CFAES Teaching and Advising Award Winners

Mitch Ploskonka

Mitch Ploskonka is an assistant professor at The Ohio State University’s Agricultural Technical Institute (ATI) in Wooster, Ohio, where he teaches English and coordinates the English Bridge Program. He received his PhD from Michigan State University in 2021 and began teaching at ATI in 2022. His research focuses on Southern literature, disability studies, and popular culture studies.

Mitch grew up in a small tobacco-farming town in central Kentucky, an experience that shaped his commitment to student-centered, inclusive pedagogy. His teaching emphasizes critical thinking, practical applications of writing, and the intersections of literature, culture, and lived experience. Beginning in 2023, he developed and led an English Bridge Program designed to help students move out of developmental English and into first-year writing. He is passionate about helping students find their voice in academic and professional settings.  

Laura Deeter

After spending 23 years as a faculty member at CFAES Wooster, Laura Deeter is now a professor in Horticulture and Crop Science, and the Sandy and Andy Ross Endowed Director of the Chadwick Arboretum and Learning Gardens. With a Bachelor of Science degree and PhD in agriculture from Ohio State, she has dedicated her career to undergraduate horticulture education and research.  

Laura teaches a variety of horticulture courses, from landscape design to sustainable landscaping. Her exceptional teaching has earned her multiple accolades, including the ATI Distinguished Teaching Award three times, the Ohio State Alumni Award for Distinguished Teaching, the Perennial Plant Association Teaching Award, the American Horticulture Society Teaching Award, the National Association of College Teachers of Agriculture Educator Award, a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Ohio Landscape Association and Professor of the Year from Instructure. 

Beyond the classroom, Laura is deeply engaged in public outreach, offering expertise on plant identification and garden care. She is also a passionate advocate for horticultural education on social media, connecting with communities and sharing her knowledge. In her spare time, she enjoys board games, painting game miniatures, and 3D printing. 

Jeffery Suchy

Jeff Suchy earned his Bachelor of Science degree in 1998 and spent the next 11 years working in commercial construction project management. In 2009, he returned to Ohio State, where he began his dream teaching career and completed his master’s degree. Jeff teaches courses in both Agricultural Systems Management and Construction Systems Management. With his extensive industry experience, academic background, and passion for the construction and agriculture industries, he brings practical knowledge and expertise to the classroom, preparing students for successful careers in these fields. In addition to his teaching assignments, Jeff is the faculty advisor for the CSM Club, coaches student competition teams, serves as the internship coordinator for CSM and has been a STEP mentor. He is passionate about teaching and is energized by student success. 

Wendy Klooster

Wendy Klooster is an associate professor of professional practice in the Department of Horticulture and Crop Science. She teaches several courses, including plant parenting, plant propagation, introductory and advanced horticulture, and ecology of agriculture. She also advises approximately 70 students in the Sustainable Plant Systems Horticulture and Agroecology specializations and sustainable agriculture major and is the HCS honors advisor. In addition, she serves as the mentor for the Pi Alpha Xi Horticulture Honorary Society.

In service to the department, she is chair of the Academic Affairs Committee, represents HCS on the college’s Global Education Advisory Committee, and is a member of the university-level Citizenship for a Diverse and Just World GE Theme Advisory Group. Her professional interests include forest ecology, food systems, and scholarship of teaching and learning.