SCALe Spotlight: Roger Conner

Teaching Through Trees

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For seventeen years, Roger Conner has been the quiet force behind Duke’s thriving urban forest; he spends his time nurturing 17,000 trees, mentoring students and turning Duke University’s campus into a living classroom. 

Roger serves as Superintendent of Tree Management for Duke’s Landscape Services unit of Facilities Management. As a long-time member and the past President of the Professional Grounds Management Society, he brings national leadership to his local impact on Duke University’s campus.

Roger is a certified arborist and oversees a team who cares for and maintains Duke’s trees across more than 550 acres. Together, he and his team actively engage with Duke students, staff and faculty on hands-on projects that promote applied learning and campus sustainability.

Nurturing Nature and the Next Generation 

One of Roger’s most recent collaborations exemplifies his commitment to experiential teaching. In partnership with Duke staff, community partners, and a team of Physician Assistant (PA) students led by student Lindsey Zipperer, Roger was instrumental in helping the students design and install a wellness garden near the Duke Physician Assistant building. Funded initially by a SCALe Mini Grant, the student-centric project transformed a soggy, underutilized outdoor space into a vibrant, welcoming landscape that fosters community, wellness and biodiversity. Roger supported the students throughout the project in many ways including attending planning meetings, digging holes for new trees and laying mulch made from recycled campus landscaping debris.

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Physician Assistant student and project leader Lindsey Zipperer expressed, “Roger showed up for every weekend and evening workday leading up to our big planting event. He taught us how to properly spread mulch and explained the ‘why’ behind landscaping choices. A big thing he taught me was being confident in my decisions and learning from mistakes. He provided a safe space for me to make mistakes which I feel like people don't do enough. His mentorship gave me confidence, and his passion for sharing knowledge made the whole experience unforgettable.”

Upon the students' request, Roger helped them select and plant cherry trees as a staple of the wellness garden located a few miles from main campus, creating a symbolic connection between the Physician Assistant Program and Duke’s West Campus where these iconic trees are dotted across the grounds. “I genuinely don’t think this project could have happened without Roger and I thank him for it,” Lindsey stated. “Roger shared his time, expertise and even the tools – wheelbarrows, hoses, shovels and more – to get the project ‘off the ground.’” 

Legacy of Impact 

Roger’s mentorship extends far beyond one project. Over the years, he has guided undergraduate, graduate and professional students through class projects, master’s theses, and doctoral research. One standout collaboration was with Renata Poulton Kamakura, a Ph.D. student from the Nicholas School of the Environment. Together, Roger and Renata devised a tree renaming system to improve Duke’s tree inventory and maintenance records, ensuring each tree’s history is preserved and its care optimized. 

The tree renaming system built off of past tree inventory work led by Duke alumni Katie Rose Levin and Jason Elliott, both graduates from the Nicholas School of the Environment who worked closely with Roger during their master’s studies. Roger’s mentorship was pivotal in their careers as Jason recently celebrated his 11th year working for Duke’s Office of Climate and Sustainability and Katie Rose went on to work for Duke as a Natural Resource Manager before growing her career further as a tree specialist. 

Roger has also worked with undergraduate students in a course entitled Theory and Application of Sustainability (ENV 245) to assess how Duke’s more than 17,000 trees contribute to broader sustainability impacts. Students in the class researched the trees’ role in carbon sequestration and stormwater mitigation, helping quantify the environmental value of Duke’s urban forest and informing future campus planning. 

Duke’s Tree Campus Advocate

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Taking into account student observations and recommendations, Roger also serves as Duke’s Tree Campus advocate, organizing tree planting events on campus each year and teaching the Duke community how to plant and care for trees to ensure their long-term survival. In 2025, Duke was recognized for the 17th consecutive year as an affiliate of the Arbor Day Foundation’s Tree Campus Higher Education program, a testament to Roger’s leadership and the university’s ongoing commitment to urban forestry and sustainability. Roger is a steadfast advocate for Duke's campus trees and works to ensure that Duke continues to be known as the "University in the forest."

A Tree-mendous Partner

Roger Conner has spent much of his career cultivating Duke’s canopy—tree by tree, student by student. Whether it’s planting a new tree, designing green spaces, or mentoring the next generation of environmental leaders, Roger's collaborative nature and enthusiasm for new projects make him an invaluable partner on campus. He looks forward to continuing tree planting events and engaging more students in hands-on learning experiences for years to come.

Learn More About Roger and Campus Trees

• Caring for Duke’s Canopy | Visual Stories at Duke University
• Sustainable Management of Duke's Campus Trees | YouTube
• Surveying Duke's Valuable Trees | Duke Today
• Duke’s Record-Setting Trees | Duke Today
• Managing the Trees at Duke University | YouTube
• The Tree Doctors | Duke Today
• Duke in Pics: Enriching Duke’s Canopy | Duke Today
• Duke’s Oldest Trees: Witnesses to a Century of History | Duke Today
• How Duke Gives New Life to Fallen Trees | Duke Today

This article is part of the SCALe Spotlight series hosted by the Office of Climate and Sustainability. The Sustainability and Climate Applied Learning (SCALe) Spotlight stories celebrate Duke students, staff, faculty and community partners who demonstrate a commitment to sustainability and climate education through applied teaching, learning and action.

Nominate someone today to shine the SCALe Spotlight on them!