Charlie Hall and Katy Moss Warner were appointed to two-year terms as president and vice president of America in Bloom (AIB), respectively.
Lela Kelly, VP of Dosatron International, and Kurt Becker, executive VP of the Dramm Corp., also will join the board.
Hall, Ph.D. of Texas A & M University, has served on the AIB board since 2010 and as co-chair of the fundraising committee. He began his academic career at Texas A&M University in 1988, where he spent 13 years on the faculty before joining the faculty at the University of Tennessee (UT) in 2002—Hall is a graduate of UT, too, having earned a B.S. in agricultural economics and a Master’s in ornamental horticulture and landscape design. Hall returned to Texas A&M University as professor and Ellison Chair in International Floriculture in August 2007. He obtained his Ph.D. from Mississippi State University in 1988.
Hall’s major research, teaching and extension areas of specialization include strategic management, market situation/outlook, cost accounting and financial analysis.
“It is a great pleasure to continue being a part of the momentum that AIB is experiencing,” Hall said. “Communities all across the country are embracing the ideals of AIB and are finding a great number of benefits from doing so. Not only do those communities have the opportunity to enjoy the aesthetic benefits of their efforts, but they are finding many economic, environmental, and health/well-being benefits as well. To me, that is the exciting part of AIB—how quality of life is enhanced by the program.”
Warner, president emeritus of the American Horticultural Society (AHS), has served on the AIB board since 2005 and has chaired the symposium committee for the past three years. Previously, she served 24 years as director of Disney’s horticulture and environmental initiatives. Warner also is a Longwood Fellow with Longwood Gardens and the University of Delaware and a Loeb Fellow with the Harvard Graduate School of Design.
“AIB is growing,” Warner said. “Our flagship programs have better participation than ever and we are launching some exciting new programs that will offer towns and cities across America even more opportunity to enhance their communities and plant pride. I am honored to take on a leadership role in AIB at this time.”
As Hall enters his presidency, Marvin Miller, Ph.D., will step out of the role, which he’s served in since 2005. Miller intends to stay involved on the board with projects he initiated and will continue to provide leadership to AIB on the executive committee.
“I am excited to welcome Charlie and Katy to new leadership positions,” Miller said. “As I replace Ron Pierre as AIB’s past president, I thank Ron for his many years of service. Ron was one of AIB’s founding board members, and his dedication over the last 14 years of our organization’s history serves as an inspiration for us all.
