Ray Jarrett is a Certified Arborist with the International Society of Arboriculture and a field biologist with many years of experience. Ray attended the University of Central Florida, earning a B.S. in Biology in 1998. His focus of study was entomology and botany. Upon graduation, he worked as an arborist for the City of Winter Springs and as an adjunct instructor for local community colleges teaching courses in entomology and plant diseases. He previously worked as a biologist for the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Division of Plant Industry. His duties included surveying for exotic insect pests and plant diseases, invasive plants, inspecting plants for import and export, and releasing biological control agents to combat various exotics. He worked closely with nurseries, growers, land managers, and landscape professionals on insect and disease diagnosis and control recommendations. Currently, he works as Coordinator of Natural Resource Programs (Urban Forestry and Land Management) at the University of Central Florida. He also supervises the UCF Tree Team, which is responsible for the overall care of the UCF tree canopy.

Ray enjoys working outdoors and troubleshooting tree and plant problems and works part-time as an environmental consultant dealing with land management issues.

Ray feels that the NATA courses "were absolutely awesome and were orchestrated in a very professional manner!" Ray appreciated meeting all of the different managers from across the state and learning about their respective management issues, goals they have regarding their properties, and how each manages their natural areas. Ray's favorite workshop was Managing for Diversity Across Florida's Unique Landscapes because he is a self-proclaimed "plant geek" and he really enjoyed seeing the habitat creation and restoration, and learning about the monitoring and other work at Disney Wilderness Preserve.

Ray earned his Certificate in Natural Areas Management in March of 2010.