A native of North Carolina, Dr. Charlie Hall received a B.S. in AgriculturalEconomics from the University of Tennessee in 1984, a Master's Degree inOrnamental Horticulture and Landscape Design from the University of Tennessee in1986, and his Ph.D. from Mississippi State University. He began his academic careerat Texas A&M University in 1988, where he spent 13 years on the faculty beforejoining the faculty at the University of Tennessee in 2002. In August 2007, Dr. Hallreturned to Texas A&M University as Professor and Ellison Chair inInternational Floriculture.

Dr. Hall's expertise is in the production and marketing of Green Industry crops. He isnationally recognized in academia and among the horticultural clientele he serves. His majorresearch, teaching, & extension areas of specialization include strategic management, marketsituation/outlook, cost accounting, and financial analysis for Green Industry firms.

Dr. Hall currently serves as the Chief Economist for AmericanHort and Co-Chair of theAdvisory Council of Seed Your Future. He is former President and Past-President of the board ofdirectors for America in Bloom. He received the Paul Ecke, Jr. award from the Society of AmericanFlorists for professional contributions to the floral industry and the Porter Henegar Memorial Awardfrom the Southern Nursery Association for significant contributions to ornamental horticulture researchand to the Southern Nursery Association.

He is an Honorary Lifetime Member of the Texas Nursery and Landscape Association and hasreceived TNLA’s Award for Outstanding Service to the Nursery Industry. He is also a member ofthe Hall of Fame and Honorary Lifetime Member of the Tennessee Nursery and LandscapeAssociation. Dr. Hall has received Texas A&M University’s Association of Former Students’Distinguished Achievement Award in Teaching and the Vice Chancellor’s Award in Excellencefor Student Counseling and Relations. He is a member of Alpha Gamma Rho agricultural fraternityand has received their Grand Presidents Award and Brother of the Century designation. 

Vincenzo Butera AAF, AIFD, PFCI

Vince is Co-Founder and Floral Artisan of Butera The Florist, which opened in 1980 in York, PA. His love of floral design began at age 6 when he crafted centerpieces from cut pine branches in his yard. Now six decades later and a few letters behind his name, Vince is still passionate about his artistry. He and Carolyn, his wife of 42 years, recently fulfilled their dream of living in Maine. They now operate Butera The Florist as a Wedding & Event only business in a studio attached to their circa 1840 sea captain’s home on the Blue Hill Peninsula. The Buteras are Floral Management’s 2015 Marketer of the Year.

With formal training as an educator, Carolyn has enjoyed three careers during her adult years in the areas of education, business and art. Gifted with the ability to bring synergy to long term vision, short term goals, written plans, and the execution of tasks, her expertise has been utilized since the inception of Butera The Florist. In addition to being Co-Founder with her husband, Carolyn is now a watercolor artist, specializing in Maine mussel shells. Vince and Carolyn are delightfully at home in their new setting, with the ocean view, their adult children and grandchildren all nearby.

Vonda LaFever AIFD, CFD, PFCI

A successful entrepreneur with over 40 years of experience in the floral industry, Vonda is widely respected for both her creative talent and business knowledge. Her past accolades include retail shop owner, Teleflora Unit President and Unit Director, college professor, Academy Awards Designer, White House Special Events Designer, and published contributor to Flowers& and Flowers Are Forever. She has been actively involved in AIFD since 1989, including roles on the National Board and Membership Committee, Program Coordinator, and as a Main Stage Presenter. She is the founder and CEO of Flower Clique, proud Teleflora Education Specialist, and co-host of the top floral podcast, The Business & Pleasure of Flowers. Vonda's excitement for this industry began as a 14-year-old girl sweeping the floors of a flower shop, and her ever-growing passion and dedication will continue for decades to come. 

Lori Wilson

As the Director of Community for Flower Clique, Lori brings her background of 20+ years in education and her passion for connection to our ever-changing industry. Her focus is on helping business owners lead their team with excellence, with emphasis on sales and leadership effectiveness, employee motivation, and transformative mentoring. Lori's undeniable passion for ongoing education has led to roles as a presenter and panelist at the Society of American Florists and Texas State Floral Association. She is the co-host of the top floral podcast, The Business & Pleasure of Flowers, has over ten years of experience in the floral industry, and is the mother to three wonderful children.

Dr. Joe Bischoff is SAF’s senior lobbyist and a member of the agriculture and natural resources team at Cornerstone Government Affairs. His work focuses on the intersection of federal programs and the pursuit of science-based solutions to plant health and crop production challenges. Dr. Bischoff has served on a number of scientific committees including the National Invasive Species Council’s Invasive Species Advisory Committee and the National Clean Plant Network. Previously, Dr. Bischoff was with the USDA’s Animal Plant Health Inspection Service where he was National Mycologist and Lead Scientist on the APHIS Intercepted Plant Pathogen Sequence Initiative.

After gaining her love of the floral industry working for SAF from 1999-2002 as senior editor of Floral Management, Katie rejoined SAF in 2019 and supervises SAF’s communications, content and publishing and membership departments. Prior to coming back to SAF, Katie was the vice president of communications for the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America overseeing its public relations, marketing, content and advertising sales functions. Katie has a B.A. in journalism and political science from Ohio Wesleyan University.

Mr. Madison Dixon is Research Director at Mississippi State University’s (MSU) Raspet Flight Research Laboratory (RFRL).  In this role, Madison is responsible for the successful execution and strategic growth of Raspet’s research portfolio while supporting the broader research and economic development objectives of MSU.  Prior to joining MSU he worked in both industry and academia since 2010 as an Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), Geographic Information Systems (GIS), and Remote Sensing expert.  His research interests focus on the interdisciplinary application and advancement of these technologies to solve modern geospatial challenges.  Madison holds a BS degree in Interdisciplinary Studies from Delta State University and a MS degree in Geospatial Technologies from MSU.  He is also a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) licensed Remote Pilot with multiple FAA Certificates of Authorization/Waiver and over 1,800 hours of UAS operations conducted across the U.S.  In addition to his role at MSU, Madison also serves as President of the Mississippi Chapter of the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI).

A native of North Carolina, Dr. Charlie Hall received a B.S. in AgriculturalEconomics from the University of Tennessee in 1984, a Master's Degree inOrnamental Horticulture and Landscape Design from the University of Tennessee in1986, and his Ph.D. from Mississippi State University. He began his academic careerat Texas A&M University in 1988, where he spent 13 years on the faculty beforejoining the faculty at the University of Tennessee in 2002. In August 2007, Dr. Hallreturned to Texas A&M University as Professor and Ellison Chair inInternational Floriculture.

Dr. Hall's expertise is in the production and marketing of Green Industry crops. He isnationally recognized in academia and among the horticultural clientele he serves. His majorresearch, teaching, & extension areas of specialization include strategic management, marketsituation/outlook, cost accounting, and financial analysis for Green Industry firms.

Dr. Hall currently serves as the Chief Economist for AmericanHort and Co-Chair of theAdvisory Council of Seed Your Future. He is former President and Past-President of the board ofdirectors for America in Bloom. He received the Paul Ecke, Jr. award from the Society of AmericanFlorists for professional contributions to the floral industry and the Porter Henegar Memorial Awardfrom the Southern Nursery Association for significant contributions to ornamental horticulture researchand to the Southern Nursery Association.

He is an Honorary Lifetime Member of the Texas Nursery and Landscape Association and hasreceived TNLA’s Award for Outstanding Service to the Nursery Industry. He is also a member ofthe Hall of Fame and Honorary Lifetime Member of the Tennessee Nursery and LandscapeAssociation. Dr. Hall has received Texas A&M University’s Association of Former Students’Distinguished Achievement Award in Teaching and the Vice Chancellor’s Award in Excellencefor Student Counseling and Relations. He is a member of Alpha Gamma Rho agricultural fraternityand has received their Grand Presidents Award and Brother of the Century designation. 

Glenna Hecht is an accomplished speaker, trainer, consultant, and author as well as a certified SPHR, Senior Professional in Human Resources. She has an impressive history leading HR, Training, and Engagement for major high-growth corporations such as Starbucks, The Levy Restaurants at Walt Disney, Accenture Incubator, Romano’s Macaroni Grill, and Marshall Field’s. She founded Humanistic Consulting, to bring this human resource and people expertise to organizations through outsourced consulting, training, and speaking. Glenna knows a great people strategy is measured through execution and results; couple this with her “do the right thing” philosophy and you have a winning combination that has led to significant notable outcomes for her clients’ ROI.