Dr. Kathryn Fontenot “Kiki” is a Professor at the LSU AgCenter. For 15 years she worked closely with vegetable farmers, hobby producers, and home gardeners across the state. Her research efforts focused on vegetable variety selection, fertilizer and herbicide trials as well as hemp and blueberry cultivar trials. She is the past president of the Louisiana State Horticulture Society, the secretary of the Louisiana Fruit and Vegetable Growers’ Association and an executive board member of the Southern Region Small Fruit Consortium. Fontenot authored the book titled “The Louisiana Urban Gardener: A Beginner's Guide to Growing Vegetables and Herbs.” In 2022, Fontenot began testing cut flower cultivars alongside vegetable trials. In January 2024, she was appointed as the Southwest Region Director for the LSU AgCenter and continues testing cut flowers in field settings.