Dr. Romina Gazis is a distinguished plant pathologist specializing in the study of fungal diseases affecting orchids and other plants. With a strong academic background and years of research experience, Dr. Gazis focuses on the molecular interactions between pathogens and host plants, aiming to develop sustainable management strategies for orchid health. Her work has been instrumental in understanding the dynamics of orchid diseases, including the identification and characterization of harmful fungi. Dr. Gazis has published numerous articles in scientific journals and is a sought-after speaker in the field of plant pathology. Her passion for orchid conservation and plant health makes her a valuable voice in advancing both scientific knowledge and practical solutions for orchid growers worldwide.

Dr. William Grant Morton is a dedicated botanist and conservationist with a profound passion for nature. He holds a Ph.D. in Botany with a specialization in Ecology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and has devoted his career to the study and preservation of rare and endangered orchids. Before joining The Jewish Leadership Academy in Miami, where he now continues his conservation efforts, Dr. Morton made significant contributions to advancing orchid conservation techniques at the Atlanta Botanical Garden’s Micropropagation and Conservation Seed Bank Laboratories. He will share insights on these techniques and discuss his current conservation endeavors.

Tomas Bajza is an orchid lover and addict. Originally from the Czech Republic, his love of orchids began at an early age. After moving to Florida, he was bitten by a “huge” miniature orchid bug — and in the past years he was fortunate enough to collect hundreds of micro and miniature orchid species, many of them pretty rare. He is a very stubborn grower and does not like the word "impossible". What used to be a “hobby” slowly grew to a small business that is expanding as he found out there are hundreds of growers searching for these hard to find, unusual, uncommon and rare micro and miniature orchids. His talk will cover the trials and tribulations of growing miniature orchids and cold growing species in a hot environment.