IPPS Eastern Region awards Cappiello, Osborne

Dr. Paul Cappiello, executive director of Yew Dell Botanical Gardens in Crestwood, Kentucky, has been awarded the highest honor of the IPPS Eastern Region, the Award of Merit. The award was presented at the 2017 IPPS Eastern Region Conference, which took place Oct. 11-14 in Grand Rapids, Mich. Cappiello has been an IPPS Member since 1995.

His service to the society has been extensive: Eastern Region president 2012-13, board of directors, local site committee chairman, program committee chairman, IPPS ER Foundation executive director, publicity committee chairman, nominating and recognition committee chairman, staff evaluation committee chairman, and Eastern Region delegate to the international board of directors. Cappiello has also assisted in countless IPPS-ER special projects, assistance to various committees, and even swept a floor or two if needed.

Cappiello has presented five papers into the IPPS proceedings, written a book, introduced eight new plant cultivars to the industry, and managed to write over 116 professional publications. He was awarded the Fellow award in 2008. Paul has also received numerous awards and honors from other educational and horticultural organizations; he is an incredible teacher, administrator, horticulturalist, and public gardener.

Also at the 2017 IPPS Eastern Region Conference, Keith Osborne was honored with the Fellow award. Osborne is the horticulturalist for GroBark (Ontario) Ltd. and is a long-time IPPS member, board of directors member, active leader in local IPPS area meetings in Ontario, and is also currently on staff at IPPS ER as the sponsorship coordinator. 

Osborne began his career assisting his parents with their garden center in Blenheim, Ontario. He studied business and finance and eventually plant biology at the University of Guelph. Keith and his wife Dong-Mei have a five-year-old daughter, Ella, who is the apple of Keith’s eye. The family has traveled several times to China to visit Dong-Mei’s family.

 

Osborne has shown strong leadership as a director on the Eastern Region board of directors (2011- 14) and creative enthusiasm as chair of the 2014 local site committee for IPPS-ER’s conference in Niagara Falls, Ontario. He has been heavily involved in organizing area meetings for Ontario (2012-13-16-17) and has been very successful in developing and executing the role of IPPS-ER Sponsorship Coordinator since 2015. Without sponsorship funds, the operating budget for IPPS-ER would have to be dramatically curtailed. Osborne has also authored three papers that were submitted to IPPS-ER at the annual conferences. 
Photo of Osborne (L) and Cappiello (R) courtesy IPPS-ER.