Blacksburg Staff
 Burr, Jeff Email: jburr@vt.edu VT Horticulture Greenhouses Website Serves as the Horticulture Department contact and outreach person for the greenhouse facility. Works with University and industry representatives to design and facilitate implementation of new technology into the greenhouse complex. Responsibilities include supervising the daily operations, maintenance and security of the Horticulture Department greenhouse facilities, purchasing and maintaining an inventory of growing materials, equipment, chemicals, and stock plants to support in teaching and research. Provides cultural and environmental conditions for plant growth through proper irrigation and fertilizing of plant materials, manipulating photoperiods, regulating environmental controls and light intensities. |
 Blanton, Dabney Email: dsb79@vt.edu |
Chumbly, Paul Email: pchum07@vt.edu |
Freeborn, John Email: jfreebor@vt.edu John manages the floriculture greenhouses on campus and off site locations for the team. These locations house faculty research projects involving media and nutrition studies, and plant growth regulator research projects for Dr. Scoggins and Dr. Latimer, respectively. His daily responsibilities include monitoring site conditions, scouting for insect and disease pressures, and fertility management. John also works closely with both undergraduate and graduate students in the Horticulture Department, training students in good floriculture practices, qualitative and quantitative data collection, and data analysis for both faculty and student research projects. |
Groover, Velva Email: velvag@vt.edu |
James, John Email: jojames3@vt.edu VT Urban Horticulture Center Website John is a Senior Research Specialist and Facility Manager at the Urban Horticulture Center. He provides support for this off-campus, 15-acre facility, including managing, developing, and maintaining the UHC as a site for diverse research, teaching, and outreach. In this capacity, he provides orientation and safety training for undergraduate, graduate, staff, and faculty users. He also plans and implements facility expansion projects, and irrigation design and installation. Additionally, he assists with research project installation and maintenance, data collection, and plant care. John is originally from Indiana with a background in livestock and grain farming. He is married with 2 children and lives in Blacksburg. |
Lipsey, Lisa Email: llipsey@vt.edu |
Long, Donna Email: donna@vt.edu Provides administrative assistance to the department head. Serves as the receptionist for office visitors. Handles all personnel transactions for faculty, staff, and visiting scholars including recruitment, hiring, payroll, visas, funding changes, and terminations. Processes monthly leave reports for faculty and staff. Assists the Teaching Coordinators to administer the undergraduate teaching program. Provides support for all teaching-related activities, including academic advising to students, orientation and registration, recruiting, processing applications, maintaining student alumni files. Serves as liaison between the department and the Registrar's Office. |
Mills, Kerri Email: kehuffma@vt.edu Grow, maintain, and molecularly characterize transgenic Fragaria vesca plants for Richard Veilleux’s research on insertional mutagenesis in the diploid strawberry. Organize high throughput DNA extraction, perform multiplex PCR and high-TAIL PCR. Catalog mutants in a Filemaker Pro database, analyze sequences with Lasergene and Vector NTI software, and design sample specific primers. Prepare and transmit samples for southern blot analysis. Order supplies and equipment for all research projects in the Veilleux lab. |
Petzold, Earl Email: epetzold@vt.edu |
Piovano, Suzanne Email: piovano@vt.edu |
Sears, Pris Email: sears@vt.edu |
Shelton, Joyce Email: joyce@vt.edu |
Wood, Maura Email: mmwood@vt.edu Reconciles operating, overhead, and sponsored project accounts to avoid budget overruns and ensure accuracy of accounts belonging to the faculty members assigned to her. Processes travel authorization forms and travel vouchers verifying all reimbursement claims and strictly following State and University guidelines. Prepares and submits POs, ISRs, IPRs and bookstore orders using HokieMart, as well ICR forms. Receives orders in HokieMart. Reconciles payroll charges for wage employees. Prepares monthly account reconciliations, VISA statements and phone charge statements. Processes facility and building maintenance requests when necessary. Distributes mail and receives packages as necessary. Orders general office supplies. Orders supplies for the copier and troubleshoots problems. Helps organize student seminars held during spring semester, as well as special seminars held throughout the year. Staff representative at Faculty meetings. Co-chair of social committee (helps organize graduation, monthly departmental celebrations, seminars, visitors, etc.) Transmits fax transactions. |