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STEVE'S FAREWELL MESSAGE
For the past year, Steve Foltz has stepped effortlessly in his role as IPPS President. He is a visionary who dares to dream big and IPPS Eastern Region is incredibly fortunate for his leadership. Though his term is ending, his enduring passion for both the horticulture industry and IPPS will continue to inspire and benefit us all. As he finishes out his last days as President, Steve would like to share a few words of gratitude and his hopes for the future of IPPS.
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THANK YOU STEVE!
Thank you Steve for your time and dedication during your year of service as the IPPS Eastern Region 2026 President.
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WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING THOSE WHO WILL BE JOINING US FOR THE 2026 ANNUAL CONFERENCE
Helpful information is included below as you prepare for your arrival
| | Click below for some final detiails of the conference. | |  | Don't miss a thing. Click below to download the full schedule of events. | | |
HOTEL INFORMATION
For general hotel information, amenities, parking, etc. click below. The Amway Grand Plaza is almost fully booked and the group link to register is now closed. For any updates or inquiries concerning lodging availabilty, you may contact Brittany Vanderwal, the Director of Group Reservations directly at 616.776.6463. Please reference the IPPS Eastern Region Conference.
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OTHER WAYS TO GET INVOLVED
SILENT AUCTION
We are officially inviting attendees to contribute items to this year’s auction. The auction is vital to our fundraising activities with 100% of the proceeds from every single bid going directly towards supporting the IPPS Eastern Region.
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What to donate? Plants are always a big auction hit, but donations can also include non-plant items such as unique experiences, services, vacation stays, gift baskets, art work, books, etc.
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How to donate? Fill out the form below in advance to avoid the data crunch at check-in, then bring your items with you to registration.
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NEW PLANT FORUM
The New Plant Forum will take place on Friday, Sept 25. Share your latest & greatest plant introductions. The last day to sign-up to participate is Friday, September 18.
| | The International Tour through the midwest is well under way. We look forward to tour attendees joining us in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Here are some highlights from the tour. | | Follow them on the IPPSER Facebook page to stay up to date on all International Tour adventures. Safe travels to all and see you in Michigan! | | | INTERNATIONAL TOUR SPONOSRS | | We are incredibly grateful to each of you for helping make the 2026 International Tour possible. We can’t wait to see everyone soon! 🌱✈️ | | |
IPPS EASTERN REGION AWARDS 15 STUDENT CONFERENCE SCHOLARSHIPS
The IPPS Eastern Region has awarded 15 scholarships to students to attend this years Annual Conferecne from among 20 applications the following students were recommended for scholarships:
| | Anna Cleckler of Auburn University. Anna just completed her undergraduate degree & is starting on a Master’s in Horticulture. Her research focus will be on plant growth regulator uses for growth control in woody ornamentals. Anna has served as a Teaching Assistant for Woody Plant Identification and as Vice President of the Auburn University Landscape Nursery Association. Anna is also a 2026 IPPS Eastern Region Foundation academic scholarship recipient. | | Emily Vesper is a third-year Ph.D. student at Rutgers University, where her research focuses on investigating powdery mildew resistance in flowering dogwoods and polyploidy in kousa dogwoods. Her career goal is to become a professor at a university with a combination of teaching, extension, and research responsibilities. | | Trevor Pougnet is a Ph.D. student in Horticultural Science at North Carolina State University, where his research focuses on ornamental tree breeding and genomics in Cercis. His doctoral work integrates breeding, genomic marker discovery, marker-assisted selection, hybrid verification, and UAV-based phenotyping to improve breeding efficiency and accelerate the development of new ornamental cultivars. Trevor previously earned his M.S. in Horticultural Science from NC State, where his research focused on Cannabis biotechnology, tissue culture, and polyploid breeding. His master’s research included the development and characterization of novel polyploid hemp, including the first reported hexaploid and pentaploid plants in the species. | | Theophilus Elorm Hlomador is a first-year Ph.D. student in Horticulture at Cornell University, where his research focuses on abiotic stress in tomato production and the use of grafting to enhance crop resilience, growth, and productivity under changing environmental conditions. He previously earned an MPS in Global Development from Cornell University and an MPhil in Horticulture from the University of Ghana. His broader research interests include sustainable plant production, crop physiology, and developing innovative approaches to improve horticultural productivity. | | Carly Anderson is a Ph.D. student in Horticultural Sciences at the University of Florida. Her current work explores precision irrigation during cutting propagation, including the use of sensors, environmental data, and new technologies to help growers improve propagation practices. Prior to returning to UF, Carly worked in commercial plant production and horticultural research in the US and Singapore. She enjoys working directly with growers and is especially interested in practical research that can be applied in commercial production. | | James Alfred Hines IV, is studying Horticulture at Tennessee Tech University. He grew up in McMinnville, Tennessee, surrounded by the green industry his entire life working on his family’s nursery. As a fourth-generation nurseryman, he has gained hands-on experience in many different areas of nursery production and developed a strong passion for plants and the industry. James is excited to continue learning, growing, and building a career in horticulture. | | Seohyun Choi is a graduate student pursuing a Ph.D. at Michigan State University, where her research focuses on developing environmental control strategies for floriculture production. She is currently investigating how dynamic lighting strategies influence the growth and morphology of floriculture transplants. She aspires to pursue an academic career in which she can advance controlled-environment horticulture through research, education, and outreach. | | Jacob Muller recently completed his M.S. in Agricultural and Biological Engineering at the University of Florida, where his research focused on the energy use and economic feasibility of vertical indoor propagation systems for young-plant production. He looks forward to continuing his work in controlled-environment agriculture, with an emphasis on applying engineering solutions to improve horticultural production. | | Brooklyn Blystone is an undergraduate student in the Plant Science and Technology program at the University of Wisconsin, graduating in Spring 2027. She works as a plant technician at Knight Hollow Nursery, a plant tissue culture propagation lab and greenhouse. Her interests include tissue culture, plant propagation, hydroponics, agronomy, and tropical/houseplant production, with mushrooms and gardening as fun side interests. Brooklyn is excited to attend her first IPPS Eastern Region Conference and connect with fellow growers! | | Alyssa Headley is a Ph.D. candidate in Applied Plant Sciences at the University of Minnesota–Twin Cities. Her research focuses on plant propagation, tissue culture, and plant growth regulation in hybrid hazelnuts. Her doctoral research investigates somatic embryogenesis in hybrid hazelnut (Corylus avellana × C. americana), integrating in vitro culture and plant hormone analysis to better understand and improve clonal propagation. Alyssa is also a 2026 IPPS Eastern Region Foundation academic scholar recipient of the Margot Bridgen Scholarship. | | Morgan O’Neill is a Graduate Research Assistant at Auburn University pursuing her Master of Science in Horticulture - researching ornamental tissue culture production and automation. Morgan is passionate about horticultural production, sustainability, and uplifting women in agriculture. Morgan hopes to pursue a career in service-oriented horticulture to connect communities to their food systems. | | Rose Elbert is a first year Ph.D. student at Michigan State University, studying tissue culture acclimation techniques for herbaceous perennials. Her career aim is to become a floriculture professor with a strong research program that furthers ornamental plant production and culture management techniques. | | Yanlin Wang is a Ph.D. student at the University of Arkansas. She is in the Cell and Molecular Biology interdisciplinary program, where her research focuses on vegetable breeding. Her current PhD research focuses on breeding drought-resistant tomatoes and disease-resistant spinach with an aim to develop more resilient cultivars that can better support farmers under changing environmental conditions while contributing to healthier diets for consumers. She hopes to contribute to a more sustainable future and sow more green seeds in the next generation. | | Panda Vincent is a fourth-year undergraduate student at Ohio State University studying Plant Biosciences with a minor in Mycology. They spent a year on pennycress research with the Gschwend Lab, analyzing the effects of waterlogging on seedling growth and survival, and now work in bacterial biosynthesis research for the Food, Agriculture, and Biological Engineering department at OSU. Panda also spends their time connecting students to plant science as the Vice President of the Plant Sciences Symposium Planning Committee, aimed at sharing student research with the public. | | | | James Cottral is a second-year master's student at The Ohio State University. His research pertains to the use of Plant Growth Hormones in the nursery liner industry. Outside of his thesis, James has years of research in hydroponics and tissue culture. He now hopes to work on research and development in these areas. | | Be sure to say hello and give a warm welcome to our 2026 Student Conference Scholarship recipients at this years IPPSER Annual Conference! | | TWO NEW HORTICULTURE BOOKS EXPLORE PLANT PROPAGATION & HOW PLANTS NUTURE HUMANS | | Two new books from the explore plant propagation and how plants nurture humans. Essential Guide to Plant Propagation by the American Horticulture Society, covering both indoor and outdoor species, combines clear, step-by-step instruction with expert horticultural insight to ensure success, is available October 6. More Than Just A Plant by Krystal Duran, explores the emotional and restorative side of tending to plants, alongside confidence-building care advice is available November 3. | | MEMBER UPDATES & OPPORTUNITIES | |
VOTE FOR INCOMING BOARD MEMBERS
Please be advised that during the Annual Conference General Meeting in Grand Rapids - membership will vote on incoming Board members. The names proposed for service on the board are as follows:
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Jeff Kurtz, Executive Committee 2nd VP
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Matt Frederickson, Director
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Gladys Opiyo, Director
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International Alternate Director, Brian Decker
Questions? Please contact Nominations and Recognition Chair Shelby French at sfrenchdoerun@gmail.com.
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INTERNATIONAL MEMBERSHIP GROWTH STRATEGY MEETING
This meeting will take place Monday, Sept 21st onsite at the Ottawa Room of the Amway Grand Plaza during the Annual Conference from 8am - 11am. The purpose of this meeting is to develop a practical 5-year strategy for increasing and retaining IPPS membership worldwide. IPPS Members (any region) are welcome to attend and participate in the discussion.
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NEWSLETTER ARCHIVE
Need to reference a previous newsletter or did you miss the last issue? Newsletters are now archived on the IPPS Eastern Region website.
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| THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS | | We are deeply grateful to our confirmed sponsors for their incredible support of the 2026 Eastern Region Annual Conference in Grand Rapids. Their contributions are enabling us to deliver high-quality programming, valuable scholarships, and memorable experiences for all attendees. Please consider visiting their websites to learn more about their products and services. | | ANNUAL CONFERENCE SPONSORS | | | | |
