UT Extension would like to welcome Dr. Bumgarner to her new position of Residential Horticulture Extension Specialist and State Master Gardener Coordinator. Dr. Bumgarner will begin in her new position October 21 and she will be located at The University of Tennessee, Knoxville in the Department of Plant Sciences. Her appointment is 100% UT Extension and she will be responsible for the Statewide Master Gardener Program that trains and certifies volunteers for home horticulture-based community service through Extension offices as well as her responsibilities as a residential/consumer horticulture specialist including fruit, vegetable and ornamental gardening.

Dr. Bumgarner graduated from West Virginia University with a B.S. and M.S. in Horticulture. She received her PhD in Horticulture and Crop Science from The Ohio State University. Since then she has worked as a Post-doctoral Researcher at The Ohio State University and Horticulturist and Research Director for Crop King, Inc. She has strong expertise and experience through outreach and educational presentations to Extension, classroom.

Dr. Bumgarner says that she is “truly excited about joining UT Plant Sciences Dept. and working in the area of residential and consumer horticulture. For me there is no better career description than one that provides the opportunity to combine applied research and teaching in gardens and landscapes with the service and outreach mission of Extension.”

Source:  Taking Root, UT Extension, Tennessee Master Gardener Volunteer  Special Issue /2014, Publisher: Carol Burdett: carolburdett@live.com