Plant Growth Professionals | Plant Growth Facilities

We are excited to work with you at our Greenhouse and Growth Chamber facilities.

Please reach out to your Plant Growth Professional for questions about happenings at our sites, space reservations, plant care, facility maintenance, or just to get to know us!

You might also take a minute to meet the Plant Growth Facilities Student Assistants who support each PGF Professional on an ongoing basis.

Superintendent

TC Jayalath

CAES Greenhouses

tcjay@uga.edu

Daniel Gershon

Daniel graduated from the University of Georgia in 1992 with a B.S.A. in Horticulture. His decades of experience began when he was a student working at the UGA Trial Gardens and as a lab technician doing onion research. In 1998, he started Applecart Horticultural Services, Inc. In 2010, he joined the grounds maintenance team at UGA where he supervised a crew for thirteen years. He enjoys family outings, plant propagation, restoring motorized vehicles and equipment, and giving tours through his gardens.

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Mackenzie Robinson

Mackenzie graduated from the University of Georgia in 2022 with a B.S. in Plant Biology. She did undergraduate research in a tree physiology lab and worked for a tree and shrub nursery during her undergraduate years. She most enjoys plant physiology and pathology, especially pertaining to trees and fruits.

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Charles Dawe

Charles graduated from the University of Georgia with a B.S. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. He has volunteered in genetics and biochemistry labs as well as working as a student assistant at CAES greenhouses for one year before switching to a full time PGF professional. He enjoys working with plants, insects, fungus, and bacteria.

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Ellen Jones

Ellen Jones graduated from the University of Georgia with a B.S. in Horticulture. She has worked with PGF for 3 years. During her time here, she has assisted in the production of plants used for the decoration of the CAES graduation ceremonies alongside Pamela Lewis. Outside of the greenhouse, she tends to a hobby cut-flower plot at UGArden and enjoys practicing floral arrangements.

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Pamela Lewis

Pamela brings over 20 years of greenhouse experience to our Plant Growth Facilities team. After graduating with a Master of Science in Floriculture from the University of Georgia, she spent four years working as a research coordinator at the Bamboo Farm and Coastal Gardens before taking a job at a wholesale nursery and greenhouse in Savannah, Georgia. In 2005, she returned to Athens and began working at the UGA greenhouses where she specializes in horticulture. Inexplicably, her favorite greenhouse crop is poinsettias.

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Matthew Seader

Matt graduated from the University of Georgia with a B.S. in Agriculture (Horticulture). His extensive background in horticulture has focused on ornamental plant production, plant introductions, and plant research. Matt provides technical support and management of research and teaching operations for CAES alongside other members of the PGF team.

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Past PGF Professionals

Tyler Thompson

Tyler graduated with a M.S. in Crop Sciences from the University of Illinois and an M.B.A from Colorado State University. He has served as an agronomist for corn, soy, wheat, malting-barley, potatoes, and quinoa is still active in his family’s farming operation in East-Central Illinois.

Dean Kemp

Dean graduated from the University of Georgia with a Master's in Plant Protection and Pest Management and a BS in Entomology. He has worked at the UGA greenhouses since 2005, and has since been involved in research with cotton, corn, soybean, peanut, sorghum, cabbage; host plant resistance research; insecticide efficacy research in row crops.

Kevin Tarner

Kevin graduated with distinction and a Master's Degree in Natural Resources from the Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources at the University of Georgia. He specializes in the natural and cultural requirements of agronomic and non-crop flora from all over the world. Other professional interests include cultivating rare and unusual flora, creating controlled environments, providing education and outreach, restoring and upgrading greenhouses and utilizing multifaceted IPM strategies incorporating bio-controls. He also assists in developing the PGF web site.

Lance Fountain

Lance was raised in Axson, GA. He earned his BSES in Entomology at the University of Georgia, where he worked for the University's Black Fly lab, Insect Behavior lab, and Insect Zoo.

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Sam Shrier

Sam graduated from Clemson University in December 2021 with their B.S. in Horticulture with a Biology Minor. While completing their degree they worked in the floriculture lab under the direction of graduate students, in the tissue culture lab and the on-campus Sustainable Landscape Demonstration Garden. They spent the summers of 2021 and 2022 working with the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University and the Chicago Botanic Garden, respectively. After gaining experience in the public garden side of horticulture they are ready to grow their skillset here at UGA.

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