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.
Sara Earhart, superintendent of parks, Community Park District of LaGrange Park
Sara is the superintendent of parks at the Community Park District of LaGrange Park. She is an ISA Certified Arborist municipal specialist and member of the Illinois Arborist Association. She completed her Associate of Applied Science degree in horticulture at the College of DuPage. She is an instructor for the IAA and teaches arborist exam prep courses.
Shawn Kingzette, district manager and certified arborist, The Davey Tree Expert Company
Shawn Kingzette is an ISA 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.
Amber Kunz, senior resource technician, Forest Preserves of Cook County
Amber Kunz started off as a restoration technician with Friends of the Forest Preserves. There, she learned the basics of chainsaw operation and tree felling for habitat restoration. She then went on to work for The Davey Tree Expert Company as a plant healthcare technician and climbing arborist where she developed skills such as tree pest diagnosis and control, climbing trees for pruning and removals, and hazard tree work due to storm damage. Now she helps lead a resource management crew as a senior technician at the Forest Preserves of Cook County. Her work largely involves technical chainsaw work to mitigate tree hazards for the public, aerial lift work, and habitat restoration. In this role she has taught or helped teach classes about tree risk assessment, chainsaw operation, tree worker safety, and climbing and working in trees.
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.
Eric Menigat, senior resource technician, Forest Preserves of Cook County
Eric Menigat 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 degree 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.
Ryan Sweeney, Chicago Region Trees Initiative community specialist, The Morton Arboretum
Ryan Sweeney is a community specialist for The Morton Arboretum’s Chicago Region Trees Initiative. He holds a master’s degree in environmental, natural resources, and energy law from Lewis & Clark Law School and has a decade of experience as an attorney in Arizona, specializing in construction litigation, contracting, and land use and zoning. He has also represented community groups in successful environmental justice and urban forestry initiatives. At the Arboretum he serves on policy subcommittees for the Legacy Tree Program Task Force and the Trees and Green Infrastructure Working Group, and works closely with government entities and community leaders to implement urban forestry projects and update tree protection ordinances.
