Last Updated on September 17, 2024 by Stella Canfield
Regional Specialized Extension Agent Liz Felter has been awarded the 2024 Gene A. Batson Award by the Florida Nursery, Growers, and Landscape Association (FNGLA) Action Chapter. As the chapter’s highest honor, this award recognizes members who show outstanding leadership and service within the chapter and industry. Felter was selected based on her exceptional contributions to Florida’s horticultural community and dedication to advancing industry practices.
“I’m honored to receive the Gene A. Batson Award,” says Felter. “It is humbling to be recognized by the stakeholders you serve for doing a job that you love.”
With a career spanning decades, Felter has become a key figure in both the FNGLA Action Chapter and Florida’s horticultural sector. Felter has significantly impacted the field through her extensive work in Extension education, integrated pest management (IPM) scout training, plant clinic diagnostics, water research and the new Introduction to Working in the Horticulture Industry class.
From her work setting up the first in-house landscape maintenance department for the Marriott’s Orlando World Center to co-founding the IPM Nursery Scout Training class, which has run for 28 years straight and earned two National Search for Excellence in Extension Education awards, Felter’s leadership has been key to the progress of horticultural practices around the state.
Her dedication goes beyond education, as she actively connects growers and producers throughout the state with vital resources to improve their operations, enhance plant health and adopt best practices. This includes her longstanding involvement with the Mid-Florida Research and Education Center’s plant clinic, one of the state’s longest-continuously running Extension programs, which was established in 1974.
Felter was honored with the award Sept. 10 during the FNGLA Action Chapter’s 29th Gene A. Batson Award luncheon, where industry leaders and professionals celebrated her work and achievements.
3
