Archives: Speakers

Professor, Oaksterdam University

Rosenthal is a leading expert on the cultivation of marijuana. He serves on the faculty of Oaksterdam University, the leading trade school for the cannabis industry, where his classes teach pupils how different techniques can be used to improve the yield and efficiency of their gardens. His books have sold well over a million copies, including Marijuana Grower’s Handbook, The Big Book of Buds series, Marijuana Garden Saver, and Best of Ask Ed. Rosenthal is also owner of Natural Garden Solutions, manufacturer of Ed Rosenthal’s Zero Tolerance pesticide and fungicide products. He views marijuana law as a crucial social issue and has been active in promoting and developing policies of civil regulation. While his career has focused on marijuana cultivation, he is an avid gardener of edible plants and flowers as well.

Production Manager, Fessler Nursery

After developing a varied skill set in leadership roles in the grocery industry, Peterson followed his passion and entered the field of horticulture in 2001. He got his feet wet immediately by learning a multitude of positions and roles in the nursery environment, performing as a laborer, leader, and everything in between. His current role as a production manager allows him access to a wide range of duties and extraordinary opportunities for professional growth, and he is always looking for new perspectives, innovations, challenges, and knowledge.

Senior Scientist, Acadian Plant Health (a division of Acadian Seaplants Limited)

Dr. Norrie’s career has focused on stress physiology, plant growth regulators, nutrition and biostimulant applications in fruit and vegetable crops, turf, and ornamentals. He has a strong background in greenhouse vegetable crop physiology and management with emphasis on substrate dynamics and water/environmental effects on plant nutrition.  As a leader at Acadian Plant Health, he oversees research with universities, government agencies, and private R&D groups in more than 40 countries on marine-plant products as fertilizers and biostimulants in agriculture. Widely published, he is Adjunct Associate at Dalhousie University; past-VP-Industry and Fellow, American Society for Horticultural Science; past-President, Plant Growth Regulation Society of America; and past-President, Nova Scotia Institute of Agrologists.

Global Brand and Communications Manager, Valent BioSciences Corporation

Melnick is the Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Biopesticide Industry Alliance (BPIA) and Global Brand and Communications Manager for Valent BioSciences Corporation (VBC). He is also the current President of BioProtection Global, a global association of biocontrols associations. At VBC, his responsibilities include marketing and branding strategy in the areas of Biorational Crop Protection, Crop Enhancement, Public Health, and Forestry. Melnick’s distinguished career in agriculture dates back more than 20 years including a position as Corporate Editorial Director at Meister Media Worldwide. After joining BPIA in 2005, he became chair of its Public Relations committee in 2006, was elected to the BPIA Board in 2009, and was elected Chairman in 2014. He is a member of the SYSCO IPM Advisory Council and is a former agricultural ambassador for the Mid America CropLife Association. His executive education includes courses at Stanford and the Kellogg School of Management.

President and CEO, Agricen Sciences

As head of Agricen Sciences, Lanciault leads research and development of novel agricultural biostimulant and biocontrol technologies. His work in agricultural biologicals spans nearly 15 years, and includes the founding of the U.S. Biostimulant Coalition. His 35-plus years of business experience include leadership positions in strategic management consulting firms Gemini Consulting and A.T. Kearney, leading Fortune 500 client engagements in business strategy development, shareholder value management and operations excellence.  Lanciault holds an MBA from the University of Dallas in Dallas, TX, and a B.A. from the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, MA.

Founder and Vision Builder, Advancing Eco Agriculture

Kempf, an expert in the field of biological and regenerative farming, is the founder of Advancing Eco Agriculture (AEA), a crop nutrition consulting company. He founded AEA in 2006 to help fruit and vegetable growers by providing tools and strategies for increasing revenue with regenerative agriculture. Kempf is an internationally recognized lecturer on the topic of biological agriculture and plant immunity, with a unique ability to clearly explain very complex concepts in the areas of plant physiology, mineral nutrition, and soil microbiology.

Instructor: Horticulture, Advocacy, Methods of Ingestion: Extracts, Oaksterdam University

Jones has provided expertise in the medical cannabis field for more than 20 years. He co-founded the Oakland Cannabis Buyers’ Cooperative (OCBC) in 1995. With his assistance, the City of Oakland became the first U.S. City to contract with a medical cannabis provider, and to implement a successful city program to issue compassionate provider permits. He proved self-regulatory practices that would eventually become the tenets of Senate Bill 420 and the Attorney General Guidelines of 2008. He has been educating professionally as the horticulture expert, politics, and history instructor for Oaksterdam University since 2007. In 2010, Jones was co-proponent of the first legalization ballot measure in 30 years, Prop 19. He now serves on the Board of the Coalition for Cannabis Policy Reform (CCPR).

Professor Entomology/Toxicology, Faculty of Land and Food Systems, University of British Columbia

As Professor of Entomology and Toxicology at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, and former Dean of the Faculty of Land and Food Systems, Isman has performed extensive research for over 35 years in the areas of insect toxicology and behavior, with particular emphasis on the discovery and development of botanical insecticides. He has authored more than 200 refereed publications, including 28 book chapters, and co-edited two books. In 2011 he received the Gold Medal for outstanding achievement from the Entomological Society of Canada and was elected a Fellow of both the Entomological Society of America and the Royal Entomological Society in 2014. He received a doctorate in Entomology from the University of California at Davis in 1981.

Field R&D Manager, Trécé Inc.

Higbee is Field R&D Manager for Trécé Inc., a biotechnology company specializing in insect pheromone and kairomone products. After attending the University of California, Irvine, he began his career as a technician with the USDA-ARS in Yakima, WA. Over nearly 40 years, his work has included the development of biological control programs for pests of pears, insect predator rearing techniques, pioneering efforts in the use of insect hormones for the control of a key homopteran pest of pears in the Pacific Northwest, and managing two Codling Moth Areawide Projects pivotal in the integration of mating disruption into the pest management programs in the apple and pear industries. In 2002, he established a research laboratory for Paramount Farming Co. (now Wonderful Orchards). His work there included research leading to the implementation of mating disruption for control of navel orangeworm, along with the overall development of pest management tactics and programs for pests in almonds, pistachios, and pomegranates. He has published more than 60 research articles in peer reviewed scientific journals and three book chapters, and has served on numerous industry and professional committees.

Deputy Director, Biopesticides and Pollution Prevention Division, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Pesticide Programs

Hartman has 25 years of experience working on environmental issues in the federal government. Currently, he is the Deputy Director of the Biopesticides and Pollution Prevention Division (BPPD) where he is responsible for the assessment and registration of biochemical and microbial pesticides as well as plant-incorporated-protectants (PIPs) and related products of biotechnology. Prior to this position, Mark served in leadership positions in several other divisions in the Office of Pesticide Programs overseeing regulatory and risk assessment work for both conventional and antimicrobial pesticides. He holds Masters Degrees from George Washington University and Syracuse University.