Past Graduate Students and Staff

Alycia Crall (PhD)
Alycia is currently a program evaluation research scientist for the National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) and is based in Boulder, Colorado.

Anders Gurda
Anders is the outreach program manager for the UW Organic Collaborative

Anne Pearce (WIFDN Coordinator)
Anne joined the UW – Madison Arboretum staff in January 2023, bringing over 10 years of experience in environmental education and natural resources outreach. She first came to love the Arboretum as an undergrad and later got to know it even better as a restoration team leader for 5 years. Anne enjoys helping people connect to the Arboretum’s places and people.

Ariel Larson
Ariel is currently a project manager for the sustainable food group of the Integrated Pest Management Institute of North America based in Madison, Wisconsin.

Brendon Panke
Brendon is currently an operations assistant at the Center for Healthy Minds at the University of Wisconsin – Madison.

Chelsea Zegler (MS)
Chelsea is currently the crops and soils educator in Dane County for the University of Wisconsin Madison – Division of Extension.

Christopher Bloomingdale
Chris is currently a research assistant and field coordinator in the Wilbur Lab at Michigan State University.

Garrett Imhoff (MS)

Jacob Grace (MS)
Jacob is currently the communications project manager at the Savanna Institute.

Joe Van Rossum
Joe is currently the business operations director for the Environmental Management Division of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.

José Luiz Carvalho De Souza Dias (Post-Doc)
José is currently the agronomy and weed management advisor for Merced, Stanislaus, and San Joaquin Counties for University of California Cooperative Extension based in Merced, California.

Joslyn Mink
Joslyn is currently the executive chef at the Settle Down Tavern in Madison, Wisconsin.

Laura Judge (MS)
Laura is the new farm bill biologist for the Lenawee County Conservation District in southeastern Michigan with a focus on improving conservation outcomes in agricultural landscapes by creating habitat for pheasants and other wildlife through the Michigan Pheasant Restoration Initiative.

Lauren Arrett (Research Intern)
Conducted data analysis and summarizing field surveys and completed data. Provided support to various lab projects such as herbicide trials, conducting field surveys, and outreach.

Leo Roth (Research Specialist)

Marie Raboin (MS)
Marie is a conservation specialist for the Dane County Land and Water Resources Department and is the owner of Brix Cider in Mount Horeb, WI.

Niels Jorgensen (PhD)

Tony Summers

Will Osterholz (Post-Doc)
Will is currently a research soil scientist at the United States Department of Agriculture – Agricultural Research Service in Columbus, Ohio.

Md Rayhan Shaheb (Post-Doc)
Dr. Shaheb conducted alfalfa intercropping trials with the Renz Lab. He is now an Assistant Professor at Central State University, Ohio.

John G. Zaborsky (Instructional & Media Designer)
Along with Dr. Renz, developed the online summer course AGR 375: Invasive Plant Identification and Management.

Past Undergraduate Students and Interns

Alicia Dixon (2019)
Alicia is assisting the Clearwater Resource Council with watershed planning grant writing through the Big Sky Watershed Corps.

Allie Boldt (2021-22)

Dayne Tallier (2022-23)

Erin Warner (2018-19)
Erin is currently a horticulturalist and farm manager at Warm Belly Farm in Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin.

Galen Bergquist (2016)

James Funk (2019)
James is currently a biologist in Dr. Stephen Enloe’s Lab in the University of Florida’s Center for Aquatic and Invasive Plants.

Jasmine Wyant (2019-20)

Laura Miller (2018)

Lauren Arrett (2022-23)

Lauren Jorgensen (2017)

Lucy McGuire (2021-22)

Mary Larson (2021)

Matt Hendrickson (2020)

Sam Marquardt (2016-18)

Taylor Schutz (2020-22)

Updated: March 2024