Charlie Barboni
Charlie Barboni is the Fair Manager at the Marin County Fair in San Rafael, California. He has been involved in the Fair & Festival Industry for over 45 years, including 17 years as a director of the Sonoma-Marin Fair in Petaluma. He began his association with the Marin County Fair as a volunteer in 1972.
As the Fair Manager he coordinates and supervises the Competitive Exhibit Department. During his tenure the total number of entries has increased from 5,000 to over 15,000. He also develops the special events, agriculture, community stage and volunteer programs for the award-winning Fair.
He assists in the development of the marketing collateral and sponsorship platforms and confers, advises and represents the Fair in maintaining community relations both on the local, state and national level.
Charlie currently also does Exhibit Design and Installation, develops Marketing and Media Campaigns, and Special Events Programs for numerous other Fairs and Festivals in Northern California including the Napa Town & County Fair, Cloverdale Citrus Fair, and Mendocino County Fair and Apple Show. He has assisted at 17 fairs over the years.
During his tenure at the Sonoma-Marin fair in Petaluma, he started the Northern California Floral Designer Championships. The show was considered at the time to be best county fair floral design competition in Northern California. One year alone over 350 arrangements were submitted.
He was the floral designer for the Napa Valley Mustard Festival for seventeen years and currently is the floral designer for the art galleries at the Marin Center in San Rafael. He is known for using unusual combinations of material in his designs. Charlie has developed over 1,000 different floral design themes during his career for the fair industry. In 2008 he created the floral designs for an Eckhart Tolle Event which was held at the Marin Center. The event was simulcast to 63 countries.
Throughout the past twenty years he has prepared over 1,400 entries, for five different fairs, for submission in the Western Fairs Association Achievement Awards Program. Many of the programs he has developed and collaborated on have won industry awards.
He has also been the recipient of the Western Fairs Association Blue Ribbon Award, is a lifetime member of WFA and was inducted into their Hall of Fame this year.
Thanh will present on Friday evening at OFAD
Program Title-“Ikebana International”
Thanh Nguyen is president of Ikebana International San Francisco Chapter, one of the largest chapters outside of Japan. She also served as President of the chapter from 2012-2014. Thanh holds Gakkukan Degree in Wafu School of Ikebana and Somu Degree in Sogetsu School of Ikebana. She teaches at City College of San Francisco, Fremont Union School and Palo Alto Union School Districts. She also teaches private classes at her studio in Menlo Park, one of which is dedicated to children.
Born in Vietnam to a family of artists, she was introduced to ikebana at an early age but began formal studies in the USA almost thirty years ago. After receiving her teaching diplomas and advanced degrees from both schools, she continues studying both styles of Ikebana.
Prior to her Ikebana teaching career, Thanh worked at high tech companies for over twenty-five years in managerial positions. She took an early retirement and pursued her passion in Ikebana.
In 2014 Thanh spent the summer in Tokyo studying at the prestigious Mami Flower Design School. She also initiated: ”Ikebana for Youth” in local schools leading workshops for middle school students.
Thanh’s Ikebana designs have been displayed in many exhibitions, flower shows and museums. She exhibits annually at Bouquets to Art at the de Young Museum. She is on the flower committee for the San Francisco Fine Art Museums and the Asian Art Museum.
Thanh has exhibited internationally in Paris, Vietnam, Manila, Japan and at Ikebana events in many states. She has also lectured and demonstrated for many groups and organizations.
Thanh has many other hobbies and interests including gardening, the symphony, opera, movies, painting and the Chinese harp.
Gina Jogan, Yes, I Wood! Saturday, August 18, 2018
Instructor: Design, Flower Show Procedure for NGC’s Flower Show Schools; Instructor, NGC Symposia, Design and Allied topics; National Garden Clubs, Accredited-Master Flower Show Judge; Gardening Consultant; Landscape Design Critic (Master); NGC Flower Show Schools Committee; Chairman, Student Schedules/Corrections; Instructor, Floral Design Study Schools; Treasurer of FFGC (2009-present); Member, Presenter, Creative Floral Arrangers of America; Member, OFAD (Organization of Floral Art Designers); Founding member, Friends of the Gardens of NW FL; Treasurer, Registrar, Short Course North; Florida Flower Show Judges District I Council President.
Life Memberships and honors: National Garden Clubs, Inc., Life Member; Deep South Region, Life Member; Patron (Scholarship) Florida Federation of Garden Clubs, Inc., Life Member; Blanche Capel Covington Leadership Award (FFGC#1); Hall of Fame; Pillar of Pride (2 times); Patron; Guardian of Gardening; Calendar Girl (FFGC); Floral Designer’s Award Winner (FFGC#80) .
Former FFGC District I Director; Former FFGC chairman Flower Shows; Evaluations and Calendar; Past Director, Pensacola Flower Show Judges’ Council; Gardener of the Year (Pensacola Federation of Garden Clubs, Inc.; Roster Of Honor (PFGC) awarded by Redbud Garden Club; Deep South Region Board of Directors Floral Design Chairman (2003-2013); Chairman of “Florida’s Fun With Flowers” program (2007-2013); Creator, Chairman of the Annual Emerald Coast Flower and Garden Festival (17yrs); Chairman 2008 FFGC State Convention/Deep South Region Convention; Chairman 2009, 2011 and 2013 Deep South Region Advanced Std. Petite Flower Show; Co-Chairman 2012 State Flower Show at FFGC State Convention, Jacksonville. Presenter, facilitator, speaker at workshops, programs, events…too numerous to list! Gina’s designs have been published in articles, magazines, calendars, and on-line.
Gina is a Graduate of Florida State University- B.S. in Elementary Education and Mathematics; Hobbies include: reading, travel, needlework, quilting, and the grandbabies! Married 46 years to Stephen, a career Naval Officer, now deceased, with two grown children, five grandchildren, one great-grandson!
“Designing from Aisle 4-Supermarket Sourcing”
Bill Taylor AIFD
Is a California Native-Born in Marin County, he grew up in the City of Sonoma. Bill owned a retail florist in Sonoma for 16 years. He is a past President of the American Institute of Floral Designers and the AIFD Northwest Region. He has taught design classes at City College of San Francisco, Santa Rosa Junior College, College of San Mateo and in 46 states and numerous foreign countries. Bill lived and worked in the floral industry in Washington DC, Atlanta, Alabama, and now Cleveland for the past 20 years. He moved to Ohio to work for an import company in product development. Bill retired in 2018 by ending a long term stint with a decor company in China so he could do a presentation for Dolores Moffat at OFAD this August.
Leftover Magic with Steven Brown, Sahshah Middleton, Lily Chan and Nancy Huseby
Steven Brown
B.S., California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
Lifetime Teaching Credential State of California at UC Berkeley
Additional Coursework City College of San Francisco and UC Berkeley Extension
Member Emeritus-American Institute of Floral Designers AIFD California Certified Florist-CCF Certified Floral Designer-CFD
Master Florists Association-MFA
Founding Co-President OFAD-Organization of Floral Art Designers
Steven has taught Horticulture and Floristry at CCSF for the past 29 years. He currently serving as the faculty elected Chair for the Environmental Horticulture/Floristry Department and Co Chair of Facilities This spring he became the longest serving Chair of Horticulture in the history of the department.
Steven’s goal is to facilitate the best learning environment possible in Horticulture and Floral Design.
Steven represents City College in/at many related groups and organizations including: the American Institute of Floral Designers, California State Florists Association (Board Member), Master Florists Association (Board Member), Ikebana International (Lifetime member), the San Francisco Conservatory Advisory Board, Specialty Cut Flowers Growers Association, Teleflora’s Northern California/Nevada Unit (Board Member), and is an Honorary member of the San Francisco Garden Club and San Francisco Gardener Apprenticeship Advisory. He is a founding co-president of the Organization of Floral Art Designers, a Board Member of Master Florists Association. Steven is a Certified Floral Designer (CFD) and a California Certified Florist.
Steven also represents the Department with the California Horticultural Society (Lifetime Member) and the San Francisco Professional Gardeners Association, San Francisco Orchid Society and many others.
At City College Steven participates in the Academic Senate, the DCC, DCC Advisory, Foundation Faculty Rep. and on the Facilities, Scholarship Committee and others.
He is involved with San Francisco’s DPW, PUC, Rec and Parks and other Neighborhood Organizations/City and State agencies.
He has been published in the Florist Review: “Care and Handling of Cut Flowers” and Super Floral Retail: “Cut Flower of the Month” and “Blooming Plant of the Month”. Steven is co-author of Teleflora’s: “Green and Blooming Plants”.
His extracurricular activities include Tennis, Bonsai, Gardening, Knitting, Genealogy and Floral and Horticultural Events. He is a Past President and Unique-Lifetime member of the Gay and Lesbian Tennis Federation and Founding past-president of the San Francisco Tennis Coalition.