42nd Annual Succulent Plants Symposium

Steve Blackwell is the Conservation Collections Manager at the Desert Botanical Garden, where he has dedicated over 15 years to conserving rare plants of the Southwest. He oversees the Garden’s living collection of rare and endangered species, as well as its seed bank and tissue culture lab. Steve also leads field expeditions focused on seed collection, plant salvage, and reintroduction efforts in native habitats. In recognition of his career contributions to plant conservation, he was honored with the Center for Plant Conservation Star Award in 2023. In his presentation, Steve will share insights from his latest work exploring the innovative use of scent detection dogs to support cactus conservation efforts.

Robert Raguso is a research biologist whose work bridges pollination ecology, sensory biology, and chemical communication. He studied butterfly genetics at Yale and earned his Ph.D. at the University of Michigan, pioneering research on floral scent. As a postdoc at the University of Arizona, he examined insect responses to scent and its evolutionary patterns. He chaired the first Gordon Research Conference on floral scent in 1999 and has led international workshops. Now at Cornell, where he recently chaired the Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, his research spans plant-pollinator interactions, fungi, and microbes. He has a special fondness for night-blooming plants like evening primroses and moonflowers.

Sandy Masuo is an editor, educator, author, and conservationist on a mission to inspire wonder in the world around us. She currently serves as the botanical content specialist at The Huntington. Prior to that, she was the associate editor in the Los Angeles Zoo publications division for 18 years, following a 15-year adventure as a music journalist. In 2016, she published her debut novel (under the pen name Rosana DuMas). “Unnatural Selection: Life and Death on the Paper Trail” is the story of a horticulturist/detective investigating the dubious death of a zoo docent. She has taught fiction and business writing as well as a variety of classes from succulent gardening to bird watching at local community colleges. She holds a BA from Brown University and an Ed. M from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Dylan Zoller is a horticulturist at Sherman Library & Gardens, where he manages the Succulent and Bromeliad Gardens and their off-display collections. Raised in coastal Southern California, he developed an early fascination with exotic plants after discovering Exotica, a pictorial encyclopedia of tropical species. His passion led him to join both local and international bromeliad societies and begin a career in public horticulture at age 18. His current work focuses on cultivating xeric and cloud-forest species, with a growing emphasis on field exploration. He has conducted plant-hunting expeditions across Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Guatemala, and Brazil in search of rare and localized bromeliads and cacti. He is currently pursuing a degree in biology.

Andrew Hankey is a botanical horticulturist with over 32 years of experience at the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI), where he has played a central role in the development and management of the Walter Sisulu National Botanical Garden and its surrounding nature reserve. He has published extensively on topics related to gardening, botany, and natural sciences in a range of technical, popular, and scientific journals.

Andrew is recognized as an authority on the three taxonomically complex Asparagaceae genera Ledebouria, Drimiopsis, and Resnova, which make up the subtribe Ledebouriinae. He has made significant contributions to the taxonomy of this group and is currently pursuing an MSc on Drimiopsis through the University of the Witwatersrand.

At the Walter Sisulu NBG, he leads the threatened plant project, overseeing conservation efforts for a variety of endangered plant species. Notably, he has driven efforts to study and protect the critically endangered Albertina Sisulu Orchid (Brachycorythis conica subsp. transvaalensis) and to secure the land supporting its last viable global population.

Highly regarded in his field, Andrew is frequently invited to speak and present to a wide range of audiences.