Instructors
Tricia Bethke, forest pest outreach coordinator, 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.
Colette Copic, community manager, The Morton Arboretum’s Chicago Region Trees Initiative
Colette focuses on helping communities build capacity within their forestry programs through funding opportunities, resources, and training. Copic holds a MS from Loyola University Chicago and is an ISA-certified arborist. Their background includes work in tree protection policy, community organizing, and ecological restoration.
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 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 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.
