Cynthia Phipps - NCNH District Director

Local Rose Society Membership: Gold Country Rose Society

Other Society & Groups: California Garden Clubs, Inc.

Years Growing Roses: 10

How I Started with Roses: My neighbor had them and they were so beautiful that I had to have them in my own yard.

Profession: Human Resources and Contract Negotiations. Retired

Rose Society Offices: Gold Country (Current President); Sierra Foothills (Secretary); Sacramento (Past President)

Karen Ernsberger - Deputy District Director

Local Rose Society Membership: Redwood Empire Rose Society, Marin Rose Society

Other Societies & Groups: American Society of Enology and Viticulture, Luther Burbank Art and Garden Center - VP

Years Growing Roses: 50

How I Started with Roses: I have been growing roses for over 50 years. My love of roses started with the roses in my parents Southern California rose garden, the fragrance of Sterling Silver, Mister Lincoln, and the beauty of Dainty Bess. I bought my first roses from Dee Bennett at the Los Angeles County Fair, I still have 3 of these miniature roses (Magic Carousel, Hula Girl and Beauty Secret), I bought before going off to college. When I graduated from UC Davis and started working in the Wine Industry, I moved my miniature roses with me to Sonoma County, as they were portable. As soon as I was married and had soil (mostly clay) I planted roses, at the time when the fashionable roses were Love, Peace, Honor, Tropicana, Mister Lincoln, Class Act and French Perfume. I started entering cut flowers in the Sonoma County Fair and met members of the Redwood Empire Rose Society, who invited me to join other rose lovers at monthly meetings. I joined RERS in 1992 and started entering the RERS Rose Shows, helping with rose society activities, when I could with children in tow.
In 1998, I became a Consulting Rosarian, even though I have a country garden not a show place. I grow about 300 roses down from 314 (I lost 92 bushes during the October 2017 Nun's Fire in Sonoma County).

Profession: Winemaker, Microbiologist and Chemist in the wine industry.

Rose Society Offices: Secretary 2020 to present.
President 2005/6, 2011/12, 2016-2019.
Vice President 2003/4.
 

Comments: I co-wrote the 1998 RERS Rose Show schedule and have been writing the RERS Show Schedules since I began co-chairing the rose shows in 2000. I am a Rose Horticultural judge and Arrangement judge.

Lesa Lane - Secretary

 Rose Society Membership: Butte Rose Society

Other Societies & Groups: American Rose Society

Years Growing Roses: 21

How I Started with Roses: When I bought my house in 1999, there were about a dozen pitiful roses in the back yard. My new neighbor had grown roses in the Santa Rosa area for 30 years. She coached me on rehabbing my roses as well as planting new ones. I fell in love with rose gardening and collecting. I joined ARS and then found the local societies. From there, I became a CR, Horticulture Judge, Arrangement Judge, and finally a Master Rosarian. Life is good.

Profession: Doctor of Chiropractic.

Other Offices: Society Level: President, Director
District: Secretary, Raffle, Site Coordinator

Comments: Favorite Roses: Gemini (HT), Heart 'o Gold (Grandiflora), Paul Eckes Jr (Shrub), Oriental Charm (Single HT), Bonnie Jean (Single HT), Golden Wings (Shrub), White Wings (Single HT), Klein Eva (Polyantha), Bees Knees (Mini), Memphis Music (Miniflora), Mrs. Oakley Fisher (Single HT), Flamingo (Hybrid Rugosa), Altissimo (Climber)

 Scott Becker - Treasurer

Local Rose Society Membership: Sacramento Rose Society, Sierra Foothills Rose Society

Years Growing Roses: Since 1997

How I Started with Roses: I have been growing roses and involved on and off with the Rose Societies since 1997. Ann Marie and I have approximately 150 roses in our yard with more coming in the near future. We have reconfigured her front yard, to create an entry way with a patio space surrounded by roses, along with ground cover. In the past I have found other hobbies to entertain myself, but I always end up coming back to the roses. I am drawn back by the roses themselves and especially the wonderful people around them.

Profession: Information Technology in the Data Center Industry

Rose Society Offices:
Sacramento Rose Society:
2002 - Secretary
2017 - President
2018-19 - Treasurer

Sierra Foothills Rose Society:
2002 - Secretary
2017 - Treasurer
2019 - Vice President

Jan Burnham - ARS Nominations & Awards

Local Rose Society Membership: Butte Rose Society

Years Growing Roses: 45

How I Started with Roses: I've always loved to garden and my parents grew everything except roses saying they were too difficult. The first house we bought after we were first married had 4 rose bushes in a backyard planter. Each subsequent house had a larger rose garden until our most recent move when I downsized to about 60 roses. In 2008, a new neighbor invited me to a BRS society meeting and the rest is history.

Profession: College administrator in the Finance & Accounting area. Attended CSU Chico where I earned a B.A. in Music and an M.B.A.

Rose Society Offices: Currently Program Director, Past President (2 years), Board Member-at-Large (several years), Consulting Rosarian Coordinator, Chair of Audit Committee, past Rose Festival Chair, past District Conference Chair. Currently ARS Consulting Rosarian and ARS Horticulture Judge .

Sue Bennett - Immediate Past District Director and District Directory Editor/Publisher

Local Rose Society Membership: Sierra Foothills Rose Society, Gold Country Rose Society, Sacramento Rose Society

Other Society’s & Groups: American Rose Society - Youth Chairman; National Garden Clubs - Youth Committee Chairman (May 2019); California Garden Clubs, Inc., Roseville Better Gardens Club and Pioneer Gardens Club.

Years Growing Roses: 11

How I Started with Roses: We had roses when we lived in San Jose, but I never took care of them. In 2001 I retired and rather than planting annuals I decided to plant roses. I was at a garden club district meeting and asked someone how they became a Master Rosarian - she said join a club and thus I did.

Profession: Currently: Full time volunteer

Rose Society Offices: American Rose Society
2008 - present Member
2012 - present Consulting Rosarian NCNH District
2015 By-Laws Committee, member Sierra Foothills Rose Society
2012 - 2013 Board of Director
50th Anniversary Chairman
Hospitality Chairman
2010 - 2011 President; Rose Show Chairman
2008 - 2009 Secretary
2006 - present Member
Gold Country Rose Society
2012 - present Member
Sacramento Rose Society
2016 - 2017 Vice President
2010 - present Member

Rebecca Shaw - Consulting Rosarians Chair and NCNH Website Chair

Local Rose Society Membership: Reno Rose Society, North Bay Rose society

Other Societies & Groups: Ikebana International, San Francisco Chapter

Years Growing Roses: 33

How I Started with Roses: I purchased my first house and purchased roses for the front yard.

Profession: Project Management, Retired Communication Manager, ATT,

Rose Society Offices: Master Rosarian, Newsletter Editor, Web Person, Past President and Vice President 

Judy Frederick - Horticulture Judges Chair

Local Rose Society Membership: Gold Country Rose Society

Other Societies & Groups: Sierra Foothills Rose Society and Butte Rose Society

Years Growing Roses: Since 1987 - 35 years

How I Started with Roses: We enjoyed a weekend at an Amador County Bed And Breakfast Inn, May, 1986, for our first anniversary, and I asked my husband if he could remove some lawn and create a rose bed like the B&B had! We planted seven bare root roses in January, 1987.

Profession: R.N. and then an Elementary School Teacher; Retired

Rose Society Offices: Gold Country Rose Society past offices: Secretary, Vice-President, President and Historian

Comments: Master Rosarian; Rose Nuggets newsletter editor 2016-2022

Lesa Lane - Arrangement Judges Chair

Rose Society Membership: Butte Rose Society

Other Societies & Groups: American Rose Society

Years Growing Roses: 21

How I Started with Roses: When I bought my house in 1999, there were about a dozen pitiful roses in the back yard. My new neighbor had grown roses in the Santa Rosa area for 30 years. She coached me on rehabbing my roses as well as planting new ones. I fell in love with rose gardening and collecting. I joined ARS and then found the local societies. From there, I became a CR, Horticulture Judge, Arrangement Judge, and finally a Master Rosarian. Life is good.

Profession: Doctor of Chiropractic.

Other Offices: Society Level: President, Director
District: Secretary, Raffle, Site Coordinator

Comments: Favorite Roses: Gemini (HT), Heart 'o Gold (Grandiflora), Paul Eckes Jr (Shrub), Oriental Charm (Single HT), Bonnie Jean (Single HT), Golden Wings (Shrub), White Wings (Single HT), Klein Eva (Polyantha), Bees Knees (Mini), Memphis Music (Miniflora), Mrs. Oakley Fisher (Single HT), Flamingo (Hybrid Rugosa), Altissimo (Climber)

Eileen Jackson - Photography Judges Chair

Local Rose Society Membership: North Bay Rose Society

Years Growing Roses: 30

How I Started with Roses: Remembered them from my childhood, I liked to pluck the fragrant petals off the flower to make my own perfume. Never worked but I had the idea. Fast forward 30 years and I decide to grow roses. Planted some in big planters, this was in the 80s when there was plenty of rain. They bloomed beautifully, once, then did nothing. Next year they bloomed again then stopped. Couldn't figure out why they were not blooming more. I happened across the garden of one the society members and asked him how he could have so many roses blooming. He invited me to the next society meeting and the rest is history. Learning the importance of watering was the key.

Profession: Retired R.N.

Rose Society Offices: Past President of North Bay Rose Society,
Past Vice President of North Bay Rose Society,
Currently Treasurer of the North Bay Rose Society,
Rose Show Chair of the North Bay Rose Society
Master Rosarian
Horticultural Judge

Debbie Arrington - District Bulletin Editor - The Criterion

Karen Anne McCann - Roses in Review Coordinator

Local Rose Society Membership: North Bay Rose Society

Years Growing Roses: 65

How I Started with Roses: My grandfather and my mother both loved roses and they enjoyed growing them.

Profession: Professional gardener

Rose Society Offices: President, 1st Vice President, 2nd Vice President.

Comments: I owned and operated my own gardening business. I am presently a Master Rosarian.

Barbara Norkus - Membership Chair

Local Rose Society Membership: Mount Diablo Rose Society, San Francisco Rose Society

Other Societies & Groups: Auburn Garden Club and Diablo Women's Garden Club

Years Growing Roses: 45+

How I Started with Roses: Both grandmothers and mother grew roses.

Profession: Real Estate Broker; MBA.

Rose Society Offices: Past President 2019-2021; President 2016-2018; VP of Programs 2005; 2015; 2016-2018

Additional Comments: My all-time favorite rose is 'Lamarque'; and in 2022 my favorite is 'Rouge Royale'.

Mike Myrick - Programs & Speakers and Local Rose Society Action Committee

Local Rose Society Membership: North Bay Rose Society, San Francisco Rose Society, Peninsula Rose Society

Other Societies & Groups: Portland, Honolulu, Manhattan, and Canadian Rose Societies. Also, Rose Society of the United Kingdom.

Years Growing Roses: 10

How I Started with Roses: Grandmother Martina.

Profession: COO/nurse

Rose Society Offices (current and past) :

President NBRS, Director SFRS
Director NBRS, Advisor Multiple RS
ARS National Chairman Local Rose Society Advisory Comittee, Serve on ARS National Marketing committee

Mike is a Bay Area Native who fell in love with growing roses as a boy alongside his Grandma Martina who was a gifted rosarian. Together they often cut roses before school for the teachers' desks and the chapel. The roses were always of such size and form that they inspired awe in an almost spiritual way for Mike.

He has grown roses for more than 10 years in Contra Costa, San Francisco, Solano and Santa Cruz Counties in California. He has also grown in North Georgia and the borough of Manhattan in NYC.

Dave Coop - NCNH Trophies & Awards Chair

Local Rose Society Membership: Gold Country Rose Society

Other Societies & Groups: Sierra Foothills Rose Society, Sacramento Rose Society

Years Growing Roses: 22

How I Started with Roses: In Spring of 1991 I bought two roses from Payless (now Rite Aid) to plant at my new home in Auburn. Shortly afterward, I noticed the announcement in the Auburn Journal of the Rose Society meeting at the library. While waiting to go into the meeting, I noticed two "little older ladies" carrying refreshments inside and I thought "Oh no..! this could be an all ladies garden club and maybe I'll feel odd". As it turned out, there were many couples there, and I was introduced to many members. There was a rose bush with many beautiful spring blooms. I especially fell in love with the bloom of 'French Lace' exhibited by Kay White (now deceased) and asked her where I could buy one. Of course she recommended Eisley Nursery. At the following month's meeting I joined the society, and the month after that, I joined the American Rose Society. After 22 years I'm still a member of both and finding new roses that I can't resist buying in hopes of finding a newer "favorite rose". So far, my favorite is still the white floribunda, 'French Lace'.

Profession: Retired Navy Data Processing Technician

Rose Society Offices: Gold Country Rose Society Past President.

Comments: Master Rosarian and Horticulture Judge.

Rick Sydor - Parliamentarian

Sue Magill and Lou Evans - Raffle Co-Chairs

Rose Gilardi - Memorial Fund

Ann Marie Harris - Historian

Local Rose Society Membership: Reno Rose Society, Gold Country Rose Society, Sierra Foothills Rose Society

Other Society & Groups: Rose Hybridizers Association, Heritage Rose Foundation, National Garden Club, Sierra Garden Club, Reno Ikenobo Ikebana Study Group, Northern California Chapter of Ikenobo Ikebana North America, and Creative Floral Arrangers of America

Years Growing Roses: 42

How I Started with Roses: In 1983, my father-in-law passed away and I inherited the Harris Family Rose. According to my husband's family history, the rose was carried from England by ship, transported by covered wagon to Nevada in 1861, and has been handed from woman to woman since that time. It is a centifolia of unknown origin, and has lived in various states of attention and neglect for perhaps 140 years. I knew almost nothing about roses when I was visited with this inheritance, but luckily had been a vineyard master and trained in agriculture early in life so the poor rose had a chance. Not knowing about rose care inspired me to find a local society to learn how to care for this treasure.

In my first year with our local rose society, I ended up running the annual rose show. At the show, I learned from Dena Wagner, one of the ARS judges there, that there was something called the American Rose Society and that our society, the Reno Rose Society, was actually a chapter of ARS. She made me pay dues on the spot so the show would be legal. That show and a Northern California-Nevada-Hawaii District meeting in Eureka California were all it took to complete the seduction and eventual planting of over 500 different rose varieties.

Profession: Old enough to have had multiple professions and still practicing some: Exploration Geologist,Technical and computer consultant, Mineral Landman, and most recently Paleoclimatologist

Rose Society Offices: Current Treasurer and Historian for Reno Rose Society. Previous President, Vice-President, Secretary, Newsletter Editor, Show Chair, and Webmistress for Reno Rose Society. Previous NCNH Roses in Review Coordinator. Previously Chair of NCNH Committee on District Name Change, ARS Master Rosarian. ARS Horticultural Judge. ARS Arrangement Judge. Co-chaired NCNH District Conference in Reno, Nevada.

Julie Matlin - Youth Chairman

Jolene Adams - Northwest Regional Director

Local Rose Society Membership: East Bay Rose Society, Mount Diablo Rose Society, San Francisco Rose Society, Butte Rose Society, Redwood Empire Rose Society

Other Societies & Groups: California Garden Clubs, Inc.; Master Gardeners - Alameda County; World Federation of Rose Societies

Years Growing Roses: 60+

How I Started with Roses: Gramma grew roses, Mom grew roses, I learned to love roses and planted them at my first home and have been growing roses ever since.

Profession: I graduated from UC Riverside with a B.A. degree in Management, and a 'minor' in Computer Science. I retired from UC Berkeley in 2000 - I was the Computer Resources Manager for the College of Chemistry.

Rose Society Offices: American Rose Society Past President, and past NCNH District Consulting Rosarian Chair; past NCNH District Director; ARS Master Rosarian; ARS Horticultural Judge; ARS Consulting Rosarian. Have been President of Mount Diablo Rose Society; President, Vice President, Secretary, Editor and Director for East Bay Rose Society; numerous committee chairs in EBRS, GGRS and MDRS; past web-mistress for NCNH, EBRS, WFRS and ARS; past Editor for EBRS, GGRS and NCNH District's Bulletin -The Criterion; Hort Chair - Roses for California Garden Clubs, Inc; Current Publisher for The Criterion and American Rose Society Northwest Regional Director.