Native Landscaping in a Changing World
Dr. Trent Ford is the Illinois State Climatologist and has been with the Prairie Research Institute at the University of Illinois since 2019. He is an expert in climate and climate change and its interactions and impacts, especially as they relate to water. Trent leads climate and drought monitoring, research, and data collection for the state of Illinois. He and his team work with communities, industries and state agencies on issues related to weather, climate and climate change in Illinois and engage the general public through online, media and educational outreach. A native of Roanoke Illinois, Ford earned a bachelors in geography from Illinois State University before completing his masters and PhD at Texas A&M University.
Dr. Murphy Westwood is Vice President of Science and Conservation at the Morton Arboretum, where she works to strengthen the Arboretum’s local, national and global leadership activities in tree science and conservation. She supports the Arboretum’s service to the public to improve the health of the urban forest in the Chicago region, protect threatened tree species around the globe, facilitate information transfer to the green industry and the public and provide professional leadership to the world’s arboreta. She is responsible for planning, strategic direction, program integration, fundraising and external relations for Science and Conservation at the Arboretum.
Murphy oversees a department of 50 scientists and conservation practitioners and key programs and initiatives, including scientific research on trees and forests through the Center for Tree Science improving the health of the urban forest of the Chicago region through the Chicago Region Trees Initiative, building collaborations and protecting threatened tree species through the Global Tree Conservation Program, documenting the trees and plants of the Chicago region and beyond in the Arboretum’s Herbarium and supporting professional development and collaboration among arboreta worldwide through ArbNet. She has an extensive background in plant biology evolution, and conservation, having worked in botanical gardens and universities in Europe and America for more than 20 years. Murphy holds a PhD in Plant Developmental Biology from the University of Cambridge(UK), and a B.S. in Environmental Policy and Behavior from the University of Michigan.
Eileen Davis is an Environmental Educator who has variously served the Lake County Forest Preserves as an intern, volunteer and staff member since 1997. She earned her B.S. in Zoology and Environmental Biology from Eastern Illinois University and her M.S. in Environmental Education and Interpretation from University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. Eileen teaches people of all ages about Lake County’s diverse ecosystems and the plants and animals that call them home. In her free time she enjoys tending her home garden and traveling in search of new nature adventures.