Meet our 2025 Bee School Speakers
Ana Heck is Michigan State University’s Apiculture Extension Educator. Her role engages beekeepers, growers, pesticide applicators, and home gardeners to improve pollinator health. Ana holds a master’s degree in public policy and a graduate minor in entomology from the University of Minnesota.
Bill Berendsen is currently enrolled in the Certified Master Beekeeper Program at the University of Montana. Instructors Dr. Jerry Bromenshenk and Dr. Scott Debnam. Michigan Beekeepers Association District 4 Representative, which has a total of five Bee Clubs. Completed Beekeeping 102, and 103 at Kalamazoo Valley Community College. Lead instructor Charlotte Hubbard. Completed NewBee University School of Beekeeping. Matthew Doucette, president and founder.
Brian Walters, current KBC president, has been a beekeeper for five years. His journey into beekeeping started years ago when common milkweed voluntarily started to grow in his terrace garden. He encouraged it to prosper and loved the monarch butterflies that visited. It also attracted other native pollinators and honeybees. Things grew from there as things do and now he’s a caretaker of Mason, Leafcutter, Bumblebee, Carpenter, Polyester Bees and Sweat Bees. Brian runs four hives on his urban farm and two at the Kalamazoo Nature Center. He also is Kalamazoo Valley Community College Beekeeping Extension Program Co-Instructor.
Charlotte Hubbard, a beekeeper since 2008, manages about a dozen colonies. She and her late husband Marshall routinely ran 30 – 50 with excellent overwintering success. Michigan’s 2018 Beekeeper of the Year, Charlotte is the lead instructor for KVCC’s beekeeping program, a board member for the Kalamazoo Bee Club, and author of numerous articles and books on beekeeping, including a chapter in “Honey Bee Medicine,” a veterinary textbook. All profits from her writing and charity go to feeding the homeless in Southwest Michigan. (Learn more at www.hubbardhive.com.) She is passionate about helping beekeepers enjoy and unravel some of the mysteries of this fascinating, critical insect.
Chet Gilbert is the owner of Apis Enterprises in Indiana where he manages around 1200 hives. He is a graduate of Trine University with an MSL focusing in Environmental and Sustainable Management. His passion for beekeeping started as a hobby during his time in the Army. Upon retiring, this endeavor grew and he has been a full-time professional beekeeper for almost 10 years. His passion for bees and desire to share his knowledge of beekeeping has allowed him to teach and work with many different species of bees around the world.
Don Lam has been keeping bees for nearly 35 years. He provides pollination services and produces honey, frequently hosts field trips to his apiaries. Don teaches local, state and regional classes and gives presentations to the community. Learn more at www.donlambees.com.
Haley Terpstra owns Herbal Meadows Botanicals LLC; a women-owned enterprise registered with the city of Kalamazoo. As an avid gardener, forager, herbalist and beekeeper, she loves sharing her goods with her customers. Her focus is on all natural products infused with wildcrafted and organic herbs. Many of her products include plants that she has harvested right here in West Michigan. She is also a local beekeeper and supporting member of the Kalamazoo Bee Club. Beeswax is the only wax used at Herbal Meadows Botanicals. Sharing the journey of natural care is a passion of Haley’s and she invites you to join in the process. Catch her on social media including Facebook, Instagram & YouTube @HerbalMeadowsBotanicals and on her website at www.HerbalMeadowsBotanicals.
Jan Lawson started beekeeping in the late 1960s when he was 14 years old. He really didn’t know what he was doing, so learned by trial and error, which was much easier back then. There were very few bee clubs and he didn’t have a mentor, so when he got himself into serious trouble Roger Hoopingarner was just a phone call away. These days Jan is searching for the magic number of bee hives. That number where beekeeping is fun, especially on those hot summer days. Jan can occasionally be found at the Dadant’s Bee Store where he “works” part time. If he’s not there, he’s in the garden or in the bee yard.
Mike Connor is a Certified Arborist, Nursery Grower, and a Beekeeper. He has a wide diversity of experiences in the horticultural world, including managing a beekeeping supply company; operating a wholesale/retail nursery, working as a Commercial Beekeeper, followed by jobs as a Municipal Horticulturist, Park Superintendent, and Municipal Arborist.
His company, Honeytree Arborist Services (bees + trees), is dedicated to tree health care while preserving and promoting pollinators.
Mike Sautter has been a beekeeper for 25+ years. As an active sideline beekeeper with over 100 colonies, Michael’s knowledge has been acquired by doing hands-on work with the bees, including swarm collecting and removals, research, networking and attending numerous local & regional seminars.
Several years ago after attending a Larry Connors queen rearing course in Detroit, he began rearing quality queens and nucs. Recently he earned his Kentucky Queen Breeders Certificate. In the last 10 years he has obtained breeder queens from various locations throughout the United States.
Michael is passionate about helping others in their quest for sustainable beekeeping, by providing support, encouragement and education, as well as being a source for quality locally bred queens and nucs.
Rich Wieske was a lifelong camera operator and media production company owner. He considered himself a quiet introvert who hated meetings. That all changed when he discovered mead and apis mellifera. Now Rich declares “the bees made me do it!” A self-proclaimed “tree hugger”, he enjoys hunting for mushrooms and has even traveled around the world on a ship. In his spare time, Rich enjoys making candles and chocolate truffles. Rich serves as the current president of the Michigan Beekeepers Association (MBA) , the Educational Director of the Southeastern Michigan Beekeepers Association (SEMBA) and the Vice President of the Eastern Apicultural Society (EAS). He loves going to conferences and talking with beekeepers: “some of the greatest people in the world!” And yes, Rich has visited all 36 bee clubs in the state of Michigan!
Richard Wahl has 15 years experience learning beekeeping the hard way starting in 2010 with no mentor or club association and a swarm catch. He has been a self-sustainable beekeeper since 2018. Richard writes monthly articles for “Bee Culture” magazine, gives presentations at local clubs and conferences and teaches beginning honey bee husbandry and hive management as part of the Southeast Michigan Beekeepers Association (SEMBA) Bee School staff. He is currently a member of the 7 Ponds Beekeeping Club, SEMBA, and the MBA.