B.S. - Ornamental Horticulture and Landscape Design, 1995 Area of emphasis: Area of emphasis: Ornamental Horticulture

After graduating from the Department of Ornamental Horticulture & Landscape Design (now the Department of Plant Sciences) at UT, James became the manager of the department’s greenhouses. His responsibilities included all aspects of plant management: fertilization, irrigation, pest control, propagation. He was also instrumental in execution of the faculty’s research, teaching and extension programs.

Since 2000, James has also been curator of the UT Gardens. He is in charge of all garden operations and plantings, which include the trial and plant introduction programs, the perennial collections, the tree and shrub collections, the herb collection, the heritage vegetable collection, hardscapes, etc. Operations include installation, management, education, public service and interpretation.

"I enjoy combining working in a public garden with a university setting, because I get to work in horticulture as well as with the education of horticulture students. I also enjoy working with master gardeners (who help us enormously in planting and maintaining the Gardens), and giving tours and talks to garden clubs (e.g. our Garden's Twilight Tours, the children's Books & Blooms program, the Lunch & Learn Program)."