Instructors
Tricia Bethke, forest pest outreach coordinator, State of Illinois, The Morton Arboretum
Tricia Bethke is the forest pest outreach coordinator for the State of Illinois, supported by USDA APHIS. Her responsibilities include statewide training of key stakeholders on invasive species, forest pest identification, regulations, quarantines, and reporting protocols, plus pest detection programs and tree health monitoring.
Sam Cox, forestry technician, Village of Lombard
Sam Cox is a forestry technician with the village of Lombard and has worked in the municipal setting for eight years. He was on the natural resource crew of the DuPage County Forest Preserve District and worked for Riverside Public Works. He has a BS in forestry from the University of Kentucky, is an ISA-certified arborist, and is tree risk assessment qualified. He also teaches classes on behalf of the IAA for those seeking arborist certifications.
Steve Lane, urban forestry consultant, Graf Tree Care Inc.
Steve Lane is an urban forestry consultant with Graf Tree Care Inc., where he performs tree inventories, urban forestry management plans, risk assessments, and expert witness work. He is also the current president of the Illinois Arborist Association, where he chairs the Advanced Training Program and teaches urban forestry classes for the organization. He provides instruction and speaks to groups about urban forestry around the country.
Shawn Kingzette, district manager and certified arborist, The Davey Tree Expert Company
Shawn Kingzette is an International Society of Arboriculture certified arborist of 20 years and is a district manager for The Davey Tree Expert Company. He is also a longtime teacher for the Openlands Treekeepers program and conducts maintenance accounts for communities such as Park Ridge, the Chicago Park District, Schaumburg, and Elgin.
Eric Menigut, senior resource technician, Forest Preserves of Cook County
Eric Menigut is a senior resource technician at the Forest Preserves of Cook County. Prior to his work at the Forest Preserves of Cook County he worked for the Chicago region of the National Audubon Society. He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in environmental science from Indiana University– Bloomington.
Phil Prohaska, senior resource technician, Forest Preserves of Cook County
A graduate from the University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point with a bachelor of science in urban forestry, Phil Prohaska spent several years working in the private sector doing primarily climbing and bucket work and four years in the utility sector trimming and removing trees around energized power lines. He has spent the last 10 years working for the Forest Preserves of Cook County.
Melissa Custic, interim director, Chicago Region Trees Initiative
Melissa Custic is the interim director of The Morton Arboretum’s Chicago Region Trees Initiative. Melissa holds a master of science in plant biology and conservation and has nearly twenty years of experience in urban forestry research, education, and outreach.
