I. Purpose of the Fellows
1. To honor and recognize outstanding individuals for their contributions to the nursery industry and to plant propagation in the Southern Region.
2. To serve as a forum for fellowship and potential information exchange among long-term IPPS members who may no longer directly participate on the Southern Region IPPS Board.
3. At the discretion of the current board of directors, to be used as a potential sounding board for current and long-term issues, strategic planning and future direction of the Southern Region IPPS.
II. Mechanics
1. The Fellows meet for a “Dutch-treat” lunch or dinner during the Annual IPPS meeting. The
current region President and International Delegate shall be present to brief the Fellows on
IPPS issues.
2. In the event the current Board of Directors requests an ad-hoc committee to be formed, a
rotating chair will be selected among those Fellows present at the meeting.
III. Criteria and Eligibility
1. Election as a Fellow of the IPPS Southern Region of North America is an honor. A Fellow is
recognized for contributions to the nursery industry, plant propagation and production in the
Southern Region.
2. A Fellow must be an active member of the Southern Region of North America with at least
10 years of membership in the IPPS.
3. To enhance the intent of an election as a Fellow, no more than 4 individuals per year may be
selected as a Fellow. Each new class of Fellows will be recognized at the Annual Business
meeting and presented with a Fellows plaque.
Nomination Procedures
1. During January, the Secretary-Treasurer will send out an announcement to the general
membership asking for nominations of Fellows.
2. The sponsor of a nominee shall be an active member of the society. The sponsor is to contact
the Secretary-Treasurer and request a nomination packet, which must be completed by the
sponsor and submitted back to the Secretary-Treasurer by June 1. The application can also
be found at the IPPS-SRNA website: http://www.ipps.org/SouthernNA
3. The Fellows Screening Committee shall be composed of 4 members and chaired by the 2nd
Vice-President. At least 2 of the members must not be current members of the EC Board. The
nomination committee at the annual meetings is responsible for recommending the Fellows
Screening Committee members. During the first year for the purpose of continuity, the Fellows
Screening Committee members will serve for one-, two-, or three-year appointments, with 1
member to be annually rotated off. In each subsequent year one new committee member will
be rotated on for a 3-year term. A selection committee member may serve no more than 3
continuous terms.
4. No current board member is eligible for election as a Fellow until after his/her term expires.
Action by the Awards Committee
1. Upon receipt of the completed nomination documents from the Secretary-Treasurer, each
committee member will rank the top 5 candidates (#1 = 10 pts, #2 = 8 pts, #3 = 6 pts, #4 = 4 pts
and #5 = 2 pts) and mail such votes to the current 2nd Vice-President.
2. As chairman, the 2nd Vice-President will report the committee’s recommendation to the
Secretary-Treasurer. (The committee’s recommendation should be reported at the MidSummer EC Meeting. The newly elected Fellows are announced at the annual business
meeting.)
Please download the nomination form below.
Past Winners
- John Hoffman, 2023
- Kevin Gantt, 2022
- Dr. James Robbins, 2022
- Rick Crowder, 2021
- Maarten van der Giessen, 2021
- Dr. David Creech, 2020
- Dr. Allen Owings, 2019
- Dr. Donna Fare, 2019
- Dennis Niemeyer, 2018
- Dr. Sandra Wilson, 2018
- Robert “Buddy” Lee, 2017
- Dr. John Ruter, 2016
- Robert Black, 2015
- Tom Saunders, 2015
- Dr. Mack Thetford, 2014
See all previous winners