Erik is originally from Gainesville, FL where he graduated from Gainesville High School. He then decided to go to forestry school at the University of Georgia where and graduated with a BS in Forest Resources in 1995. Erik worked in forestry as a land management forester for a few years with a private company in Gainesville, FL. In 2007, he started working in the turf management industry at Palma Ceia Golf and Country Club in Tampa, FL. He was able to begin as a horticulturalist, in which he excelled in mathematical calculations and spraying chemicals. Erik was promoted to a second assistant/spray technician very quickly. In 2010, he earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Turfgrass Science online with Penn State University. He then moved on to work as an assistant superintendent in Fort Myers, FL at Gateway Golf and Country Club and pursued his Master’s degree at Penn State in Turfgrass Management. After finishing his degree in 2013, he went to work as the Superintendent of the Stadium Course at TPC Prestancia in Sarasota, FL. Since then, Erik and his beautiful wife Jocelyn moved back to Lake City where they are today.william.smith@fgc.eduPhone: 386-754-4279
Jason Stanley is a Florida native who has worked for the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Division of Plant industry for 20 years. He has served roles such as Laboratory Technician, Biological Scientist and Assistant Bureau Chief for two bureaus. First the Diagnostic Bureau and currently the Bureau of Plant Inspection. He graduated with a B.S. in Entomology and a Master of Science in Nematology, both from the University of Florida. Jason has been an adjunct for Florida Gateway College since 2010 and has taught classes such as Mathematics, Biology and most of the courses in the Golf Course and Landscape Operations Program, including the development of both IPM classes. Jason’s background is in agriculture and Science. He is married to his wife of 30 years and lives in High Springs. He has a daughter that is a Junior at Flagler College in St. Augustine Florida who is majoring in Coastal Environmental Science. Jason’s hobbies include fishing the flats of the big bend and kayaking.
Born and raised in rural Pennsylvania, Ellen Cochrane has always had an appreciation for agriculture, horticulture and nature in general. She attended the University of Florida and received both her BS (Environmental Management of Ag and Natural Resources) and MS (Environmental Horticulture, minor in Entomology) from that prestigious Land Grant University. She now works as lab manager in the Citrus Scion breeding lab at the United States Department of Agriculture in Fort Pierce Florida. Ellen enjoys the mix of lab, greenhouse and field work involved in her USDA position but has always had a special place in her heart for education. She feels honored to have been able to teach as a horticulture program adjunct professor for Florida Gateway College since 2015. In her free time, she relaxes with her fur, feather and fin family of horses, mini pigs, dogs, cats, fish and birds as well as caring for the many diverse plantings around the property such as bamboo, avocado, citrus and many flowering plants.
