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Shelley Ryan

Master Gardener Shelley Ryan is the producer/host of WPT's The Wisconsin Gardener. The series, which premiered in 1992 and airs statewide, provides gardeners and homeowners with tips and practical information on gardening and landscape-related topics specific to Wisconsin. Ryan is responsible for the creation, content and on-air presentation of the series.

Each year at WPT's Garden Expo event, she presents seminars related to The Wisconsin Gardener series and is a popular attraction at the WPT booth, where she meets with the public.

Before the inception of The Wisconsin Gardener, Ryan worked as a publicity manager at WPT. Throughout her career, she has served as the on-air voice in promotional spots for WPT and Wisconsin Public Radio, as well as commercial television and radio stations. She has worked for the Department of Natural Resources, the Sierra Club-John Muir Chapter, Wisconsin Trails Magazine, and at several gardens, greenhouses and nurseries in the Madison area pursuing her love of plants.

The Wisconsin Gardener series has earned two Central Educational Network (CEN) Awards for Best Informational Program. Among numerous other recognitions, Ryan holds an Award of Merit from Seed Savers Exchange Internationan, an ADDY Award for sports promotion, two national PBS Advertising and Promotion Awards, a DNR Certificate of Appreciation for outstanding work in a radio advertising campaign, a University of Wisconsin-Extension Communications Skills Management Award and a first-place prize for outdoor photography from the Dane County Como Photo Contest.