N. Dennis Bowman
ndbowman@illinois.edu
Dennis Bowman is the Interim Assistant Dean for Agriculture and Natural Resources and the Commercial Agriculture Educator attached to the Crop Sciences Research and Education Center, better known as the South Farms. He received his B.S. in Ag. Sci. from Western Illinois University and his M.S. in Agronomy from the University of Illinois. He is a licensed commercial unmanned aerial system pilot and uses his skills to capture drone footage of the garden.
Carl Carman
ccarman2@illinois.edu
Carl earned his B.S. in Geology at the University of Illinois. He is a research specialist in petroleum geology at the Illinois State Geological Survey, where he works on data mining and carbon sequestration projects. He is working with the RORG team to determine the amount of carbon the plants will sequester.
Karen Folk
foxandfolk@gmail.com
Karen Folk, Ph.D., CFP® is mostly retired from her financial planning business. Prior to that, she worked in consumer education research and Extension for over 25 years.
Since retiring in 2016, Karen volunteers as a Master Naturalist and has served as Master Naturalist lead volunteer for the Red Oak Rain Garden renovation. She also volunteers for the Alliance of Comprehensive Planners, Immigration Justice Task Force, and serves on the Board of the UU Church of Urbana-Champaign. She loves learning about Central Illinois natural history, gardening, hiking, backpacking, and camping, especially in the mountains.
Eric Green
ewgreen@illinois.edu
Eric earned both his B.S. in Electrical Engineering and M.S. in Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences, both from the University of Illinois. He wrote his thesis on energy economics and how CO2 policy could influence demand for electricity. Eric served as RORG’s construction manager before accepting a position at iSEE. The team continues to collaborate with him to engage students in the project.
Kimberly Lomax-Cobb
klomax@illinois.edu
Kimberly Lomax-Cobb is the Illinois Indiana Sea Grant office administrator. For the Red Oak Rain Garden, Kimberly is instrumental in the business aspects of the project. She handles purchasing materials and ensures that University requirements such as Purchase Orders are done correctly. Outside of work, she is active with her family and church. Her favorite Red Oak Rain Garden plant is the Purple Coneflower.
Rosie Metallo
rmetallo@illinois.edu
Rosie Metallo earned her B.S. in Agronomy from Illinois State University and a M.S. in Plant Science from the University of Tennessee. She worked as the Greenhouse Operations Manager for a soybean breeding facility with Syngenta Seeds before joining the PCF team in 2018 at the University of Illinois. She has experience working with hydroponic and controlled growing systems, LEDs, crop physiology, and cultivating specialty vegetable crops. For the Red Oak Rain Garden, Rosie houses and cares for plant materials at the UIUC Plant Care Facility.
Shannon Tucker
sltucker10@gmail.com
Shannon earned her B.S. in Architectural Studies and Master of Architecture from the University of Illinois and is a licensed architect in the State of Illinois. She has been both a construction project manager and IT project manager for the U of I. Shannon will work with the RORG team to help project manage the construction of the pedestrian bridge.
redoakraingarden.org 