Gardening passion grows into career opportunity for new Extension state specialist

Gardening passion grows into career opportunity for new Extension state specialist

Monday, September 29, 2025

Media Contact: Trisha Gedon | Sr. Communications Specialist | 405-744-3625 | [email protected]

What started as an opportunity in her teens to spend more time with her dad turned into a career for Courtney DeKalb-Myers.

"My dad and I started gardening together on a project in our backyard," she said. "It continued to grow and expand, and during that time together, I learned that I enjoyed horticulture. I didn't realize it was a career option until I started college at OSU, and then I was hooked and ready to go."

DeKalb-Myers started her Oklahoma State University Extension career as the horticulture educator in Cleveland County before moving into her new role as an assistant Extension consumer horticulture specialist in the OSU Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture.

She earned her bachelor's degree in horticulture business at OSU, and her time as a student opened the door to research. This motivated her to further her education with a master's degree in horticulture science at North Carolina State University. She is currently working on a doctorate in crop science, and her research centers on many gardeners' favorite plant - tomatoes. The research is geared toward increasing production during the hot Oklahoma summers.

"It's interesting because tomatoes are a warm-season crop, but they aren't heat-tolerant," she said. "I'm looking at the fun, internal mechanisms of the tomato plant and finding out how to increase production during the heat of the summer. I hope to be able to answer gardeners' age-old question of why their tomato plants aren't producing anymore."

DeKalb-Myers said her seven years of experience at the county level will be of great benefit to her in her new role on the state level.

"I know how county offices operate, and that gives me insight into what kind of support they need to enhance the good things going on locally," she said. "Every county doesn't have a horticulture educator, and I'm excited to fill that gap, especially in rural areas, when they need it."

Starting a statewide horticulture resource center/call center tops the list of her long-term goals as a state specialist, which will be another benefit for counties without a horticulture educator.

DeKalb-Myers said she loves gardening and maintaining a relationship with the environment.

"There's a lot of satisfaction when setting out to do something in nature and it works," she said. "My new job will challenge me to figure out the most effective way to impact the state. Horticulture is a gateway into Extension, and I'm ready to make a difference."