About

Meet Jeff McManus

Jeff McManus doesn’t just grow landscapes—he grows leaders. As the Executive Director of Grounds and Landscape at The University of Texas, he grows plants…. he grows people…. and he grows cultures that thrive.

With decades of experience, Jeff is most known for regularly turning his teams, affectionately known as “weeders,” and cultivating them into “leaders.” This has reaped acres of rewards in the form of national recognition by the USA Today, Princeton Review, Newsweek and the New York Times. His bestselling book, Growing Weeders into Leaders, reveals how he turned an unmotivated, disorganized team into a nationally recognized powerhouse, earning coverage from Forbes, The New York Times, Huffington Post, and PGMS.

A dynamic speaker and member of the National Speakers Association, Jeff has inspired top companies, universities, and leadership teams with his high-impact programs on teamwork, leadership, and building world-class training programs. Dan Cathy, Chairman of the Board for Chick-fil-A, put it best: “Jeff reminds us that all leaders can be cultivated with the right pruning and nurturing.”

In 2025 Jeff assumed his current position at the University of Texas —where the only thing tougher than the weeds is deciding between brisket or tacos for lunch.

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Jeff is always an inspiration! I love listening to his different stories of moments of growth. They are so relatable the way he shares. I can always take tidbits back to my team on how to be a better leader, no matter how many times I hear him. He continually shares new things that help me in my leadership journey.

Pam Swain

President/CEO, Oxford Lafayette Chamber of Commerce

Tune in to Jeff’s Latest Podcast Interview…

Jeff is a frequent guest on podcasts where he talks about his experience leading teams with impact. Take a listen!

See More Podcasts

Tune in to Jeff’s Latest Podcast Interview…

Jeff is a frequent guest on podcasts where he talks about his experience leading teams with impact. Take a listen!

See More Podcasts

What Others Have to Say

Jeff McManus has received praise from clients across the country for his impactful keynotes and webinars.

Rosa Berreles-Acosta
Director of Dual Credit and High School Partnership, Texas Bioscience Institute at Temple College

We were honored to have Jeff McManus speak to our seniors during our Silver Cording ceremony. Jeff delivered an inspiring and meaningful message that truly resonated with our students as they prepare for the next chapter of their lives. Our students, staff, and families greatly appreciated his time, encouragement, and heartfelt message. We are incredibly grateful for the positive impact he made on our students.
Ande McBay
Customer Experience Manager, Natura

Jeff McManus delivered an outstanding lunch and learn for our entire Natura team, blending deep leadership expertise with a genuine, personal approach that truly resonated. His ability to connect real-world experience with actionable insights left a lasting impression across the organization. The engagement and feedback from our team have been overwhelmingly positive, with requests for follow up learning opportunities from several of our leaders. We’re incredibly grateful for his time and the impact he made.
City of Paso Robles, CA
Parks & Trails Crew Training Day

Jeff McManus delivered a powerful and purposeful message that helped our team reconnect with the importance of our work and the influence we have on our community. He challenged us to clearly define our “why,” aligned around shared values, and see our roles in public service through a more meaningful lens. The message was received with openness, positivity, and a strong team mindset, leaving us encouraged and motivated. Even within a one-hour session, Jeff was intentional, direct, and highly relevant to our parks and public service team. Many of us wished we had more time with him because his leadership insights sparked a desire to keep learning and growing. It was an absolute honor to have Jeff as our guest speaker, and I would welcome the opportunity to bring him back for future staff development—he is truly an inspiration.
Jennifer McLendon
Education Manager, Sports Field Management Association

Jeff McManus was an outstanding speaker at SFMA’s conference, bringing energy, insight, and real-world perspective to his session. Beyond the state, he was an engaged and approachable conference attendee who generously shared his time and expertise with others. We truly appreciate his contributions, which elevated the experience for everyone involved.
Brian Dossett
Education Committee Member, Southeast Sports Field Management Conference & Trade Show

Jeff McManus delivered an exceptional keynote at the 2025 Southeast Sports Field Management Conference & Trade Show. When selecting a keynote speaker, we often struggle between choosing a motivational/professional development expert or someone with deep sports-turf experience—but with Jeff, we didn’t have to choose. He brought both. Jeff connects effortlessly with every level of an organization, making learning practical, engaging, and immediately applicable. His message inspired our audience to grow, collaborate, and elevate their impact. Jeff is the consummate professional, easy to coordinate with, and extremely positive. Many in the audience agreed Jeff was the “best speaker we have had”. If you’re looking for a keynote speaker who will truly make a difference at your event, invite Jeff—you won’t regret it.
Vince Jagodzinski
Stanley Black and Decker Outdoor,
Grounds and Field-Testing Manager

Working with Jeff at the PGMS Transform Conference was an energizing and insightful experience. His passion and dedication for leadership development in green industry professionals brought a dynamic energy to the session. Jeff’s ability to connect with attendees and deliver actionable strategies made a lasting impact. Collaborating with him definitely elevated the conference atmosphere and inspired meaningful growth.
Wally Davis & Emily Cagle
System Vice President/Payor Strategy and Partnerships,
& Health Link Manager
North Mississippi Health Services/Health Link

We would highly recommend Jeff for any event where you need a leadership or motivational speaker. His direct, hands-on experience providing leadership to multiple teams over the years is evident through his presentation. He gives direct and practical tips for leaders to apply to their own teams. Our attendees LOVED Jeff’s presentation!
Greg Howard
Administrative Director, River Bend Cemetery Company

Working with Jeff McManus for our 2025 New England Cemetery Association Annual Meeting and Conference was crucial for making the event a success. Throughout the process, Jeff and Terri maintained the highest standard of professionalism, and Jeff’s presentation was engaging and chock full of incredibly valuable information that was relevant to each and every person in attendance. Jeff also took extra time to have several individual conversations with some of our attendees, offering additional insights and advice. Overall, we could not be more pleased with our decision to work with Jeff.
Michael Goatley, Jr.
Professor and Extension Turfgrass Specialist, School of Plant and Environmental Science, Virginia Tech

Jeff McManus delivers a meaningful message on leadership development that is suitable for any audience, regardless of education levels or socio-economic background. He is an extremely talented communicator – period. While his background is in the green industry, his message on how to build teams and develop synergy within groups will resonate at both supervisor and supervisee levels within any organization. Building upon his experience leading award-winning landscape management crews, Jeff’s humor and ability to detail real-world experiences in leadership development provides an inspiring and motivational presentation.
Kevin McHale
Principle, McHale Landscape Design, Inc.

Jeff McManus presents relevant information in an entertaining and thoughtful way. He prepares well and takes time to research the company he is speaking to. He connected with our people and delivered the message we wanted in a very insightful presentation. His message transcends the landscape industry and would be a benefit to any organization in any industry.
Debbie King
Executive Director, South Haven Chamber of Commerce

Jeff McManus is an investment worth making. He can speak to every level of a company with ease. Jeff makes learning fun and allows his audience to engage in discussion and shares real life experiences. The hands-on life application of Jeff’s presentations challenges the audience to desire to do more, to be better, to buy in to the company they work for. I highly recommend Jeff as an instructor or presenter. I have had the privilege of experiencing both class room learning and a presentation in front of 300 business leaders in Southaven. He never disappoints! Thanks for all you do to assist companies and grow future leaders!
Pam Swain
President/CEO, Oxford Lafayette Chamber of Commerce

Jeff is always an inspiration! I love listening to his different stories of moments of growth. They are so relatable the way he shares. I can always take tidbits back to my team on how to be a better leader, no matter how many times I hear him. He continually shares new things that help me in my leadership journey.
Will McCroskery
Landscape Operations Manager, Lombardo Landscaping & Water Features, Inc.

I would like to start off by saying, thank you. I have gained much from your lectures at the FNGLA Landscape Show over the last 3 years, and more recently your webinars, and I do what I can to carry that gained knowledge with me and use it to the betterment of myself and others that I work with. One of the items that I just presented at our biannual safety meeting to help facilitate the team “buy in” to the safety program, is the idea of using the small magnets as rewards when one of our team is observed using proper safety practice, and other various actions. This idea was met with resounding appreciation and given immediate approval. So thank you for that!
Brandon Thomas
Vice President, Operations/Relationship Manager Russell Landscape

Jeff McManus delivered an inspiring message during our Russell Landscape Annual Meeting, blending humor, personal stories, and actionable insights. His message on leadership, growth, and cultivating excellence resonated with our team, offering practical personal and professional development strategies. Highly recommended for anyone to boost their leadership skills and mindset.
Brad Parker
President, Fiddlers Green Landscaping, Inc.

Jeff’s ability to connect with his audience and interact with them is exceptional. He knows the questions to ask to make people think and ask themselves further questions which in turn strengthens their leadership journey and skills.
Beth Hansen
Chief Executive Officer, Mississippi Association of Realtors

Jeff has spoken to my real estate leaders 4 times in recent years. I continue to invite him back because he is an engaging and inspirational speaker. His real-world lessons on leadership are insightful and practical, and offer our attendees a road map to successful leadership.
Tom Ewing
Landscape Program Development
Proven Winners

As a well-known and respected leader, Jeff’s presentation speaks from experience, is inspirational to a wide range of industry participants, and is strengthened from his proven record. His passion and sincerity is contagious, and we received very positive responses from all attendees. There is a unique genuineness about his presentation, and his message is one that all can benefit from. We will definitely invite Jeff back again!
Robert Khayat
Chancellor of University of Mississippi (1995-2009)

During my years as Chancellor at Ole Miss, I had the privilege of working on many landscape projects with Jeff McManus. Jeff’s experience, insight and vision of growing and developing not only the campus, but also the people with whom he worked truly enriched the campus environment.
Joshua M. Evans
Director, TEDx Sugarland

Jeff McManus was a profound addition to our event! He coupled his expertise with a genuine desire to serve the people in attendance. His authenticity and wisdom left a lasting, positive impact on the entire audience. We are truly grateful to have had him as a speaker at our TEDx event!
Rachel Daniel
External Communications Manager, F.D.R.E. Ministry of Peace, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Jeff’s lecture on the value of landscaping to young Architects in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (hosted by the Ministry of Peace) went beyond physical aesthetics and uncovered the undeniable relationship humans have with both their environment and nature. We all left inspired to gear up efforts in our respective professions to bring more intentional green spaces to Addis Ababa.
Linda Reindl
Director of Education, Florida Nursery, Growers and Landscape Association

I have worked with many speakers over the years and Jeff stands out as a true professional. Our audience loved him, and we continue to invite him back. Jeff’s industry experience, packaged with his insight and vision for developing leaders, delivered a great performance. Jeff is a wealth of knowledge, but it is truly his love for teaching and how he engages his audience that makes it a pleasure to have him present at our events. He packs a house and brings them back again each year!
Scott Wallace
Dean of Student Life, Augusta University

An area we can always develop is our leadership. Jeff was able to connect to our employees and talk about leadership of their own lives and leading others. He provided great insight into areas we’d like to grow. I’d love to have Jeff back to campus and offer that to other departments.
Woody Woodward
Executive Director, Ohio Parks and Recreation Association

It was our pleasure to have Jeff McManus as one of the featured speakers at our 2019 annual conference. Jeff did a great job. He was one of the highest-rated speakers that we had at our conference of over 80 speakers for the week. He also was really easy to deal with which is something that we really value in speakers. He was a pleasure to work with and our members really had a great time interacting with him throughout the week. We look forward to having Jeff back in Ohio, and we would highly recommend him if you’re looking for a great speaker for any event that you are having.
Julie Robinson
Executive Director, West Virginia Nursery and Landscape Association

The people with whom I spoke who attended Jeff’s sessions spoke positively of his message and suggestions. He was a good fit for WVNLA, partially because his own landscape company is not large, which is the case for most of our attendees.
Jim Brosnan, Ph.D.
Professor, University of Tennessee
Director – UT Weed Diagnostics Center

It is can be difficult to find speakers for the Professional Development section of our state turfgrass conference, but this year we hit a home run with Jeff McManus. His message on empowering individuals to lead their teams resonated with our group. Jeff kept a group of 300+ people engaged for over three hours, which is not an easy task!
Division of Administration and Finance Staff
Old Dominion University

Jeff brings energy, relatability, and experience into the room. He can work well with vice-presidents and seamlessly shift attention to front-line workers. He can adapt to his audience and provide answers that pertain to their specifics. His value as an asset is quickly noticed once you see the response he gains from your team.
Joe Kovolyan, CGM, CSFM, ISA
richland School District
GIE Past President PGMS vice President & STMA Member

Jeff’s message to over 1,600 people was spot on for me and so relevant for today’s industry leaders. One corporation bought and distributed, to participants and members, hundreds of Jeff’s book, Growing Weeders Into Leaders. This book is an excellent resource for those who want creative ways to grow their people to the next level. Jeff has walked the walk and is now sharing how he and his team went from last place to 5-time Nationally Recognized Champions in campus beautification. When you add in his integrity, Jeff is a rare commodity. I highly recommend Jeff McManus for your next keynote event.
Susan Jenkins, Ed.D.
Staff Development Director, North Mississippi Regional Center

Jeff McManus provides such an inspiring and motivating message for leaders at all levels and a variety of fields. His experience and leadership insight provide for relatable and realistic guidance on ways to grow your team. I highly recommend working with Jeff if you want to find ways to inspire or rejuvenate a group of leaders for greatness!
Jennifer L. McNeil, RD, SNS
Assistant Director, Nutrition Services, Hemet Unified School District

In my role, I look for three attributes in a speaker: (1) a great message, (2) someone who is easy to work with, and (3) someone the audience can relate to. JEFF IS ALL THREE! He is a very genuine speaker and did an awesome job connecting with our Nutrition Staff members and providing an outstanding motivational message that set the tone for our entire day of training.
Andrew Muntz
Green Velvet, President,
Ohio turfgrass Foundation President

Jeff’s talk was engaging and entertaining! Having a speaker with knowledge of the real world challenges our industry members deal with, and creative solutions to those challenges was refreshing and enlightening.
Rhett Murphy
Convention Coordinator, Alabama Urban Forestry Association

Jeff McManus is not only a great leader, but a great speaker and teacher. Our group was engaged from the start. Jeff took the interest of the audience and ran with it. Groups looking for ways to improve leadership and morale in their businesses will benefit from Jeff’s presentations.
Eric Turner
Director of Operations, Impact 360 Institute

Jeff’s recent campus visit fostered an influential vision geared towards growth, direction and development in future recruitment goals. His insightful perspective in classroom discussions, campus walks and attention to detail throughout the facility connected our staff to improved potential, purpose and direction in our mission at Impact 360 Institute. We immediately employed his masterful insight towards making Impact 360 Institute the community at its best.
Brent A. Marsh, Ph.D
Assistant Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs and Dean of Students, The University of Mississippi

Jeff McManus brings a personal yet powerful leadership message that is applicable to a broad array of people. You will walk away inspired with new ideas and encouragement for your own leadership journey, and your team members will realize the difference that everyone can make within an organization in the pursuit of greatness.