Dr. Erik Runkle

Department of Horticulture, Michigan State University

Dr. Erik Runkle is a Professor and Extension Specialist in the Department of Horticulture at Michigan State University. Erik obtained a B.S. in Ornamental Horticulture from the University of Illinois and an M.S. and Ph.D. in Horticulture at Michigan State University. Since he joined the faculty in 2001, he and his graduate research team have performed numerous experiments in greenhouses and indoors to determine the effects of light, temperature, and other environmental factors on plant growth and development. Experiments have been performed on a wide range of herbaceous specialty crops including leafy greens, culinary herbs, and ornamentals. Erik is the director of an indoor leafy greens project (OptimIA), active in a culinary herb production project (CEA HERB), and a partner of the Floriculture Research Alliance.

Dr. Charlie Hall

Professor and Ellison Endowed Chair in International Floriculture, Department of Horticultural Sciences, Texas A&M University

Dr. Charlie Hall is a Professor in the Department of Horticultural Sciences at the Texas A&M University and holder of the Ellison Endowed Chair in International Floriculture. His major areas of specialization include strategic business management, financial analysis and benchmarking, and the economic situation & outlook for firms throughout the green industry, as well as conducting consumer behavior research regarding plant and landscape purchases. Dr. Hall is the Founder and Lead Instructor of the EAGL program, the only executive education program designed specifically for nursery and greenhouse growers, as well as the Founder of the Your MarketMetrics™ benchmarking program for the green industry.

Celina Gómez

Associate Professor in the Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture at Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN USA

Dr. Gómez leads a cross-commodity research program that supports specialty-crop production in Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA). Her areas of expertise include plant lighting and hydroponics. She is the state representative for two multistate groups focused on CEA research and currently serves as vice-chair of NCERA-101 (Committee on Controlled Environment Technology and Use). She currently teaches courses related to hydroponic production of edible crops and greenhouse production of ornamental plants.

Education
PhD in Horticulture, Purdue University, December 2014
MS in Horticulture, University of Arkansas, December 2010
BS in Agricultural Science and Production, Zamorano University, December 2008

Paul Fisher

Professor and Floriculture Extension Specialist at the Environmental Horticulture Dept., University of Florida, Gainesville Florida USA

Over 30 years experience in applied research and farm advising for the commercial greenhouse and controlled environment industry, including 

• Director of the Floriculture Research Alliance (FloricultureAlliance.org) and Root Alliance university/industry groups at University of Florida, which focus on applied research.
• Director of Greenhouse Training Online (hort.ifas.ufl.edu/training) which provides certificate courses for grower professional development.
• Outreach lead of CleanWateR3.org, a multi-university group solving problems in irrigation water quality and conservation.
• Co-author of books on pH Management and Greenhouse Lighting, and over 350 articles on floricultural crops in the trade press and scientific journals.
• Consultant for horticulture-related companies in the U.S. and internationally.

Education
B.Sc. in Ecology from University of Auckland, New Zealand
Master of Applied Science from Lincoln University, New Zealand
Ph.D. in Horticulture from Michigan State University, U.S.