Meet the Instructors

Christine is a dog-mom, wife, daughter, sister, auntie, and friend. She is a Skilled Trades BC-certified Production Horticulturalist. She holds a diploma in Horticulture with a specialization in sustainable crop production from Kwantlen Polytechnic University. This is where she developed an interest in leveraging technology for sustainable and alternative greenhouse production. In the greenhouse, Christine specializes in Integrated Pest Management (IPM), food production, and native and ornamental plant propagation and production. Christine and her husband have owned and operated a landscape company since 2018, specializing in naturalistic landscape restoration.

Christine holds a Provincial Instructor’s Diploma and has been teaching in the Horticulture Department at VIU since 2018. Currently, she is the chair of the Horticulture Department and is pursuing a Master of Education in Educational Leadership. In recognition of her collaborative and experiential work, Christine is a proud recipient of the 2023 VIU Early Career Excellence in Teaching Design and Practice. One of Christine’s favourite parts of teaching is watching students grow alongside the plants they cultivate.

When she’s not teaching, Christine enjoys exploring the stunning naturescapes of Vancouver Island, spending her free time trail running with her dog, gardening, and rock climbing.

Christine Quist Profile Image

As the Instructional Assistant, Hugo brings a unique blend of practical skills and a lifelong love of learning to the VIU Horticulture program.  

His studies in Landscape Horticulture in Montreal over a decade ago, combined with his travels and exploration of diverse environments, cultivated a deep appreciation for the natural world and honed his skills in plant care and garden design.  

With a diverse career spanning various facets of horticulture, Hugo has cultivated a 'jack-of-all-trades' mentality, always eager to learn and adapt. He possesses a strong work ethic, a creative problem-solving approach, and a passion for sharing his knowledge with others.  

Beyond his professional work, Hugo enjoys the warmth of the sun in the summer, savoring delicious food, and exploring the latest advancements in technology and science fiction.  

Janis comes to VIU with over 35 years in the horticultural industry.  She has had her own successful residential landscape design and installation company for over 30 years. 

Her love of nature, design, plants and the environment have been key to her success in horticulture.

Janis has a diploma in Landscape design and horticulture, is a Certified Red Seal Horticulturist, a certified arborist, a certified floral designer and a certified hardscape installer.

And for the last 13 years, after successfully achieving her provincial instructor’s diploma, she has been teaching horticulture classes and programs at VIU, KPU Langley, Burnaby community education and Van Dusen gardens. 

She has also enjoyed public speaking and horticultural presentations in many different venues, from the master gardener programs – both Vancouver and Vancouver Island, to garden clubs and home shows.

She is looking forward to showing and sharing with others her enthusiasm, knowledge and guidance into the world of horticulture.

Kelsey's love of nature, the outdoors, and gardening has propelled her along her educational and professional paths. She holds a Bachelor's in Environmental Biology, a Diploma in Environmental Science, a Master's in Landscape Architecture, and a certificate in Organic Horticulture.

She has over 15 years experience working locally in landscape architecture, park planning, and garden design and maintenance. She has also dabbled in flower-farming, selling her cut-flowers to florists and at farmers markets in the Nanaimo area. 

She currently teaches in VIU's Horticulture Technician Foundation Program and runs a gardening business that offers consulting, coaching, design, and maintenance services. Her focus is on creating gardens that grow food, flowers, and nature - and teaching others to do the same. When she's not at work, she spends time with her two boys (and array of pets)!

Eugene joins us as a Certified Red Seal Landscape Horticulturist and an Organic Master Gardener. He has been the owner/operator of an environmentally friendly landscaping company in Nanaimo for the past 12 years. He started teaching in the Horticulture program in August of 2020.

He brings us a wealth of knowledge as he grew up in the industry. His father managed a large production nursery, and his mother had a small nursery business growing annuals and creating hanging baskets.

Eugene is excited to share his passion for plants with students. He wants to as instill a good work ethic and encourage transformation and growth within the industry. Eugene is happily married with two daughters, has a passion to grow his own food and is a long-time member of the Search & Rescue Team.

Jessica is on leave from leading the horticulture department to act as the Trades and Applied Technology Curriculum, Teaching and Learning Specialist. Jessica collaborates with the Centre for Innovation and Excellence in Learning at Vancouver Island University (VIU) to support faculty in enhancing their teaching practice. Jessica continues to work with the VIU horticulture instructional team to support instructor professional development and curriculum design.

As a teacher and instructional designer, Jessica aims to design empowering learning environments to provide learners with real-life problem-solving opportunities. In 2020, Jessica was awarded a VIU Provost Award for Teaching Design and Practice that Employs Experiential Learning. The Provost Awards recognise faculty at Vancouver Island University (VIU) for excellence in teaching.

Jessica brings a diverse knowledge of trades and applied technology industries and consulting and facilitation experience to her role at VIU. Her work experience includes the Vineland Research and Innovation Centre in Ontario, the Butchart Gardens in Victoria, landscape planning in the West Indies, exhibit design at the Metro Toronto Zoo, urban habitat enhancement and natural system restoration. In addition, Jessica led Gemella Design Inc. (2005 - 2021), an award-winning landscape consulting practice on Vancouver Island. Her practice cultivated healthy living by designing restorative, vibrant, and beautiful landscapes across several spatial scales – from home gardens to public parks and open space systems.

Jessica is a registered professional landscape architect (BCSLA #286, under the BC Architects Act) and an International Society of Arborist (ISA) Certified Arborist. She graduated from the University of Guelph’s Bachelor of Landscape Architecture honour program. More recently, Jessica completed the Provincial Instructor Diploma (PIDP). Jessica is pursuing a Master of Arts in Learning and Technology at Royal Roads University.

Jessica's Provost Teaching Award Nomination Package