American Institute of Floral Designers

Mary Linda currently works as a freelance designer/consultant and has been in the industry since 1975. She has been a member of the American Institute of Floral Designers (AIFD) since 1989 and a member of Professional Floral Communicators International (PFCI) since 1999. Currently she is serving as a Director-at-Large on the AIFD National Board. She has served as Chairperson of the Student Membership Committee for AIFD National and is the AIFD industry advisor to the Anderson Chapter of SAIFD at Ohio State University. She is a past president of the North Central Chapter of AIFD and has served on the Scholarship Committee. In Ohio, Mary Linda works on several committees for the Ohio Florists Association,including the Ohio Certified Florist program and the OFA Professional Floral Design Competition. She also teaches floral design at the Delaware Cultural Arts Center in Delaware, Ohio. And is one of the Leaders/Mentors for “Designing for Excellence” workshop held on the Texas A & M Univ. campus.

For the last ten years Mary Linda has studied Ikebana and holds the title of Kakyo, Assistant Professor of Ikebana, 3rd Grade in Ikenobo Floral Art. Among other awards and accomplishments she has won Designer of the Year with Ohio Florist Assoc., Central Ohio Designer of the Year, Michigan Designer of the Year, the Teleflora Flowers & magazine contest, served on the AFS Education Services Team for five years and has been a featured designer in Professional Floral Design (PFD) magazine and Flora magazine. She was one of the designers for the 2008 BloomNet Bridal Guide and the 2008 Prom Book for John Henry Company. January 2005 found Mary Linda working with SAF (Society of American Florists) on the Presidential Inauguration. In July 2004 she placed second in the Holland Cup Floral Design Competition and presented a main stage program in New York for the National Symposium of AIFD.

She has presented programs and workshops across the country for the industry, garden clubs and the public.

“I believe education is the key to success and happiness in any industry, especially our quickly evolving one.”