Dr. Jean Williams-Woodward recently retired from the University of Georgia after working 29 years as an Extension Plant Pathologist. Jean was originally hired at UGA to support ornamental plant production and commercial landscapes. Over the years, her crop responsibilities expanded to also include urban and commercial forestry, Christmas trees, alfalfa and other forage legumes, hemp, hydroponically grown crops (CEA), turf (during position vacancies), and “other”. She has been educating the Green Industry on plant disease identification and management in a variety of ways. She has presented at 627 local, state, regional and national events, reaching an audience of over 35,000 individual contacts. She also has conducted research on various root and foliage diseases in nursery crops, daylily rust, needle blights on Leyland cypress and other needle evergreens, tree canker diseases, rose rosette virus, boxwood blight, fungicide and biological control product efficacy trials, and many more. Jean has published 30 journal articles; 25 books and book chapters; 64 Extension bulletins and circulars; and 122 popular press articles within state, regional and national trade publications. Jean is passionate about helping growers and has made hundreds of site visits to troubleshoot plant problems. Jean also developed and taught courses on Ornamental Pest Management, Diagnosis and Management of Plant Diseases, and Clinical Plant Pathology that trained hundreds of undergraduate and graduate students. Jean takes great pride in the success her former students have achieved with many actively working in green industry positions, are Georgia county extension educators, or are employed as diagnosticians across the country. Jean continues her career at the University of Wyoming where she is the sole plant pathologist in Wyoming.
She plans to continue working for many more years because plant diseases are still exciting to find and working with producers and students is still fun.Chappell was a GGIA Board Member between the years of 1996 to 2016. He served on several GGIA special committees from 2016 to 2020 and was Chairman from 2009 to 2010.
Chappell has had his GCLP certificate since 1996 and has been ISA Certified Arborist since 2003.
Chappell was an active exhibitor at Wintergreen (now Southeast Green) as a member of the Heart of Georgia Nurseries, 2003-2022.

Tommy Morgan is the owner of Coweta Greenhouses and Morgan’s Market in Newnan, GA. Coweta Greenhouses is a wholesale commercial greenhouse operation that specializes in annual and perennial finished containers and services customers such as Kroger, Publix, Whole Foods, Ace Hardware, and independent garden centers within Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina, & Florida.

Working in the green industry for 20 years as a locally trusted landscape architect, Mario constantly ran into the struggle of sourcing local, high-quality plants for his clients. His frustration lead him to a vision of bringing local plants online, giving homeowners & professionals access to the plant material grown throughout their state, with the ability to purchase immediately from anywhere and have the product delivered directly to their door or job site. ServeScape provides locally-grown plants that are adapted to your specific climate, an online marketplace for you to access Local Landscape Architects and Designers who are experts in designing landscapes for your area, as well as ‘One-Click’ installation services, provided by local, vetted, licensed, and insured contractors.

A native of Gainesville, Ga., Nathan Wilson started growing things with his grandpa when he was a kid. His grandpa pointed him in the direction of cultivating plants and gardens and Nathan continued down that garden path by studying horticulture at the University of Georgia. After graduating, he apprenticed at a local plant nursery and eventually built one in Flowery Branch, Georgia and managed it for eight years. He also spent four years of his career at the Georgia Department of Agriculture marketing Georgia Grown products by working with the GA Commodity Commissions and producing radio spots and Youtube videos on Georgia's top crops and growers.

Justin Bratcher grew up in Athens, Georgia where he attended school and assisted his father in the family construction business. After high school he went on to attend the University of Georgia and earned a bachelors degree in Horticulture with an emphasis in landscape contracting. While at UGA he volunteered at the Georgia Green Industry Association's annual trade show, Capitol Day, and GGIA's Day of Service. These experiences were valuable and sparked his interest in being a part of this organization into the future.

During his senior year at the University of Georgia he launched his own landscape company working with a few local clients around town. After graduating, he expanded his customer base through referrals, enabling him to continue and grow the business, still enhancing Athens landscapes today. His business, A to Z Home Landscapes specializes in landscape design and installation, as well as selective pruning and other horticultural services. Working in Athens has presented many opportunities to collaborate with other landscape designers and installers to help create landscapes that his clients can enjoy into the future. It's rewarding for him to see how their teamwork transforms outdoor spaces into lasting, beautiful areas for people to appreciate and use for years to come.

Athens is not only home to him, but it's where many within the green industry also started their professional journey through higher education at the University of Georgia. The city is quite significant when it comes to the green industry's importance in the state with resources like the UGA's Botanical Gardens, the Trial Gardens, and various horticultural figures living in the area who have been greatly impactful to the industry. Athens is not just a center for horticulture in Georgia but also a vibrant community that values beauty and functionality which attracts both professionals and enthusiasts, fostering a rich environment for innovation and growth within the green industry.

Tim Griffeth is the Agriculture Education teacher and FFA Advisor at North Oconee High School, where he has served since 2010. He holds a Master’s degree in Agricultural Leadership from the University of Georgia and a Specialist degree in Agricultural Education from Auburn University. Prior to teaching, he worked as Operations Manager for Southern Sod Sales, Inc., gaining valuable industry experience that shapes his hands-on approach.

Tim is a GGIA Certified Plant Professional and GGIA Landscape Professional. He leads a program rooted in experiential learning, where students manage all aspects of landscape projects and greenhouse operations—from design and production to marketing and sales. The North Oconee FFA greenhouse hosts robust spring and fall annual sales, providing students real-world agribusiness experience.

Under his leadership, North Oconee FFA has twice competed at the national level in the Nursery and Landscape Career Development Event, and numerous students have placed competitively in floral design. Many graduates have gone on to pursue careers in horticulture, turfgrass, and landscape design, often crediting Tim’s mentorship as a key influence.

Tim was named the 2015 Oconee County School System Teacher of the Year. He currently serves as CTAE Department Head and on the board of the Georgia Vocational Agriculture Teachers Association (GVATA). He is married to Dr. Lauren Griffeth, and they are proud parents to Tanner (12) and Lilli (9).

Anna (Ania) Truszczynski is the Chief of the Watershed Protection Branch of the Georgia Environmental Protection Division. During her nine years with EPD, Ania also served as Assistant Chief of the Watershed Protection Branch, Nonpoint Source Program Manager, and Stormwater Unit Manager. Prior to joining the State, Ania worked for Athens-Clarke County. Ania holds a bachelor’s degree from Washington University in St. Louis in Environmental Studies with an emphasis in policy and a PhD in Ecology and Evolution from the University of California, Davis.