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About the Program
Northern Michigan University’s Controlled Environment Agriculture program provides students with an interdisciplinary education engaging them in multiple aspects of the controlled environment agriculture industries and preparing them for a wide range of career opportunities within those industries.
The Controlled Environment Agriculture Program offers the following degree paths:

Controlled Environment Agriculture Advisory Council
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Timothy H. Adams, CPA; Principal, Tax Department Cannabis Niche LeaderTim joined Maner Costerisan in 1999 after they merged with his former firm, Henderson, Miller & Robbins, P.C. He currently serves as a principal at Maner Costerisan, as a member of the firm’s board of directors and is the leader of the firm’s cannabis industry niche. Tim was formerly head of the firm’s tax department. |
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Micheal EliasMichael is the co-founder and CEO of Common Citizen (CC). Common Citizen is the largest vertically integrated cannabis company in the state of Michigan with up to 1.2 million square feet of cultivation, two processing labs and up to nine retail locations all across the state of Michigan. With over 45 licenses, CC is the largest prequalified license holder in the state. |
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Loganne Glendening, Assistant Professor, CHEAs a professor of NMU’s Hospitality Management program since 2014, she has a true understanding for the needed improvement of global agriculture production. As an adopted “Yooper”, Loganne believes Marquette is an outstanding location for this one of a kind program based on climate and industry diversity. She indicates she is excited to support the knowledge and skills NMU’s Indoor Agriculture program will bring NMU students, community and local industry. |
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Dr. JoubertDr. Joubert received her BS in Kinesiology from Cal State in 1994 and MS in Exercise Science from NMU in 1998. While working in the fitness industry as a strength and conditioning specialist, personal trainer, and swim coach she realized her passion for proper nutrition. She earned her PhD in Nutrition and Food Management from Oregon State University in 2007. Prior to her hire at NMU in 2013, she worked as a registered dietitian and a corporate wellness director. She is currently an associate professor of nutrition at NMU and a board certified sports dietitian and her research interests span from cardiovascular wellness, fitness, and eating behavior. |
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Ms. Molly Kreykes, Senior Project Manager at Green Peak InnovationsMolly received her B.S. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in Agronomy with a minor in Environmental Studies before completing her M.S. in Crop and Soil Sciences at Michigan State University. She studied forage crop production for her master’s thesis, with her research centered around yield, quality and soil dynamics of birdsfoot trefoil – tall fescue pasture mixtures. With a passion for innovative and sustainable agriculture, Molly then moved to San Francisco to work for an AgTech startup, Plenty, where she was first introduced to Indoor Agriculture. She started as a Senior Grower, overseeing the vertical hydroponic leafy green grow operation, before transitioning to the operations Production Manager. Wanting to live closer to her family while still staying in Indoor Ag, Molly moved back to her home state of Michigan in 2019 to work for a vertically integrated licensed cannabis company, Green Peak Innovations (GPI). At GPI, Molly started on the Research & Development team learning how to manufacture high quality cannabis products in a precisely controlled environment. She now serves as the Senior Project Manager, overseeing numerous key projects for GPI. |
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Douglas MainsDouglas Mains is a partner with Honigman LLP, where he specializes in government relations and regulatory law, with a particular emphasis on providing clients with advice regarding public policy, legislation, and administrative and election law issues. Mr. Mains previously served as a Senior Policy Advisor and Deputy Legal Counsel to two Speakers of the Michigan House of Representatives, and regularly advises members of the Michigan Legislature and legislative staffers on policy-related issues. Having helped draft the Medical Marihuana Facilities Licensing Act and the Michigan Regulation and Taxation of Marihuana Act, Mr. Mains is also recognized as being at the forefront of Michigan’s evolving cannabis and hemp laws, and is frequently asked to speak on legislative and legal developments in those industries. |
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Lesley PutmanLesley Putman received her B.S. in Chemistry from Wheaton College in 1982 and her Ph.D. in Biochemistry from Purdue University in 1987. After doing post-doctoral research at Michigan Technological University, she began her first teaching position at Earlham College in Indiana. Desiring to return to the North, she accepted a position at NMU as an Assistant professor in the Department of Chemistry in 1993 and now holds the rank of Professor. She teaches Biochemistry and was part of the team that started the Medicinal Plant Chemistry Program in Fall of 2017. She is a plant biochemist and does research in phytoremediation, using plants to clean up contaminants in the soil. |
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Chris StanderfordChris Standerford is the Director of the Central Upper Peninsula MiSTEM Network and Director of the Seaborg Mathematics and Science Center at Northern Michigan University. He has 23 years’ experience in education, including K-12, outside of school time, and higher education. Current professional interests include interdisciplinary learning, place- and problem-based learning, equity, career exploration, and workforce development. |
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Molly StanekMolly began her career in agriculture as the Associate Director of Horticulture for Sweet Water Organics, a revolutionary aquaponic farm in an old abandoned industrial building in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. As Associate Director, Molly led the the design and expansion of Sweet Water to seven aquaponic greenhouses producing leafy greens and vine crops on a 6.5 acre site. She left to co-found Imagine Aquaponics, a firm that designed commercial-scale, sustainable waste-to-resource food production systems and provided internationally attended trainings and consultation to both educational and nonprofit entities as well as interested individuals of high net worth. During this time, Molly fed her love for good food by enjoying a role as a founding member of three farm-to-table restaurants. After nearly seven years as an AgTech entrepreneur, Molly joined Plenty, a vertical farming in the Bay Area where she served as General Manager of the company's farm, delivering three iterations of system designs, SQF food safety certification, and ultimately the first ever product launch to consumers. Her career next led her to Sensei where she founded the future farms division for Sensei Ag, a wellness driven agriculture program founded by Larry Ellison and Dr. David Agus to nourish the world's population through data driven, sustainably rooted, technology enabled food production systems. Over the past two years, Molly has overseen the buildout of Sense & 39;s 5-acre Tesla solar powered hydroponic greenhouse farm on the island of Lānai, tripled the size of the division across both technology and operations teams, and worked to further plant science research into development of nutrient rich produce. When Molly is not creating innovative food systems to increase the quality, sustainability, or accessibility of food, you are likely to find her crafting fine porcelain ceramics or behind the camera capturing her latest outdoor adventures. A proud Wisconsinite, Molly pursued her BFA in Ceramics as well as a secondary program in Environmental Biology at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. |
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Jared Toogood
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