The Department of Horticultural Science is pleased to announce Dr. Cari Schmitz Carley, Senior Breeder and Team Lead at Aardevo North America, LLC, as the recipient of the 2025 Department of Horticultural Science Alumni Award! Dr. Schmitz Carley has made outstanding contributions to the field of plant breeding, specifically her work in the potato industry.
Born and raised in northern Wisconsin, Dr. Schmitz Carley’s interest in potato genetics grew from experiences on her grandparents’ fingerling seed potato farm. She earned a BS in biology from the University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point, MS in Applied Plant Science from the University of Minnesota, and Ph.D. from University of Wisconsin – Madison.
Dr. Schmitz Carley’s work at Aardevo is helping lead advancements in potato genetics, particularly in the transition of potato from clonally propagated autotetraploid crop to diploid, hybrid crop multiplied by botanical seed. Since 2019, Dr. Schmitz Carley has been building a breeding program and assembling a team of skilled scientists to pioneer the transition of potato from vegetative to sexual propagation.
As an active member in the Potato Association of America, Dr. Schmitz Carley contributes her expertise to various potato breeding projects. She serves as the secretary-elect of the US potato breeders’ technical meeting and as an industry advisory member to diploid potato breeding projects in the public sector.
Celebrate Dr. Schmitz Carley’s achievements and hear from her directly at the 2025 Kermit Olson Memorial Lecture, where she will present a seminar titled “Potato from TPS: Starting Over with Less.” The event will be held on April 23, 2025, in 405 Alderman Hall at the University of Minnesota. The Department of Horticultural Science invites you to congratulate Dr. Schmitz Carley on this well-deserved honor, and we look forward to seeing you at the annual Kermit Olson Memorial lecture!
Interested in submitting a nomination for 2026? Learn more about eligibility and criteria.