Creech, SFA Professor Emeritus of agriculture and a Regent's Professor, joined the SFA faculty in 1978. He is director of the SFA Mast Arboretum and Ruby Mize Azalea Garden, and he co-directs the Pineywoods Native Plant Center with Dr. James Kroll. Creech received his bachelor's degree and doctorate in horticulture from Texas A&M University and his master's degree from Colorado State University. His research efforts have focused on blueberry germplasm and production studies, alternative crop/alternative technology, crop nutrition, and evaluation of new plant materials for the South. In 2009, he received the Sidney B. Meadows Award of Merit, the highest honor of the International Propagators' Society - Southern Region.

Dr. Hans Williams, Dean of Stephen F. Austin State University’s Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture, joined the SFA faculty in 1993 and has served in various roles, including interim dean and associate dean of the college as well as associate professor and professor of forestry. His achievements and awards include the Kenneth Watterson Teaching Excellence Award and Kenneth Nelson Distinguished Professorship. Williams received his Bachelor of Science in forestry from Purdue University, Master of Science in forestry from Clemson University and doctoral degree from Auburn University.

Dr. Andrew King, the SFA Gardens assistant director and horticulture alumnus, joined the staff as assistant director in June 2023. He is also the fourth-generation owner of King’s Nursery in Tenaha, Texas. King, his father and grandfather grew up on the nursery; but unlike them, King knew from an early age that he wanted to be a horticulturist. Earning a Bachelor of Science in horticulture from SFA, King became the first of the King’s Nursery owners to be formally educated in horticulture. He earned a Master of Science and doctoral degree, both in horticulture, from Texas A&M University and taught horticulture there for five years before returning home to operate his family’s nursery.

After working with National Taiwan University for 14 years as a forester for its Experimental Forest, Dr. I-Kuai Hung joined the faculty of the College of Forestry and Agriculture at Stephen F. Austin State University in 2003, from where he also received his PhD degree in forestry. Dr. Hung teaches GIS (geographic information system) courses with a focus on applications in natural resource management, while his research interest ranges from forest inventory, landscape ecology, recreation planning, to remote sensing. Dr. Hung works closely with his colleagues known as the Drone Squad. He is a member of the Society of American Foresters and the recipient of its 2021 Carl Alwin Schenck Award in recognition of his outstanding performance in forestry education.

Dr. David Kulhavy’s research interests include forest entomology and pest management. He holds a PhD and a Master of Science in forestry from the University of Idaho and he completed his Bachelor of Arts in zoology at San Diego State University. In addition to teaching forestry and environmental science courses at SFA, he also gives insect education presentations to elementary and junior high school students as “Dr. Bug.” He received an Eisenhower Grant for developing a program for using insects in elementary school programs. Dr. Kulhavy is a Fellow with the Society of American Foresters and he received the national teaching award from that organization, the Carl Schenck Award. He is a recipient of the SFA Foundation’s Faculty Achievement Award for Excellence in Teaching, the national teaching award from the Entomological Society of America, and was named as distinguished alumni from the University of Idaho. He is also a recipient of the prestigious William T. Hornady Gold Award from the Boy Scouts of America.

Dr. Daniel R. Unger’s teaching and research interests include the quantification, qualification, mapping, monitoring and management of natural resources via the spatial analysis fields of aerial photo interpretation, digital image processing, geographic information system and global positioning system technology. He holds a PhD in remote sensing and geographic information systems from the University of Idaho and a Master of Science in forest biometrics from The Pennsylvania State University. Dr. Unger is a recipient of the Kenneth G. Waterston Teaching Excellence Award from the Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture. Furthermore, he received the Carl Schenck Award from the Society of American Foresters, the most prestigious teaching award from that organization.

Dr. Yanlli Zhang holds a PhD in forestry and spatial science from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. He completed his undergraduate degree at Beijing Forestry University. His research interests include geographic information systems, remote sensing, environmental modeling, and advanced geospatial analysis and application.

Chris Dempsey is the senior garden technician for Stephen F. Austin State University's SFA Gardens. Dempsey is a Nacogdoches native and an urban forestry graduate of the SFA Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture. Prior to coming to SFA, he worked as a tree climber for Bartlett Tree Services in San Marcos.

Spearheading collegiate projects, Steve's experience spans everything from dining halls and academic buildings to athletic facilities and religious institutions. Early in his 23-year career at Kirksey, Steve initiated the Outreach Committee which offers opportunities for staff members to volunteer their time for various local communities and non-profit organizations. He also leads the firm's membership in The 1%, a program connecting non-profits to architecture firms willing to provide pro bono services.

Christina Moon is an Associate Principal in our Austin office. She began her career as a spatial design drafter for NASA consultants, architects, and petrochemical firms. This experience taught her to adapt to a variety of work flow and management styles; most importantly, working with this variety of disciplines taught her the value of documenting processes and design decisions. While working for these various companies, Christina spent her free time outside working in the garden, hiking, or camping. That’s when she decided to go back to school for a Master of Landscape Architecture where she could combine a love for outdoors and design. Since 2005, Christina has been privileged to work on park master plans, streetscapes, and planned communities throughout Texas. She enjoys researching and learning about new places and integrating native and well-adapted plant species into meaningful designs that bring people closer to the natural environment.

Greg Grant is an award-winning horticulturist, writer, photographer, conservationist, preservationist, and seventh-generation Texan from Arcadia, Texas. He serves as the Smith County horticulturist for the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service in Tyler, Texas. He has degrees in floriculture and horticulture, both from Texas A&M University and attended post graduate classes at Louisiana State University, North Carolina State University, and Stephen F. Austin State University where he is currently working on a PhD in Forestry. He has previous experience as a horticulturist with SFA Gardens, Mercer Arboretum, and San Antonio Botanical Gardens, an instructor at Stephen F. Austin and Louisiana State Universities, director of research and development at Lone Star Growers, and with the famed Antique Rose Emporium.