Professional background
Eliza completed her joint M.S. in Entomology and Agroecology at the University of Wisconsin – Madison in 2024. Her thesis research evaluated the use of flowering cover crops for wild pollinator support in annual cropping systems using field research on winter camelina and farmer interviews. Eliza completed their B.A.s in Biology and Geography at Macalester College, a small liberal arts school in St. Paul, MN, in 2019. In between undergraduate and graduate school Eliza served as an Agricultural Extension Agent in the Peace Corps in Cameroon, worked in school gardens with Minneapolis Public Schools though the GreenCorps program, and tended the grounds at the Texas Discovery Center in Dallas, TX. Prior to joining MU Extension in 2025, Eliza worked with University of Illinois Extension as a Horticulture Educator based in Edwardsville, IL.
Areas of work
Eliza’s main specialties are pollinator conservation, integrated pest management, and urban farming and gardening. She is passionate about supporting beginning and minority urban farmers and helping urban residents connect to the environment through gardening and conservation. Eliza is the advisor to the Missouri Master Naturalist Great Rivers Chapter and supports the St. Louis and St. Charles county Master Gardener programs.