Staff and Faculty

Natalie Anderson
Vice-President for Education

Charles M. Yurgalevitch, Ph.D.
Director, The School of Professional Horticulture

Priscilla Crowell
Office Assistant

Organization
Day-to-day operations of the School are managed by the Director, who also guides students with special group projects, plant studies, reviews and field trips. An advisory board, composed of instructors, education and horticulture staff, and representatives from horticultural businesses, meets periodically to review school policies and curriculum.

Kobinah Abdul-Salim Ph.D. from Harvard University, M.S. from the University of Missouri-St. Louis. He is a Postdoctoral fellow, Cullman Program for Molecular Systematics Studies at the Garden.

Tolly Beck Community Horticulture Educator for Cornell Cooperative Extension of Rockland County
and a Horticulturist for Lasdon Park and Arboretum, Westchester County Parks, Recreation and
Conservation.

Jamie Boyer Manager of Professional Development at the Garden and a Ph.D. candidate at
SUNY, Binghamton, where he studies the evolution and development of early land plants.

David Bulpitt Landscape Design Instructor, Principal of Brookside Nurseries, Inc., which produces
soil mixes, B.S. University of Massachusetts.

Wayne Cahilly Horticulture Instructor, Manager of Institutional Mapping for the Garden, arborist,
garden consultant, Diploma School of Professional Horticulture.

Sarah Carter Curator for Herbaceous Plants and Outdoor Gardens at NYBG and holds a B.S. in horticulture from Berry College, Rome, GA.

Francisca Coelho Diploma, School of Professional Horticulture. Director of Glasshouses.

Margaret Conover Ph.D. in Botany from the University of Massachusetts. She was a Fulbright Fellow
and has extensive teaching experience.

Mark Cupkovic Horticulture Instructor, Associate Vice President for Operations for the Garden, B.S.
Miami University, Ohio.

Caroline DeWilde Horticulture Instructor, former Director School Professional Horticulture, M.P.S.
Cornell University.

Jim Diermeier Associate Director of Outdoor Gardens and Home Gardening at NYBG. He has extensive experience in landscape and grounds maintenance and is currently president of the N.Y. State Turfgrass Assocation.

William Einhorn Landscape Design Instructor, principal of Landscape Design Associates, B.L.A. College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Syracuse.

Jody Fetzer I.P.M. Manager of the Garden, M.S. in Plant Pathology from the University of Minnesota.

Nancy Gerlach-Spriggs Co-author of The Restorative Garden: Healing Landscape, and Executive
Co-director of the non-profit organization Meristem. B.S.L.A. City College of New York and M.L.A.
Harvard University Graduate School of Design.

James Harkins Assistant Foreman of Gardeners at the Garden’s Propagation Range and has been at the Garden for over 15 years.

Holly Hepp Adjunct professor of speech at Manhattan College. B.A. with honors from Skidmore College.

Michelle Kehyaian Staff member of the Garden’s arboretum and grounds crew. ISA-certified arborist
with a B.S. in Environmental Design.

Bill Logan ISA-certified arborist, Member of American Society of Consulting Arborists, founder
and president of Urban Arborists, Inc., author and journalist.

Gary Lincoff Has taught plant studies at the Garden since the 1970s. Is author of several books
on mushrooms including The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Mushrooms. He was the
recipient of the 2002 NYBG “Instructor of the Year Award.”

Kurt Morrell Graduate of The School of Professional Horticulture, now Director of Arboretum, Grounds & Gardens at NYBG.

Todd Osmundson Botanist, NYBG Graduate Studies Program & Columbia University Dept. of
Ecology, Evolution & Environmental Biology. M.S. Montana State University.

Susan Pell Ph.D. Lousiana State University. Plant Molecular Systematist and Laboratory Manager at
Brooklyn Botanic Garden; Program Coordinator for Botany at NYBG.

Holly Porter-Morgan Ph.D. candidate in Botany, specializing in Tropical Forest Ecology
and Pollination Biology.

Paul Roland Has taught DEC’s required pesticide and recertification courses at many colleges and institutions.

Michael Ruggiero Horticulture Instructor, Former Senior Curator for Horticulture, at the
Garden; co-author of Annuals with Style, senior horticulturist at Matterhorn Nursery.

Magda Salvesen Landscape Instructor, art historian, M.A. University of St. Andrews, Scotland and
the Courtauld Institute in London.

Andrew Senesac Senior Extension Educator for Weed Management, Cornell Cooperative Extension
on Long Island, N.Y. He is recognized as the nation’s leading expert on weed management in herbaceous ornamentals.

Mobee Weinstein Assistant Foreman of Gardeners at the Garden, Horticulture Instructor, Diploma School of Professional Horticulture, B.S. Lehman College.

Richard Weir Principle of Horticulture Solutions and adjunct professor in the Horticulture Department at Cornell University.

Ellen Zachos Program Coordinator of the Gardening Program, and a graduate of Harvard University. Her company, Acme Plant Stuff, designs, installs, and maintains interior and exterior gardens in the New York area.

Horticulture Rotation Supervisory Staff

Toby Adams Family Garden Manager

Alexandra Bentes Bronx Green-Up

Joe Brand Propagation Range Manager

Wayne Cahilly Manager of Institutional Mapping

Sarah Carter Curator for Herbaceous Plants and Outdoor Gardens

Francisca Coelho Director of Glasshouses

Jim Diermeier Associate Director of Outdoor Gardens

Margaret Falk Director of Plant Records and Information

Jody Fetzer I.P.M. manager

Todd Forrest Associate Vice-President for Horticulture

Kurt Morrell Director, Arboretum, Grounds and Gardens