The last lecture in our 2023 series will be held on Thursday, May 11, beginning at noon in the Dotsy A. Fitts Auditorium of the public library on Bramlett Boulevard. Our speaker will be Jeff McManus, Director of Landscape Services at the University of Mississippi. Jeff will share his expertise in pruning. The lecture is free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be served, and attendees have the chance to win a door prize.

Jeff and his team have been praised by The New York Times, Forbes, and the Huffington Post for their work in landscaping at Ole Miss as well as Jeff’s book, Growing Weeders into Leaders, that reveals the secret sauce in the recipe for their success. The PGMS, Newsweek, the Princeton Review, and USA Today all designated the Ole Miss Landscape team worthy of national distinction, naming the Ole Miss campus as the nation’s most beautiful. As noted by Dan Cathy, Chairman of Board for Chick-fil-A, “Jeff reminds us that all leaders can be cultivated with the right pruning and nurturing.”

As the Director of Landscape, Airport and Golf Services at the University of Mississippi by day, a member of the National Speakers Association by night, Jeff has worked with hundreds of leaders and organizations to find the hidden leader within themselves and others. His easy to-follow Leadership programs motivate participants to lead by example, problem solve and to engage in continuous learning and growing.

Jeff graduated from Auburn University in Horticulture, he is a Professional Certified Grounds Manager, and a Certified Arborist. Jeff knows that great leaders grow great leaders, and as a professional speaker and a member of the National Speaker Association, his message focuses on enriching, entertaining, and inspiring industry leaders looking to grow their team’s performance.