Member Spotlight: William McKinley, AIFD, of Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas! William (Bill) McKinley, AIFD, is the Director of the Benz School of Floral Design at Texas A&M University, but his journey into floral design started by accident. His received his undergraduate degree in greenhouse production, which he was ready to make his career. However, during senior year Bill had to take one floral design class to complete his curriculum and it changed his entire plan. He enrolled in graduate school for floral design at Texas A&M where he worked closely with then Director of the Benz School, Jim Johnson, who became a mentor, friend and colleague. After getting his master’s degree, Bill worked for the Floralife company, owned and operated his own flower shop, and taught design at Kishwaukee Community College for 23 years. Upon Jim’s retirement, Bill returned to Texas A&M to takeover as Director/Endowed Chair of Benz. Bill’s favorite part of his job is watching the growth of design skills in his students and seeing that “light bulb” moment when they understand the design concepts they are practicing. 💡 -His favorite: Thing about being an SAF member: The resources that SAF has available, which he uses to augment and update his class curriculums. -Way to unwind: Gardening to keep in touch with plants and get his hands dirty, woodworking to see the beauty in the wood’s grain while making something useful, sitting on his porch to read a good book 📖, and traveling with his wife to see the beauty and uniqueness of botanic and public gardens around the country. Tune in to this week’s SAF NOW newsletter to read more of Bill’s story!