Meet the Faculty
Tommy Wingreen M.Sc., Professor / Co-coordinator
Tommy Wingreen has spent his entire life in the green industry. He grew up on a traditional farm in rural Denmark and completed his apprenticeship in Greenhouse Production before graduating with a Master Degree in Horticultural Science from the Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University, Copenhagen, Denmark.
His specialties are greenhouse production and floriculture and he gained further experience while working in Malaysia, Japan and California, USA, before coming to Canada. After arriving in Canada, he worked for the National Capital Commission for seven years in a supporting role for various landscape projects and developed maintenance procedures for their urban tree planting and parks. Here, he developed an extensive knowledge of urban tree health problems including pest and disease management.
Tommy began teaching the greenhouse courses at Algonquin in 2007 until the program was revised in 2012. As the new coordinator he headed the implementation of the new program with help from new and existing faculty. He is continuously looking for new ways and projects which will improve the students’ learning experience, while still ensuring a solid foundation in plant knowledge and sciences.
Steve Neumann, Professor / Co-coordinator
Steve graduated from the Algonquin College Horticulture Technician Program in 1997.
He operated his own small landscape business for 6 years which included landscape design, construction, maintenance, automatic irrigation systems, landscape lighting and snow removal. He has been employed by one of Ottawa’s premiere landscape companies, Abloom Landscape Contractors Ltd., for the last 12 years and started teaching part-time at Algonquin in 1999. He helped develop the current Horticultural Industries program and became a full-time professor at the onset of the new program in 2012.
Steve specializes in Landscape Construction and Maintenance, with a fondness for Water Features and Landscape Lighting, as well as dabbling in Design. He stays current with new materials and technology by remaining active in the Landscape Industry.
He is a member of the Board of Governors for the local Ottawa Chapter of Landscape Ontario.
Jason Vodden, Professor and Technician
Jason Vodden, an alumnus of Algonquin College, is considered to be a passionate Naturalist and Biologist, with a keen interest in Horticulture and Entomology.
Jason began his career at Algonquin in 2018 where he was tasked with multiple roles. As a Professor Jason lectures for a virality of plant science biased and Urban Agriculture courses. As a Technician Jason manages the Horticulture Programs greenhouse, labs and four acres of garden space.
Jason’s educational accreditation’s include: a Bachelor of Science, with Honours in Biology from Trent University, as well as a Biotechnology Technologist Diploma from Seneca College, and a Diploma in Horticulture from Algonquin College.