Meet Steven Peterson
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EmailMeet Steven Peterson, Greenhouse and Garden Manager.
Hello, everyone,
My name is Steven Peterson. I replaced Dan Bulkowski as the manager of the Horticulture Gardens and Teaching Greenhouses. Dan spent many years working for this great institution, and I know everyone will miss him dearly. I am very excited for this amazing opportunity to lead such a great team of horticulturists and to work beside the best faculty in the world.
I want to take this opportunity to tell everyone a little bit about me. I graduated from high school in 1994 and immediately enlisted in the military, where I served 25 years in the U.S. Army with 17 of those years in Special Forces. I had many great experiences and gained a ton of leadership experience that will prove invaluable in this position. I started my horticulture career after retirement as a student in a truly amazing Landscape Gardening program at Sandhills Community College in Southern Pines, NC. I quickly discovered the vast knowledge required in horticulture and decided to transfer to Michigan State University, where I recently graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Horticulture Science. Like everyone else who graduates from college, I definitely won’t have all the answers, but I have an amazing team that can accomplish anything we put our minds to. I am married to my wonderful wife, Sarah, and have two truly outstanding young adult kids: Matthew, who attends college at Taylor University, and Brooke, a junior at Williamston High School. Of course, I mention my puppy, Nala.
Our 14 acres of gardens is a massive undertaking with so many separate gardens, themes, water features, and ideas. I already see how important our entire team is, and by team, I mean our staff here at the gardens, our volunteers, student interns, department faculty, donors, and industry professionals, and of course, the Infrastructure, Planning, and Facilities (IPF) Trades professionals. We could not do what we do without all of you.
I am grateful for the opportunity and look forward to connecting with everyone throughout this journey.
Go Green!
