Schedule

Friday, July 24, 2026

12:00 PMRegistration opens
Courtyard by Marriott Athens Downtown
390 E Washington St., Athens, GA 30601
2:00 PMUGA Bus to pick up at Courtyard Marriott
Tour of UGA’s North Campus
2:30 PMTravel to Regenerative Bioscience Center (RBC)
425 River Road, Athens, GA 30602
2:45 PMTour of Regenerative Bioscience Center
– Dr. Steven Stice, Director, Regenerative Bioscience Center (RBC)
– Dr. Frank West, Professor of Regenerative Bioscience
3:30 PMTravel to State Botanical Garden of Georgia
2450 S Milledge Ave, Athens, GA 30605
3:45 PMTour of State Botanical Garden of Georgia
– Dr. Leonardo Lombardini, Department Head of Horticulture
– Dr. Jennifer Cruse-Sanders, Director, State Botanical Garden of Georgia
– Dr. Sheri Dorn, Assistant Professor, Sociohorticulture and Horticulture Therapy
5:15 PMTravel to Dinner Venue
Two options for transportation:
1) Transportation provided as part of the tour
2) From the Courtyard Marriott
5:30 PMTour, Dinner and Welcome
UGA Stadium West End Zone
7:30 PMReturn to Courtyard by Marriott

Saturday, July 25, 2026

6:30 AMBreakfast available in hotel meeting room
7:15 AMGroup to meet in the lobby near concierge desk
7:30 AMBus departs for Fort Valley State University (FVSU)
1005 State University Drive, Fort Valley, GA 31030
9:30 AMArrive FVSU
Pettigrew Center
1005 State University Drive Fort Valley, GA 31030
10:00 AMJoint Southern AHS/CARET Business Session
Pettigrew Center – Main Campus
11:30 AMBreak
11:45 AMLunch
Pettigrew Center – Main Campus
12:45 PMBusiness Meetings (Concurrent)
– Southern CARET
– AHS Business Meeting
Pettigrew Center – Main Campus
2:00 PMBus departs for campus tours
2:15 PMTour of FVSU Campus and Facilities:
Cold Vegetable Processing Plant
– Dr. Mark Latimore, Jr., Associate Dean for Cooperative Extension
Ponix Hydroponic Garden
– Dr. Keith Howard, Dean, College of Agriculture, Family Sciences & Technology
Solar Farm / Organic Site
– Dr. Cedric Ogden, Cooperative Extension Engineer, and Dr. James Brown, Professor of Horticulture
Reproductive Biology
– Dr. Adel Moawad, Assistant Professor, Animal Science
Meat Technology Processing Plant
– Terrill Hollis, Food Science Professional
4:00 PMDepart for UGA Grand Farm
1101 Limerock Road, Perry, Georgia 31069
4:30 PMTour of UGA Grand Farm
– Dr. Harsha Thippareddi, Associate Dean for Research
– Eric Elsner, Executive Superintendent, CAES Research & Education Centers
5:15 PMTravel and prepare for dinner
5:30 PMDinner at the Georgia National Fairgrounds and Agricenter
Miller-Murphy-Howard Building
7:00 PMDepart for Courtyard by Marriott Downtown Athens
390 E Washington St., Athens, GA 30601
9:30 PMArrive at Courtyard Marriott

Sunday, July 26, 2026

7:00 AMBreakfast begins at the Empire Room at the Classic Center
300 North Thomas St., Athens, GA 30601
8:00 AMThe Future of Plant Breeding: Synthetic Biology
– Dr. Scott Jackson, Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar in Synthetic Biology
8:45 AMOpportunities at the Intersection of Agriculture, Food, Nutrition and Health: Positioning the 1890 Land-Grant Universities
– Dr. Anisa Zvonkovic, Dean, College of Family and Consumer Sciences, UGA
– Dr. Charles Geier, Associate Dean for Research, College of Family and Consumer Sciences, UGA
9:30 AMBusiness Follow-ups
– Report out from separate business meetings
– Any follow-up from joint session
– Open discussion
11:00 AMMeeting adjourns