Thomas Green
Founder and Board PresidentDr. Thomas A. Green worked on tree fruit farms in Virginia and Florida early in his career, ultimately managing an apple orchard and becoming captivated by the pest management challenges faced by growers. This led to pursuit of a career in IPM, working initially in the Massachusetts Apple IPM Program. In 1980, he founded an IPM supply business subsequently purchased by GEMPLER’S, Inc., a national agricultural product supplier. He is a Certified Crop Advisor and former USDA NRCS Technical Service Provider, and has worked directly with growers influencing practices on hundreds of thousands of acres of cropland in the US and internationally. He co-founded the IPM Institute in 1998, and initiated the Institute’s IPM STAR, Green Shield Certified and Partnership for Ag Resource Management programs, and Public Tick IPM Working Group which has regularly convened national experts and advocates since 2014. He has served on the US EPA Pesticide Policy Dialogue Committee, chaired the International IPM Symposium Steering Committee, chaired the board of the Entomological Foundation, served as a member of the Exam Committee of the Certified Crop Advisor Program, the Stakeholder Committee for the USDA North Central IPM Center and the Maryland Pesticide Education Network. He has been recognized with awards from US EPA, USDA and the International IPM Symposium. He continues to provide consulting services through IPM Works LLC and IPM services in Wisconsin, Minnesota and Illinois as proprietor of Green Pest and Tick Control. He also currently serves as board chair of the Heartland Health Research Alliance, as a director of Protected Harvest, and as a member of the Scientific Advisory Committee of Field to Market. Dr. Green holds a Ph.D. in Entomology from the University of Massachusetts.
Nick Speckman
Chief Executive | Chief Financial | HRNick spent first 10+ years of his career in the financial sector/corporate world, followed by 5 years with an award-winning Landscape Architect firm that had a concentration in naturalistic harmony. In the latter, he developed a true appreciation for sustainable agriculture and environmentally conscious design. Nick studied Business & Human Resource Management and Accounting, most recently attended certificate classes at the University of Wisconsin – Madison on Servant Leadership & Cultural Civility and Respect. Outside of work, Nick enjoys hiking, traveling and being outdoors. In addition, Nick is inseparable from his poodle Rose, which she accompanies Nick to work every day. Rose is the self-proclaimed Chief Human Resource Officer of the IPM Institute of North America.
Peter Werts
Senior Project Manager: Specialty Crops ProgramPeter has a B.S. in Environmental Studies from Northland College in Ashland, Wisconsin. Before joining the IPM Institute he worked as one of the regional interns with the Wisconsin Eco-Apple project in the Bayfield region. His interest in IPM has been a natural progression building upon his knowledge and skills from his days working on the fruit farms in Bayfield, Wisconsin while in college.
Ariel Larson
Senior Project Manager: Sustainable Food GroupAriel received her M.S. in Conservation Biology and Sustainable Development from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in December 2013, with a certificate in Business, Environment, and Social Responsibility. Her interest in sustainable food production and socially responsible business led to her work at IPM Institute, where she works with food companies to develop and implement supply chain sustainability programs.
Josie Talbert
Project ManagerJosie graduated from The University of Wisconsin La Crosse (UWL) with a B.S. in Geography and a minor in Environmental Studies. In La Crosse, Josie built on her interest in sustainability and agriculture through internships and volunteering. She worked on projects for UWL and Western Technical College regarding food waste, sustainability marketing, single use plastic reduction and tracking CO2 emissions. Josie also planned climate strikes and managed community gardens in the area to expand on her interest in urban farming and climate justice. In her free time, Josie enjoys backpacking, gardening and music.
Hannah Kasun
Jr. Project ManagerHannah earned her bachelors degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with majors in Environmental Studies and Music Performance and a certificate in Food Systems. During her undergraduate career, she worked extensively with the UW-Madison Office of Sustainability, helping to create a Green Events Certification Program, a campus Food Sustainability Working Group and a sustainability-themed podcast. Hannah was also an intern with a variety of local organizations to promote food access and local food production. Outside of work, Hannah enjoys baking sourdough bread, gardening and playing music.
Marnie McMullin
Project CoordinatorMarnie earned a B.S. in Sustainable Agriculture from The Evergreen State College in Olympia, WA. Since her time at Evergreen, Marnie has immersed herself in many aspects of sustainable food production and distribution. She has extensive academic as well as hands-on farming experience ranging from field management and pest scouting to cover crop research. Most recently, Marnie worked with local farmers to develop successful retail relationship by strengthening their marketing and sales. In her free time, you can find Marnie in her garden identifying pollinators, on the trail riding her bike or in the kitchen fermenting & canning.
Baillie Stein
Project CoordinatorBaillie received a Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Science with a concentration in Conservation Biology from Colby College in his native Maine. He has a passion for growing food and for storytelling and sees them both as powerful community-building forces. You can find him lending a hand with the Voss Organics stand at the famous Saturday morning farmers markets on Capitol Square. He worked on farms in Maine and Puerto Rico before eventually landing in Wisconsin. His work on the SFG team includes research across a variety of projects and being the in-house Spanish translator. Outside of the office, Baillie enjoys playing ultimate frisbee, rock climbing, gardening, and reading--he is never without a book.