User Profile

University of Texas

Now at the University of Texas, Jeff McManus doesn’t just grow landscapes—he grows leaders. For nearly 25 years, he transformed Ole Miss from an overlooked campus into the most beautiful in the nation, earning recognition from Forbes, The New York Times, Huffington Post, PGMS, Newsweek, and USA Today.

Jeff McManus doesn’t just grow landscapes—he grows leaders. For nearly 25 years, he transformed Ole Miss from an overlooked campus into the most beautiful in the nation, earning recognition from Forbes, The New York Times, Huffington Post, PGMS, Newsweek, and USA Today. His bestselling book, Growing Weeders into Leaders, reveals how he turned an unmotivated disorganized team into a nationally recognized powerhouse. 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.”. Auburn University educated him in Horticulture, but hands-on experience made him a cultivator—of landscapes, teams, and cultures of excellence. After retiring from Ole Miss in 2025, he took on a new challenge at the University of Texas—where the only thing tougher than the weeds is deciding between brisket or tacos for lunch.