Internal horticultural consultant responsible for new product testing, data collection and analysis for pear and peach crops. Other responsibilities include tree and fruit development and growth monitoring, crop nutrition, peach cultivar selection, weekly ET-based irrigation recommendations, nursery management, crop estimates and fruit maturity testing for over 2,000 acres in 20 distinct orchards in the Rogue Valley of Southern Oregon. Assists management with decision making and occasional crew supervision. Annual supervision of Harvest Quality Control (QC) Team.

Supervise growing and tracking thousands of plants for seed production in greenhouses, cold frames, pollination cages and fields. Plan, implement and gather data for research projects while training and managing workers who maintain plants. Supervise DNA marker and GMO status sampling and plant pollination. Collect and managed phenotyping data and photography for plant traits. Supervise seed harvesting and preparation for seed storage. Supervise two full-time and several contract employees in Spanish.• Enter and maintain plant data in Access database while preparing all required shipping documents and sending seeds to breeders and researchers worldwide. Completed years of delinquent seed tracking documents.• Completed research projects and reports with gourd, melon, squash and watermelon for phenotypic characteristics and disease resistance.• Update and complete Access database records. Led packaging, label printing and organization of long-term storage for over 9,000 seed accessions.• Wrote 34 protocols for all program procedures and brought order to a program in disarray.

Conducted field and greenhouse research with fruit, nut and vegetable crops. Published findings and delivered presentations at conferences, field days and seminars. Diagnosed plant and pest problems during farm visits. Created presentations, publications and teaching curricula. Created and taught 39, 14-week basic and 10, 4-6 week advanced training Master Gardener classes while overseeing program volunteers.• Published 69 research and Extension publications while securing $1,900,000 in grants, gifts and contracts. Submitted data for six EPA pesticide registration packages.• Managed WaterWise & Energy Smart Programs, a U.S. Army contract.• Developed Plant Science Center and Cochise County Herbarium.• Oversaw 754 Extension Master Gardener volunteers. Creator and editor of 1st & 2nd Editions of the Arizona Master Gardener Manual and author of five chapters.• Organized and facilitated technical presentations at numerous conferences, seminars and annual meetings. Chaired simultaneous Spanish translation for meetings and conferences. Delivered invited presentations in California, New Mexico, Nevada, Texas, Utah and Mexico in English and Spanish.• Served as USAID Farmer-to-Farmer Program consultant in Egypt, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon and Tajikistan. Sabbatical Leave projects in China, Dominican Republic and Mexico.

Managed field production and harvest of 550 acres of apple and 250 acres of cherry. Supervised 12 full-time and 75 harvest crew employees while maintaining employee housing. Oversaw installation of rotator sprinkler system covering 660 acres, replacing an inefficient drip irrigation system, 12% below budget. Supervised developed and installation of 60 acres of trellised ‘Gala’ apples, and 12 wind machines for frost control.

Performed field and greenhouse research, and cultivar trials of fruit and vegetable crops on 65 acres. Collected data and published results. Presented research results at field days, conferences and seminars for stakeholders, while supervising two full-time employees and three summer interns. Built a glass greenhouse and equipment garage. Designed and installed underground irrigation pipe mains. Managed annual sales income, capital and operations budget.