Steven Brown is the Chair of the Department of Environmental Horticulture & Floristry at City College of San Francisco, and for 18 years he has been an instructor there. He has worked in all phases of the floral industry for 26 years and also operates a freelance design and consulting business. Since 1981 he has been an active member of the American Institute of Floral Designers (AIFD). He has a degree in Horticulture and Floral Design from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and holds a California Lifetime Teaching Credential.

A life member of the San Francisco Conservatory of Flowers, Mr. Brown also holds honorary membership in the San Francisco Garden Club - the first male honorary member since John McLaren, designer of Golden Gate Park. Mr. Brown has co-authored "Green and Blooming Plants" by Teleflora and writes monthly columns for Florist Review Magazine and Floral Retailing.

He has achieved many honors and awards during his career. Recent honors include President, Northwest Region AIFD (1994-1995); recipient of the Clark Herman Silver Orchid Award (1988); Program Chair, AIFD National Symposium (1999); Stage presentation at Bouquets to Art (2001); as well as many exhibits and demonstrations for Ikebana International.

Quinton Adams was born into a military family and spent most of his youth living in Europe. After graduating university in 1987 with a degree in electrical engineering, he traveled and worked as an engineering consultant. He moved to San Francisco in 1996 and since 1998 has been the network engineer for the City of Cupertino.

Mr. Adams' first experience of ikebana was in 2001 at an ikebana flower show at the Cupertino Community Center. He enjoyed watching the show being assembled and the students and teachers preparing their arrangements. He was fascinated and soon contacted Michiko Hosoda, an instructor in the Aratame School, and enrolled in her classes. A serious student of the art, Mr. Adams takes classes regularly, exhibits for Ikebana International, and will give his first on-stage demonstration in December featuring holiday ikebana arrangements.