Pete Lowry recently retired as Director of the Africa & Madagascar Department at the Missouri Botanical Garden, where he attended his first AETFAT Congress in 1985. His research focuses on Araliaceae (worldwide) and Ebenaceae (Madagascar), although he has also studied numerous other groups in Madagascar, New Caledonia, and elsewhere. Pete led the development of MBG’s program in Madagascar, which focuses documenting its remarkable flora, building local botanical capacity, and conducting community-based conservation activities, including co-management of 11 newly established protected areas. He also initiated MBG’s consulting work, which has provided expertise to projects in a dozen countries. He has published nearly 300 papers and advised or served on the thesis committees of more than 60 graduate students.