17 he enlisted in the Tennessee Army National Guard, and by 18 he was serving a tour of duty in the Republic of Iraq. After his return, under the guidance of a friend, he started attending college. After attaining an associate's degree from Pellissippi State, he decided to continue his education at UT. He decided on Plant Science because of his great love for working in agriculture. Christopher has no set plans for his future yet, but has interest in getting into field or forage crop production for livestock feed, or possibly going overseas to help teach and establish better agricultural practices.
Clint Wayman was a Landscape Design major and worked with the OSCP Program in 2010. At some point down the road, he hopes to either start a landscape design/architecture firm or do freelance design work to supplement a teacher's salary while teaching landscape design. Clint grew up in Strawberry Plains, TN and attended Knox county schools all his life. Growing up, he played a lot of sports-mainly baseball, but also basketball and football. Also, living where he did and being so close to the mountains he found, and still find, himself often wanting to be out in the mountains or just the woods around his house. Clint did not grow up on a farm, but has always been interested in farming. He and his brother have grown vegetables in their back yard, mainly tomatoes and peppers.
Job Titles:
- Research Assistant / East Tennessee Research and Education Center
My name is Cody Fust, I am from Clarksville, TN and was raised on a grain production farm. I graduated from UT in May of 2013 with a Bachelor's Degree in Agriculture Leadership. I worked for Dr. Butler & the Organic Crop Research Unit. I hope to become a farm manager in ETREC or own my own farm.
Job Titles:
- Organic Extension Specialist
Dana was the Organic Extension Specialist in the latter half of 2008. She received her Bachelor's degree in Sustainable Agriculture from the University of Maine and also served as the Student Farm Manager of the Black Bear Food Guild. The Guild grew vegetables for a 60-member Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)
Job Titles:
- Fruit and Nut Crops Extension Specialist
Emily Hennelly was a student assistant in the OSCP Program in 2012. Emily has gardened for as long as she can remember. The idea of a "three sister's garden," seemed magical to her when she was younger and began thus began her interest in permaculture. She has worked as a WOOF-er in Nantucket as well as farms in North Carolina and New Jersey. Someday she hopes to have a small sustainable homestead. She enjoys tilling, finding chicken eggs, making rugs, and hula hooping.
Emmanuel Deleon is originally from Long Island, New York. As a boy he would visit his family in Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico and see how they lived off the land. His interest in soil began here and he is now pursuing a major in Environmental Soil Science at the University of Tennessee. While in Knoxville he learned about the benefits of organic farming to the environment and to personal health. This led him to apply for the organic internship program of 2013.
In his free time he likes brewing a healthy drink called kombucha which he shares with his friends and family. He loves to learn about superfoods and how to improve his health and longevity. He also trying to get people more involved in outdoor activities such as disc golf, mountain biking, and hiking.
Job Titles:
- Research Associate / East Tennessee Research and Education Center
- Research Associate / East TN Research and Education Center
- TN Organic Production Network
Job Titles:
- UTFM Manager, Graduate Student
Job Titles:
- Professor / Plant Sciences
- TN Organic Production Network
Dr. Bates received his Ph.D in 1993 from the University of Georgia. He received his M.S.in 1990 and his Bachelor's of Science in 1987 from Louisiana State University. He joined the faculty of The University of Tennessee in 1993 as an Extension Forage Specialist.
Dr. Bates's educational program emphasizes the practices needed for profitable forage production. Forage species selection, establishment, fertilization, harvest and storage are the major areas of his program. Current education programs include grazing schools, bermudagrass hay schools, and several multi-county field days. Most recently, Dr. Bate's interests have expanded into organic forage.
Job Titles:
- Research Associate
- TN Organic Production Network
Heather is a West Virginia native and obtained her B.S. in Biology from West Virginia University. She furthered her education at The University of Tennessee, graduating in May 2003 with a Masters of Science in Plant and Soil Science. She is currently pursuing her PhD in Plant Sciences in her spare time investigating cover crop effects on mycorrhizal fungi.
After graduating with her M.S. in 2003, Heather worked as Research Associate with Dr. Bob Augé in UT's Department of Plant Sciences in the area of mycorrhizal symbiosis and environmental plant physiology. Her responsibilities included setup and implementation of greenhouse experiments, field work with drought stress physiology experiments in a forest ecosystem at Oak Ridge TN, and root/mycorrhizal laboratory research. Most recently, she has worked with quantitative reviews via meta-analysis.
Heather worked in the Wszelaki lab with the OSCP Program from 2009-2012, where she coordinated the Organic Workshop Series, maintained the Organic and Vegetable websites, wrote fact sheets, and generally did anything that needed to be done. Heather currently has a split appointment in the Department of Plant Sciences. Part of her appointment revolves around managing Dr. Augé's research program, and the other part is managing the lab of Dr. David Butler with the OSCP Program.
Job Titles:
- Research Associate
- Research Specialist
Jenny grew up in Georgia, where she got her BS in biology from Berry College. She moved to Tennessee in 1995 to attend graduate school in the former OHLD department at UT. Her MS thesis research focused on the physiology of native tree species during drought stress.
After graduating from UT, she worked for a while at a native plant nursery then returned to UT to work in Karen Vail's lab in the Entomology and Plant Pathology department. After that, she worked for several years as a Research Associate in Bob Auge's lab, examining the effects of mycorrhizal fungi on plant physiology during drought stress.
In 2004, she left UT for some family time. She is excited to be back in the Plant Sciences department working with Annette Wszelaki's team.
Job Titles:
- Professor and Apiculture Specialist / Entomology and Plant
Job Titles:
- Student Assistant
- Student Assistent
Justin was a student intern for the 2014 season. He currently works with Dr. Butler's team.
Justin is a non-traditional student with an A.S. degree from Chattanooga State Community College. Originally from Saratoga Springs, NY, he fell in love with sociology in community college and decided to transfer to UT to pursue his B.A. in Environmental Sociology with a focus on environmental and social justice. While at UT he discovered that his passion for humanity's damaged connection with the natural world would lead him to a double major in Sociology and Plant Sciences. Hailing from the UT College of Arts and Sciences as a senior and a new arrival on the CSNAR campus in 2014, Justin joined the Organic and Sustainable UT Market Garden Internship with high hopes and great ambition. He intends to pursue a career in research in the realm of organic and sustainable agriculture with a strong sociological perspective. As well, he wants to start a small family farm with a focus on educating the public that he can pass on to future generations.
In Justin's free time he enjoys music and dancing, playing guitar and singing, drawing with pastels, and collecting and caring for a variety of plants. He is a loving father to two boys and a dedicated husband. Justin has had many experiences with a diverse array of people and places throughout the country during the nine years he spent as a freelance traveling artist after high school in Upstate New York. Justin has always had a passion for sustainable living and exploring ways to better our collective culture through positive social change.
Kathryn Allen is originally from Clifton Forge, Virginia, but has lived in Knoxville for most of her life. She was an intern in the OSCP Program in 2011 and a double major in Soil Science and Spanish. She plans to teach high school chemistry and environmental science after graduating. An interest in where food comes from and a summer working at Berry Creek Farm in Vermont sparked her interest in organic farming. She plans to share this interest with her future students through a school garden and composting program.
Job Titles:
- Postdoctoral Research Associate
Job Titles:
- Marketing Specialist / Center for Profitable Agriculture
Job Titles:
- UT Staff and Graduate Student / Entomology and Plant
Job Titles:
- Student Assistant
- TN Organic Production Network
Rebecca is currently a master's student in the Food Science and Technology department at UTK, but she has been working with the Plant Sciences department as well. She has been working in the Organic Crops Unit through the summer of 2013 and assisting with other research projects as they relate to food production. In addition to being a student, she is a mother, wife, gardner, and farmer - keeping sheep, chickens, and turkeys. Her interests include empowering families with food production skills through gardening and animal husbandry.
Samuel Cooze was born and raised in East Tennessee. He is majoring in Environmental Studies with a concentration in Sociology. His interest in organic production stems from learning about the negative ramifications of modern conventional agriculture. His career aspiration is to promote sustainability in either education or public policy. Until then, he will continue working on his future goals and interests, and enjoying what life has to offer.
Shannon Snyder hails from Flint, MI. She is majoring in Organic Production in the Department of Plant Sciences at UT. She interned at Beardsley Farm in 2011, sparking her interest in organic and small-scale agriculture. Shannon aspires to have a small farm/garden someday. She also works part-time at the Bistro on Gay St., downtown Knoxville.
Job Titles:
- Extension Assistant / Center for Profitable Agriculture
Tiffany Morrison is a native of South Central Texas, and earned her B.A. in English Literature at Texas Tech University. Her general love of good food and healthy living has led her to pursue her passion for sustainable agriculture. Tiffany has a diverse professional background that includes journalism, marketing/advertising, corporate communications, education research and most recently environmental health and safety at the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture. She was enthusiastic about her opportunity to participate in the UT organic farm-to-market internship in 2011.