Leading women of Greenhouse Management

Photo © Joe
Szurszewski Photography

March is Women’s History Month, just as it has been every March since 1987. As I do during Black History Month in February and June’s month of Pride, I will spend the month reflecting on the accomplishments of the brave, innovative and brilliant individuals who have fought for representation in American culture and business.

As part of that celebration, this issue, I am proud to feature leading women of horticulture. In conversation with our editors and with one another, we are honored to amplify the voices of some of the green industry’s most incredible women, including Anna Ball, Katie Dubow, Dana Massey and Terri McEnaney, among others. I can assure you: it’s an incredible read.

But there are some additional leading women I’d like to honor in this issue: the women I work with every day who make Greenhouse Management magazine the excellent publication that it is. Their names appear on the masthead beside this column, but I also want to say a few words of appreciation for their work.

First off, I owe a great deal of gratitude to Publisher Michelle Simakis. Michelle has been covering the horticulture industry for a great deal of her storied career. Before becoming the thoughtful and ambitious publisher she is today, she was integral in building the Garden Center magazine brand. She has a shrewd eye for business and the curious heart of an editor. She leads our team with a depth of empathy that can be a rare quality in management, and her creative flair is unending. Not to mention, she does all of it while raising her own young daughter. I am grateful to have an office beside her.

Kelli Rodda is a friend, mentor and my managing editor. Her deep knowledge and expertise of the green industry stems from an illustrious career. I think that anyone serious about growing plants not only knows Kelli but loves sharing space with her. I see her too rarely because she lives in Texas, but every time we travel together, I am thrilled to be in her presence. She drives like an Andretti, and she cares like a Nightingale. I learn from her every day.

I am overjoyed to have a colleague like Digital Editor Emily Mills. She is the reason it’s so hard to find a typo in these pages. Her knowledge of editorial style is staggering, and her ability to report hard news is unmatched on our staff. I am deeply appreciative of her experience and her view of the world. She balances me daily, and I could not do the work I do without her.

Associate Editor Katie McDaniel is most often found in the pages of our sister publication Nursery Management magazine, but she is integral to the work we do as a horticultural publishing group. Currently, she’s driving efforts in our multi-media work and taking us into a new age of content. She is funny, brilliant and has an ease and infectious enthusiasm that inspires us all.

Finally, Art Director Allison Krieg is the creative force that keeps this publication looking as lovely as it does. She is a delight to collaborate with and her ideas, eye for aesthetics and creativity are deeply appreciated.

To all of them, I say “thank you.” And I wish them an excellent Women’s History Month.

This article appeared in the March 2025 issue of Greenhouse Management magazine under the headline "Leading women of Greenhouse Management."