Stephanie Darnell is a technical stewardship manager at BASF with 24 years of experience in R&D, product development for consumer and professional plant protection products, pollinator risk assessment, and outreach and stewardship of crop/non-crop products and pollinators. Within her role at BASF, she is responsible for product stewardship of crop protection products with an emphasis on the Seed Treatment business. She also focuses on pollinator protection and is actively involved in the BASF Living Acres initiative coordinating partnerships across North Carolina to distribute milkweed plants for monarch butterfly habitat. She is passionate about enhancing and maintaining healthy pollinator habitat across various landscapes. She strives to educate the proper stewardship of plant protection products to the end-users and engage in conversations on the importance of agriculture technology in protecting crops.

Rick Johnstone serves as President and founder of the non-profit corporation IVM Partners and is Owner of VMES, LLC vegetation management consulting. He directs vegetation management research and training under IVM Partners and is an advisor for and liaison between federal, state and tribal land management agencies, universities, electric and natural gas utilities, and conservationists. Under VMES he provides vegetation management consultation and is an expert witness in litigation. Rick served as System Forester for two electric utilities and is past-President of the Utility Arborist Association and a Registered Professional Forester with a BS degree in Forest Resources Management from West Virginia University. He has 45 years experience and is a technical advisor for restoring native pollinator and wildlife habitat using cost effective integrated vegetation management strategies.

Daniel Potter, PhD, is Emeritus Professor of Entomology at the University of Kentucky, where for 44 years his research has informed strategies for sustainable management of pests and conservation of pollinators and other beneficial insects in urban landscapes. Dan is an award-winning teacher and a frequent invited speaker at scientific and trade conferences around the world. An elected Fellow of the Entomological Society of America, he has received national leadership awards from the Professional Land Care Network, American Nursery and Landscape Association, U.S. Golf Association, and other Green Industry organizations.