About the NPC Instructors
Kim Eierman is founder of EcoBeneficial!, which promotes ecological landscaping and the use of native plants. She has a Certificate in Horticulture from The New York Botanical Garden and is an accredited Organic Landcare Professional, a Master Gardener, and a Steering Committee member of The Native Plant Center.
Melissa Fabel is an avid field botanist who consults with landscape designers on the use of native plants. She has a Certificate in Sustainable Gardening with Northeast Flora from The Native Plant Center, a Certificate in Field Botany from The New York Botanical Garden, and is a Cornell Cooperative Extension Master Gardener. She is volunteer coordinator of the Go Native U program.
Barbara Fischer, co-founder of Go Native U, is retired as a sustainability consultant to corporations. She is a Steering Committee member of The Native Plant Center, Master Gardener, and certified horticultural therapist. Her home garden is comprised almost exclusively of native plants.
Lawrence Forcella, a commercial entomologist and ecological educator, is founder of God of Insects, which specializes in arthropod specimen acquisition, preservation, presentation, sale, and trade. He is director of entomology at the Evolution Store in Manhattan and a member of the New York Entomological Society.
Michael Hagen is curator of the Native Plant Garden and Rock Garden at The New York Botanical Garden. Previously, he served as staff horticulturist for Stonecrop Gardens in Cold Spring, New York, and as garden manager at Rocky Hills in Mount Kisco, New York.
Ann Perkowski is principal of Lady Clippers, Inc., a boutique landscaping firm that specializes in fine-garden hand pruning. She is a Master Gardener and travels extensively to study proper and creative pruning techniques, including a recent residency at Sissinghurst Castle Gardens in the UK.
Jessica A. Schuler is Director of the Thain Family Forest at The New York Botanical Garden, where she is responsible for the management and ecological restoration of the 50-acre old-growth forest as well as for the development of education and research programs. She teaches about urban forest restoration, invasive species, and native plants. An ISA-certified arborist with a BS in plant science from Cornell, she is a member of The Native Plant Center Steering Committee.
Joseph Squillante, founder of the Hudson River School of Photography, is renowned for his landscape images and teaching workshops. He has studied under such luminaries as Philippe Halsman, George Tice, and Ralph Gibson. His work can be found in the permanent collections of the New-York Historical Society, Museum of the City of New York, and the Albany Institute of History and Art.
Carolyn Summers, co-founder of Go Native U, is a landscape designer, the author of Designing Gardens with Flora of the American East, and creator of Flying Trillium Preserve in the Catskills. She has worked for Trust for Public Land, the Department of Environmental Protection, and the Natural Resources Defense Council. She is a Steering Committee member of The Native Plant Center.