Kelly Kopp

2024 Faculty University Service Award Recipient

College of Agriculture and Applied
Sciences

Plants, Soils, and Climate

Dr. Kelly Kopp is a Professor and Extension Specialist in the Plants, Soils & Climate department at Utah State University (USU), where her research efforts are focused on plant water use efficiency, sustainable turfgrass management, landscape water conservation, and irrigation technologies. She is the Director of USU's Center for Water Efficient Landscaping and is board member and past president of the Utah Water Conservation Forum. From 2007-2016, she served on the Board of Directors of the Alliance for Water Efficiency (AWE), an international organization promoting all aspects of water efficiency, serving as Chair from 2014-2016. Her service with AWE gave her the opportunity to work with numerous members of the water and irrigation industries, USEPA’s WaterSense team, non-profit organizations in the water sector, and other governmental agencies. She continues to work with these groups in pursuit of water use efficiency in the state of Utah, the Intermountain West, and beyond.

Recently, Dr. Kopp has directed her research and outreach efforts toward characterizing “resource-positive” landscapes, with the goal of developing and characterizing ornamental landscapes that provide enhanced ecosystem services to the urban and suburban environment. This research takes a life-cycle analysis approach to identifying landscape designs and management practices that characterize these landscapes for the state and region, with the added objective of improving their climate resilience. Dr. Kopp also leads broad outreach efforts through her work with USU Cooperative Extension, including the development of educational support materials for industry associations and clientele groups and numerous invited speaking events in the state, region, and nation. She is also active with various national and international organizations including the American Water Works Association, the American Water Resources Association, the International Turfgrass Society, the Professional Grounds Management Society of America, the National Association of Landscape Professionals, and the Golf Course Superintendent’s Association of America.