James McConnell, Ph.D., earned his bachelor's degree from Pennsylvania State University and his master's and doctorate degrees from the University of Hawaii. Ornamental horticulture is his specialty, particularly the cultivation of orchids. Current projects include: Propagation of native trees and shrubs, and production of heliconias in Guam and Hawaii.

In addition to horticultural research, Jim has worked on projects and grants involved with the development the of distance education courses, educational/resource CD's (such as the PEOPLE project and the Plants of Guam), computerized databases and the production of digital videos. He has worked on developing the methodologies for digitizing images for Print on Demand publications and videos for over 10 years.