Zsolt Felenyi

Zsolt received his bachelor’s degree in Horticulture from Europe. He studied Career Technical Education at CSU San Bernardino with a focus on the adult learner. During his 25-year career, he managed private estates and parks as well government properties. He served as the Horticulturist at the then newly completed Gardens of the World, a non-profit community park in Thousand Oaks, California for eight years before taking on a position as an estate manager at a prestigious Bel Air private residence. He turned his attention towards teaching in 2013, when he was hired as the landscape maintenance instructor for a government-training program. During this tenure, he and his students have worked with several universities and non-profits to beautify landscapes around San Bernardino. Some of his better-known projects are the landscaping of The Garcia Center for the Arts in San Bernardino, MacKay Park at Lake Arrowhead, and the Israel Beal Park in Redlands. Through his instruction, he stresses the importance of water conservation. As a COD Horticulture Department Adjunct Instructor and a QWEL educator, in cooperation with local water agencies - CBWCD and SBVWCD - he also teaches practicing landscapers about the significance of efficient water use and best management practices in the irrigation field. His holistic approach integrates soil-water relationship and proper plant selection as well as the utilization of smart irrigation technologies to achieve water sustainability.