Breadfruit Institute Staff

A small farmer, born and raised on Kauai, Noel Dickinson is passionate about rural food security and sustainable, diversified agriculture as a means of achieving it. As Program Manager of the Breadfruit Institute, Noel Dickinson is responsible for institute operations, conservation, horticulture, research, and outreach activities including the establishment and management of the Regenerative Organic Breadfruit Agroforestry (ROBA) demonstration at McBryde Garden. Noel attended the University of Hawaii at Hilo where she earned a B.S. in Horticulture with specialization in Tropical Plant Science and Agroecology, as well as Plant Tissue Culture certification. In addition to her responsibilities as the institute’s Coordinator, Noel is currently pursuing a PhD from the University of Copenhagen, Denmark, focusing on the improvement of conservation, curation, and management of collections of heritage crops and their wild relatives within botanical gardens -specifically Artocarpus.

Contact: ndickinson@ntbg.org

Kaitu Erasito came to NTBG in 2023 from Fiji, where he worked as an agriculture, horticultural and crops expert, specializing in Pacific Islands agriculture and natural Resources. He holds a Bachelor of Agriculture from University of the South Pacific and is the current Breadfruit Collection Manager at NTBG’s Kahanu Garden, Maui. Breadfruit characterization, orchard establishment, propagation, agroforestry and analysis of supply chain has been one of his assets and specialty. Over the past 10 years his work has focused on smallholder agricultural development that is both economically and environmentally sustainable – particularly in the face of climate change. In addition, he worked with rural schools and communities promoting the processing of breadfruit into flour, both for home consumption and to reduce the heavy reliance of imported food products like wheat flour and rice.

Contact: kerasito@ntbg.org

Dr. Ragone was the founder and Director of the Breadfruit Institute since its inception in 2003 until 2022 when she became Director Emerita. In this role she continue to supports the Institute and breadfruit with a primary focus on writing a legacy book based on her work. She is an authority on the conservation and use of breadfruit, and has conducted horticultural and ethnobotanical studies on this important Pacific staple crop for more than 30 years conducting fieldwork on 50 islands in Micronesia, Polynesia, and Melanesia. Dr. Ragone is also an Affiliate Professor at the University of Hawai`i in the Department of Tropical Plant and Soil Sciences. She has written or co-authored over 100 peer-reviewed papers, technical reports, and book chapters, as well as popular articles on breadfruit. She has also developed extensive print and web-based information resources, including videos. Dr. Ragone received the Star of Oceania in 2013; UH’s College of Tropical Agriculture’s Distinguished Alumna award in 2015; the Garden Club of America’s Medal of Honor in 2016; and the Award of Distinguished Ethnobotanist from the Society of Ethnobotany in 2022.

Contact: dragone@ntbg.org

With a background in horticulture and conservation, John first connected with the National Tropical Botanical Garden as a volunteer. Since then he has contributed across several NTBG programs, including the Tours and Education departments, and has supported work in conservation field operations, nursery, horticulture, and the seed bank and laboratory. He also assisted the Garden Club of America’s Native Plant Studies program. In 2020, John was awarded a Maxwell Hanrahan Foundation Field-Based Research Internship supporting conservation of native Hawaiian plants. He earned a Master of Science  in Tropical Plant and Soil Science from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa in 2024. His graduate research on native plant seed physiology was published in the journal of the American Society for Horticultural Science in 2025. As the Breadfruit Institute Coordinator, John supports program coordination, partnerships, communications and documentation that advance the Institute’s work in breadfruit conservation, research, and agroforestry.

Contact: jsteinhorst@ntbg.org

Since February of 2026, Talia Schmidt, has been in the gardens as a technician under the Regenerative Organic Breadfruit Agroforest as well as working alongside the Conservation Nursery team at McBryde Garden on Kauaʻi. Her roots on the West Side of Kauaʻi have always kept her deeply connected to the islands’ ecosystems and cultural values carried within plants and people. After studying botany at UH Mānoa and ecology in Aotearoa, she became fascinated by how plants, especially breadfruit, embody stories of cultural heritage and survival. Talia is happiest when she is outdoors “learning by doing,” maintaining the unique breadfruit varieties sourced from across the Pacific. Her work at NTBG consists of taking breadfruit donations to local events and food banks, experimenting with breadfruit propagation methods, collecting data on agroforest yields and success rates, and uses indigenous knowledge to teach and to manage these extensive agroforestry systems we have. For her, conservation is a kuleana; she does this work so her younger siblings and future generations can inherit the wisdom these plants offer. By protecting these living legacies today, she ensures the environment and its history remain vibrant for all who follow.

Contact: tschmidt@ntbg.org