Meet Columbia's America In Bloom Judges

Julie Riley

Julie Riley is horticulturist with the University of Alaska Cooperative Extension Service. She has worked with home gardeners and the horticulture industry in Anchorage for the past 24 years. During her career she has served on numerous committees relating to municipal/public horticulture including the Anchorage Chamber of Commerce Beautification Committee, the Anchorage City of Flowers Committee and the Anchorage Horticulture Coalition. Ms. Riley was appointed by the Mayor to serve on the Citizen’s Advisory Group for Delaney Park. This past year she worked with Anchorage’s newest residents, Hmong refugees who grew vegetables on city park land.

Julie has judged backyard gardens, neighborhood beautification contests and interior plantscape competitions. The Anchorage City of Flower contest resulted in thousands of residents vying for a chance to win a lease on a new car. The winner of “Gone Fishing: Reds, Pinks, and Silvers” won a trip to Provence, France for her interpretation of that year’s salmon fishing theme. Ms. Riley also judges regularly at the Alaska State Fair and is in charge of her national association’s regional communications contest.

As Extension horticulture agent Ms. Riley appears on television programs, radio shows and in the newspaper. She writes fact sheets and newsletter articles and recently collaborated with the Municipality of Anchorage Watershed Management Division on the development of a rain garden manual which will help to reduce runoff pollution.

Julie has won awards for her writing and horticulture programs. She was recognized by her national association for work with the Anchorage Horticulture Coalition, a group which rallied to keep funding for the city’s horticulture department.

Ms. Riley currently serves on the Alaska Botanical Garden’s Education Committee. She teaches non-credit classes on a variety of topics including flowers, turf, landscaping, Integrated Pest Management and soils. Prior to moving to Alaska she worked as horticulturist with Milwaukee's Shoots ’n’ Roots Urban Garden Program and assisted inner city residents to grow vegetables on vacant city lots.

Ms. Riley is an accomplished garden photographer. Her photographs have appeared in national and international magazines including Gardens Illustrated, Horticulture, Good Fruit Grower and Alaska. She likes to travel and volunteers in the Alaska Botanical Garden herb garden.

Matthew S. Rosen

Matt is the retired Horticulture Manager of the City of Des Moines, Iowa. In this capacity, he was, for 27 years, responsible for all of the public horticulture in the City including a park system that has 67 parks, two golf courses, five cemeteries, multi-field soccer, softball and baseball complexes and an exceptional community gardening program. Matt has been instrumental in forming partnerships with neighborhood associations throughout the City for the purpose of ameliorating the harshness of the urban streetscape through the establishment of floral plantings. These programs earned Des Moines the prestigious Howland Award at the 2005 annual meeting of the National League of Cities. An active community volunteer Matt has held leadership positions and/or served on the Boards of many organizations including the American Public Garden Association, Metropolitan Sister Cities Commission, East Des Moines Chamber of Commerce, United Way of Central Iowa and Greater Des Moines Partnership. Matt has judged for multiple years in America in Bloom, Communities in Bloom and the Awards for Livable Communities.

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