Welcome to Geoffrey Rinehart, the IAA’s new Lecturer and Turfgrass Management Advisor effective July 1, 2017. Rinehart earned two bachelor’s degrees from Virginia Tech, one in Crop and Soil Environmental Science with a Turfgrass Management concentration, and the second in Horticulture with a Landscape Contracting concentration. His master’s degree in Crop and Soil Science is from Michigan State.
He brings over 15 years of turf industry experience with him to the job, including his most recent position as the coordinator of the Grass Roots Initiative. The 1.3 acre Grass Roots exhibit at the U.S. National Arboretum attracts over 25,000 visitors per year and serves as a hands-on site for professional and homeowner educational programs. Rinehart says he will use his years of industry experience and “challenge students to be active learners.” He believes IAA turfgrass graduates must be ready to “effectively develop and adapt management strategies for both warm- and cool-season grass species for golf courses, sports fields, commercial and home landscapes, and municipal settings.”
