Scholarship/Grant Recipients

2007/2008

Robert Felix Memorial Scholarship Recipients

The TREE Fund is proud to announce the 2007/2008 recipients of the Robert Felix memorial scholarships.  Each $3,000 scholarship will be used to further their collegiate education in arboriculture.

Hyland Johns Grant Recipients

The TREE Fund is proud to announce the 2007/2008 recipients of the 2007/2008 Hyland Johns Grant Recipients.

2006/2007 Robert Felix Memorial Scholarship Recipients

The TREE Fund is proud to announce the 2006/2007 recipients of the Robert Felix memorial scholarships.  Each $3,000 scholarship will be used to further their collegiate education in arboriculture.
Click here for a list of recipients

2005/2006 Robert Felix Memorial Scholarship Recipients

The TREE Fund is proud to announce the 2005/2006 recipients of the Robert Felix memorial scholarships.  Each $3,000 scholarship will be used to further their collegiate education in arboriculture.

Edgar Patrick Carpenter

Warrensburg, New York
Education: University of Massachusetts, Amherst
Pursued Degree: B.S. Urban Forestry
Expected to Graduate: December 2005

Objective: Edgar is currently seeking a career opportunity in the tree care industry. He wants to utilize his skill and knowledge of the business as well as the art and science aspects of arboriculture in order to train and educate others on modern tree care practices.

Personal: Edgar continues to search for opportunities where he can give back and help his fellow students advance themselves both academically and professionally. For this reason, he would like to pursue an advanced degree within the field of arboriculture. He has a passion for sharing his knowledge and experiences of arboriculture with others in order to make their job safer and more efficient.

Recent Awards and Scholarships:
Psi Chapter of Xi Sigma Pi National Forestry Honor Society, 2005
Bartlett Tree Foundation Scholarship Award Winner, 2004

Kasey Lee Krouse

Fort Wayne, Indiana
Education: Purdue University
Pursued Major: Forestry
Expected to Graduate: August 2006

Objective: Kasey is interested in pursuing a career in the commercial arboriculture field in order to interact with people in the community as well as to utilize his knowledge and background within this field to meet those demands. He feels that it is about not only the tree but also the people and their value regarding the tree.

Personal: Kasey’s goal is to become involved in service projects, providing input at city council meetings and speaking at arboricultural conferences. He hopes to share his understanding and knowledge with the community both where he lives and works.

Recent Awards and Scholarships:
Recipient of the John H. Noll Scholarship, 2002-2005
21st Century Scholar Award, 2002-2005
Academic Honors, Fall 2004

Eric Christopher Sapp

Murray, Kentucky
Education: Murray State University
Pursued Major: Occupational Safety and Health
Expected to Graduate: Spring 2007

Objective: Eric’s sole mission as a safety professional is to help prevent accidents that could cause injuries and fatalities to those employed in the tree care industry. Eric asserts that since there will always be a need for arborists, it is important to search for answers on how to make the arboriculture industry a safer one.

Personal: From an early age, Eric learned to appreciate the value of trees as both his parents were certified arborists. He feels that by working in safety, this will be the most effective way of impacting the lives of others while continuing in the footsteps of his parents. Eric enjoys working outdoors and appreciates the sense of satisfaction that is gained from being a part of projects that others will enjoy and benefit from for years to come.

Recent Awards and Scholarships:
Tennessee Vegetation Management Association Scholarship, 2000
Recipient of the FFA State Forestry Scholarship, 1999

Mathew Ryan Tobola

College Station, Texas
Education: Texas A & M University
Pursued Major: Urban Forestry
Expected to Graduate: May 2006

Objective: Matthew wants to become a certified arborist. Upon graduation, he wants to obtain a job in the commercial arboricultural field in order to further his knowledge and experience.

Personal: Matthew hopes to one day own and operate a commercial arboricultural business. Post graduation, he plans to continue learning about urban forestry and arboriculture by attending seminars and industry conferences. It is his goal to help educate others about proper tree care and maintenance through schools and extension programs.

Recent Awards and Scholarships:
International Society of Arboriculture Scholarship, 2004 & 2005
Recipient of the Bartlett Scholarship, 2005

2004/2005 Robert Felix Memorial Scholarship Recipients

Alex Buhmeyer

Alex is not your typical arboriculture student; after working and living in Sequoia National Park for two years, Alex moved back to Iowa and while studying hard at the University of Iowa, started his own small tree care company. The company gained much recognition around the community. Alex studied Studio Art and Biology at Iowa before transferring to the University of Northern Arizona to study Forestry (Tree Health). Alex plans on starting up another small tree care company while studying at Arizona. Most recently, Alex has been climbing as an independent contractor for various tree services in the Flagstaff, AZ area. After graduation, Alex would like to work as a City Forester or in a Parks Management Position.

Marty Lieb

From being involved in the Forestry Club to being a Resident Assistant at the Paul Smith's College, Marty is a well-rounded student. Marty helps as a student assistant in the freshman arboriculture laboratory to help students with the basics of arboriculture. Randall Swanson, Marty's advisor at Paul Smith's chose Marty to be the student assistant because he is hardworking, honest, committed, and dedicated to education in the field. In the future, Marty hopes to begin his own business and eventually be an educator in arboriculture.

Fran Malovrh

Frances is the daughter of a logger, which directly influenced her to make trees a large influence on her career choice. During her time at the University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point Frances has been involved everything from the Student Society of Arboriculture, Fire Crew to the women's Tennis team. One of Frances' goals is to share her passion for trees with others so they can take that knowledge as spread the word along to others. Her future career goals consist of possibly working in a nursery growing trees. Currently, Frances is inoculating trees for Dutch Elm disease and Oak Wilt for Rainbow Tree Care.

Susan Pierce

Growing up in suburban Atlanta, GA, Susan has observed a loss in canopy cover due to the explosion of development in the area. This sparked her interest to look for ways to help preserve older urban trees and establish new trees. Susan then began volunteering as an urban tree planter with Trees Atlanta which led to where she is currently; a student at the Warnell School of Forest Resources at the University of Georgia majoring in Environmental Assessment. Most recently, Susan is working on a Neighborhood Forest Assessment project in Athens, GA. Susan aspires to pursue a career in either commercial or municipal arboriculture.

2003/2004 Robert Felix Memorial Scholarship Recipients

Dustin Plicka

Dustin has many reasons for pursuing a career in commercial arboriculture. Since the time he was a child, he was taught to appreciate and respect the outdoors. Having gained a great enthusiasm for tree care, he has many career goals and aspirations. His first goal is to become an ISA Certified Arborist. Dustin wants to get his Ph.D. in some aspect of arboriculture. He currently is attending Brigham Young University in Utah. Dustin is bilingual; he feels this skill will be an asset in the tree care industry. He has a desire to help communities and commercial tree care companies work together in caring for trees. Dustin says with education and experience comes a greater power to teach others and make a difference in the world.

Amy Kenison

Amy’s career and academic goals were inspired by arboriculture. She learned the basics of tree care at her first job, an internship with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. When the internship was over, she wanted to continue working with trees. That’s when she saw an ad for a tree worker. She applied for the job and was hired. By studying part-time and working full-time over the past six years, she earned an A.S. degree in natural sciences. Amy went on to the State University of New York (SUNY) College of Environmental Science and Forestry’s Ranger School and earned an A.A.S. in forest technology. She is now at SUNY pursuing a bachelor’s degree in forest resources management.

Kiel Fritz

Kiel has enjoyed being outdoors since he was a child. He feels his interest in arboriculture was the result of a field trip to the Northeast Iowa Community College Ag Career Days event when he was a sophomore in high school. He’s pursuing a career in commercial arboriculture. He has been actively involved in arboriculture while earning his degree. While in high school, Kiel was president of the student body, class officer, FFA vice president, 4-H president, and an officer of National Honor Society. At NICC, he is president of the arboriculture league and a member of Phi Theta Kappa. He is a member of ISA, SSA, TCIA, and INLA.