America in Bloom judges come from a cross-section of backgrounds: horticultural, arborial, civic, business sector, and more. They receive special training each year. Our judges also spend time coaching cities and consulting with them on improvements they can make. They continue to be available after judging for further mentoring.

After visiting a town, judges write a detailed evaluation highlighting strengths and listing areas for possible improvements. Many communities have stated that they have received greater value from their AIB evaluations than from expensive consulting reports.

AIB judges also often speak at industry conferences. The commitment of our judges is phenomenal. We estimate the judges’donation of time during the past year to be at least 6,000 hours.

Judging teams for 2010 will be announced in mid-March 2010.

	Evelyn Alemanni is a self-employed writer, web site designer, award winning gardener and artist. She has judged for the America in Bloom program since 2003 and also serves as an international judge for the Canadian Communities in Bloom program and for the international LivCom Awards; experiences which Evelyn says has given her the opportunity to share wonderful ideas and inspirations with communities in many countries, and to build networks of people committed to improving their hometowns. She has judged more than 60 towns in five countries. In 2001, Good Morning America named Evelyn’s garden one of the five best in the U.S. San Diego Home/Garden Lifestyles has twice named it one of its gardens of the year. Garden Ideas and Outdoor Living featured it on its cover. It has also been in Garden Shed, Better Homes and Gardens, Gardens, Decks and Landscapes and many other garden-related magazines.
	Darlene Blake is a life-long gardener, community activist, internationally recognized public speaker, and world traveler. She is past President of The Des Moines Garden Club and a Master Gardener. When not communing with nature, she is a career transition consultant with over 20 years professional speaking experience and has served on many boards and commissions. Darlene is the Managing Consultant in Des Moines, for Drake, Beam, Morin, Inc., the world's leader in career transition services. Darlene has a Master's Degree in Education from Mankato State University and leads her own diversified corporation. She holds a US Patent and is in Who's Who of American Women, Who's Who in America, and Who's Who in the World.
	Diane Clasen has been a judge for America in Bloom since its inception in 2002. In addition to America in Bloom, Diane has judged in Canada’s Communities in Bloom and WinterLights Celebrations. She has also judged in Communities in Bloom’s International Challenge in Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom. As a Master Gardener Diane is an avid volunteer. Her backyard has been on numerous garden tours and was selected as one of the top ten amateur gardens in Cincinnati by the Cincinnati Horticultural Society. Her yard has also been recognized by the Ohio and National “Backyards for Wildlife” programs; scouted by editors from Better Homes & Gardens magazine; filmed for HGTV’s Do-It-Yourself (DIY) Network; and was the subject of an article featured in the October 2007 issue of Cincinnati Magazine. She founded the Mason Tree Committee and served as its Chairman for six years. Diane is a long term member of the Greater Cincinnati Herb Society and served as its Vice President and President.
	Jack Clasen has been with America in Bloom (AIB) since its inception and has judged cities, universities, and business districts throughout the United States and international communities in Canada, Ireland, and Scotland. Jack chairs the Contest Committee, the Judges Selection and Training Committee, and serves on America in Bloom’s Board of Directors. As a Master Gardener Jack is an avid volunteer. He co-founded Mason in Bloom, which participated in AIB in 2004 and 2005. Jack was a member of the Mason Tree Committee, vice president of the Mason Library Board of Trustees, supervised the period landscape restoration at the Mason Historic Society, and chaired the annual “Art in the Garden” Tour. Jack’s own garden has been on numerous garden tours, was selected by the Cincinnati Horticultural Society as one of the ten best amateur gardens in Cincinnati, filmed for Home and Garden TV’s Do-It-Yourself (DIY) Network, scouted by editors of Better Homes and Gardens Magazine, and featured in the October 2007, issue of Cincinnati Magazine.
	Bill Hahn has served the city of Akron, Ohio for 34 years in various capacities. Since 1993 his title has been City Arborist and Horticulturist. Bill has received several citations for his work including Akron’s winning the 2003 America in Bloom national competition for the 101,000-300,000 population category, Neptune Park Historic Restoration, and the Akron Noise Attenuation Project being featured by Scenic America as an “Environmental Solution” to highway noise. Bill has been a registered Landscape Architect since 1984, and earned an Associates Degree in Ornamental Horticulture from Ohio State University in 1974. He is an environmental enthusiast, is well traveled, visiting many of the national, state and provincial parks, gardens, arboreta and nursery growers. He is member of ONLA, ISA, and Scenic America, serves on the Contest Committee of America in Bloom
	Donna Harrison has been extensively involved in AIB's sister program in Canada, Communities in Bloom. She has judged over 40 Canadian municipalities,advised smaller communities who wished to participate and needed expertise on “how to get started,” and assisted in implementing recommendations provided through Community in Blooms evaluations. Donna's has worked for the City of St. Catharines for over 30 years. And has been involved with the Ontario Parks Association, Canadian Golf Course Superintendent’s Association, Ontario Recreation Facilities Association, and the Ontario Cemeteries Association.
	Dwight Lund was born and raised in a family greenhouse business that started as a wholesale florist. Dwight attended the University of Illinois earning a BS degree in Floriculture. Over the next 40 years he held positions as grower, manager, partner and eventually president of the company. During the years the wholesale florist business evolved to a retail greenhouse, flower shop and garden center. In addition Dwight spent 20 years in education teaching Horticulture classes at Kishwaukee Community College and DuPage Area Vocational Education Authority. Dwight was a judge for America in Bloom in 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007, and with Communities in Bloom (Canada) International Small City Category in 2008.
	Mark A. Miller is the Director of Content for Learn2Grow (www.learn2grow.com), a gardening website. He completed a B.S. in Horticulture, an M.S. in Agricultural Education, and a Ph.D. in Environment & Natural Resources at The Ohio State University. Mark has enjoyed a long and varied work history throughout the US and abroad in private and public horticulture, landscape design, education, cooperative extension, non-profit organizations, research, academia and now the web. A particular area of interest for him is education, healing and transformation through gardening. Mark’s dissertation was a meta-synthesis of children’s gardening research and further exploration of education through experiences in natural settings. Mark has served on the education panel for the American Horticultural Society for many years, is a lifetime member of the North American Association of Environmental Education, and is a member of the Garden Writers Association. Recent consulting involved evaluation of a public project with adult/youth partnership teams collaboratively installing living sculptures through Cornell Cooperative Extension.
	Marlborough B. Packard is a Professor of Historic Preservation at the Savannah College of Art and Design; he began teaching at the college in 1992. Professor Packard holds a B.A. degree in art education from Adelphi University, an M.A. in art education from Hofstra University and an M.F.A in historic preservation from the Savannah College of Art and Design. He has been active in the preservation of the built and natural environment since 1963, both as a consultant and as a developer of historic properties. His expertise includes graveyard preservation and conservation, decorative arts, preservation technology, nonprofit management, material culture studies, community redevelopment and he is a practicing artist specializing in painting and relief sculpture. A committed environmentalist, Professor Packard lives in The State of Maine for three months each year in a home he designed and built which functions without electricity, minimal gray water discharge, and features a solar assisted composting toilet. The surrounding landscape is 100 percent xeriscaped and produces thirty to forty quarts of wild blue berries each year.
	Dr. Leonard Perry has served as an Extension Horticulture Specialist at the University of Vermont for 29 years. In this role, Dr. Perry provides information and programming to the industry of Vermont, region, and North America. His prior training includes an undergraduate degree in landscape design from Auburn University, and both M.S. and PhD. Degrees from Cornell University. Home gardeners in Vermont and surrounding areas know him from his frequent television appearances on the regional Across the Fence program, periodic radio interviews, and from his regular news articles. As a Professor, Dr. Perry has an active research program on all aspects of perennial production and overwintering. Students know him from his courses at UVM on Garden Plants and Indoor Flowers, with the Herbaceous Garden Plants course also available totally online to anyone. Currently he is revising the book Fruits and Berries for the Home Garden for Storey Publishing. Dr. Perry has become known across North America for his internet web site-- Perry's Perennial Pages -- at which he features information, links, news articles, research and more on herbaceous perennials. Look him up through this site name on Google or other search engines, or at perrysperennials.com.
	Bruce Riggs currently free-lances in horticulture and is involved in several not for profit institutions. He is also very involved in the family landscape design business with his wife Melanie Menachem Riggs who is also an AIB judge. He recently held the position of Curator of Science at the Bruce Museum (no relation!) of Arts & Science in Greenwich, CT. During his 18 years at the New York Botanical Garden, Bruce was very involved with the Horticulture and Education Divisions. He administered the creation and implementation of the internationally recognized interpretation program for the NYBG. He has recently been very involved in elementary school science and horticulture programs. He has worked on projects for the American Association of Museums and the Institute of Museum Studies. He has been very involved with Mountain Top Arboretum in Tannersville, NY, serving as President since 1998. Bruce is an avid traveler having visited numerous gardens and natural areas.
	Melanie Riggs began her career as a horticulturist for the Wildcliff Museum Greenhouses where she worked as the greenhouse Exhibitions Director for many years. Melanie graduated from the University of Vermont with a degree in Plant Science and Botany. She subsequently has studied Landscape Design and has graduate coursework in Botany. Her passion for plants and gardens compliments her passion for travel. Melanie has traveled extensively throughout Europe, South and Central America, Southeast Asia, North Africa and North America.
	Darrell Trout is a horticulturist, writer, speaker and photographer. His writing has appeared in the American Gardener, American Horticulturist, Country Living Gardener, Organic Gardening, Working Mother, Rock Garden Quarterly, The Gloxinian and many specialty journals. After a career in business (he has an MBA in marketing) he trained and worked at the New York Botanical Garden in the TH Everett Rock Garden and in the propagation greenhouses in the tropical, orchid, and desert collections. He is a New York Certified Nursery Professional. He was coordinator of gardening courses in the education department at the NY Botanical Garden. He was a judge for America in Bloom in previous years and is active in many horticultural organizations including the Long Island Horticultural Society (past president) and the Daphne Society (founding vice president). He created and is the chairman of the Long Island Gold Medal Plant Award committee. He was a national director of the Garden Writers Association. He was president of the Greater New York Chapter of the American Gloxinia and Gesneriad Society, a national director, finance chairman & life member of AGGS. He was given an Award of Appreciation by AGGS in 1995. He is a member of NY Hortus and Metro Hort.
	Diana Weiner is a horticulture consultant and lecturer. For 16 years she served as the Community Horticulture Educator and Master Gardener Coordinator through Cornell University for Cornell Cooperative Extension of Orange County, NY. Currently she coordinates the volunteer program for and lives at Meadowbrook Farm, the historic estate of philanthropist J. Liddon Pennock , in Abington Township, Pennsylvania. Diana is a Certified Nursery Professional, has judged for the Dutchess County Fair, Sullivan Renaissance, and other national contests. She is a member of the Garden Writers Association of America, The International Plant Propagators Society, the Perennial Plant Association, and the American Horticultural Society. She currently sits on the board of Briar Bush Nature Center and the Meadowbrook Bird Sanctuary. She enjoys writing, cooking, antiques and shade gardening and lectures to groups around the country. She has a degree in Agronomy from the State University of New York at Cobleskill.