Council of Communities – Leadership

To Join, visit our Professional Communities page for helpful suggestions or go straight the Community Forums.

COMMUNITY	ROLE	NAME	TITLE	COMPANY	CONTACT
COUNCIL OF COMMUNITIES Community Chairs/Vice-Chairs and Staff Liaisons	Chair	Sheila Kanotz	Director of Horticulture	Philbrook Museum of Art	Here
	Vice-Chair	Carissa Dougherty	Head of Knowledge Management	The Morton Arboretum	Here
	Liaison	Jeanette Henderson	Community Coordinator	American Public Gardens Association	Here
ARTS & EXHIBITIONS	Co-Chair	Lisa Eldred	Director of Exhibitions, Art & Learning Engagement; Head Curator of Art	Denver Botanic Gardens	Here
	Co-Chair	Jordyn Melino	Associate Director of Exhibits	Phipps Conservatory & Botanical Gardens	Here
	Liaison	Jeanette Henderson	Community Coordinator	American Public Gardens Association	Here
COLLEGE & UNIVERSITY GARDENS	Chair	Kathryn Wall	Membership & Volunteer Coordinator	JC Raulston Arboretum	Here
	Vice-Chair	Reba Luiken	Executive Director	Allen Centennial Garden	Here
	Liaison	Jeanette Henderson	Community Coordinator	American Public Gardens Association	Here
DESIGN & PLANNING	Chair	Elayna Toby Singer	Environmental Artist	Elayna Toby Art	Here
	Vice-Chair	Emmanuel Didier	Principal / Creative Director	Didier Design Studio	Here
	Liaison	Jeanette Henderson	Community Coordinator	American Public Gardens Association	Here
DEVELOPMENT & MEMBERSHIP	Chair	Katherine Trumble	CEO	San Antonio Botanical Garden	Here
	Vice-Chair	Robert Price	Associate Director, Development Resources and Annual Giving	Denver Botanic Gardens	Here
	Liaison	Katie Brickner	Member Development Manager	American Public Gardens Association	Here
EDUCATION	Chair	Sharon Graper	Director of Education	Holden Forests and Gardens	Here
	Vice-Chair	Sarah Fiorello	Interpretation Coordinator	Cornell Botanic Gardens	Here
	Liaison	Jeanette Henderson	Community Coordinator	American Public Gardens Association	Here
EMERGING PROFESSIONALS	Chair	Patrick Larkin	Nonprofit Consultant	CSR	Here
	Vice-Chair	Stacie Martin	Deputy Director	Tulsa Parks, Culture, and Recreation	Here
	Liaison	Jeanette Henderson	Community Coordinator	American Public Gardens Association	Here
EXECUTIVE GARDEN LEADER by invitation only	Chair	Christopher Hoffman	CEO	Cape Fear Botanical Garden	Here
	Vice-Chair	Erin Anderson	Executive Director	Idaho Botanical Gardens	Here
	Liaison	Michelle Provaznik	CEO	American Public Gardens Association	Here
FINANCE & OPERATIONS	Co-Chair	Robert Mermelstein	Chief Financial Officer	Pittsburgh Botanic Garden	Here
	Co-Chair	Stephanie Banks	Chief Financial Officer	Birmingham Botanical Gardens	Here
	Vice-Chair	Yuhui Zhou	Financial Coordinator	The Arboretum at Penn State	Here
	Liaison	Chelsea Schmidt	Associate Director, Operations	American Public Gardens Association	Here
FOOD & AGRICULTURE	Chair	Dawn Davies	Formal Gardens Manager	New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill	Here
	Vice-Chair	Larry Vickerman	Director at Chatfield	Denver Botanic Gardens	Here
	Liaison	Bailee Neese	Programs, Initiatives, & Networks Coordinator	American Public Gardens Association	Here
GUEST SERVICES	Chair	Dawn Hertzler	Associate Director, Guest Engagement	Longwood Gardens	Here
	Vice-Chair	Katy Havlik	Director of Visitor Services	Naples Botanical Garden	Here
	Liaison	Jeanette Henderson	Community Coordinator	American Public Gardens Association	Here
HISTORIC LANDSCAPES	Chair	Jane MacLeod	President & CEO	Cheekwood	Here
	Vice-Chair	Jessica Russell	Principal Consultant	The Communications Naturalist	Here
	Liaison	Jeanette Henderson	Community Coordinator	American Public Gardens Association	Here
HORTICULTURE, GREENHOUSES, & FACILITIES	Chair	Brent Moon	Associate Director of Natural Areas, Conservation and Facilities	Houston Botanic Garden	Here
	Vice-Chair	Amanda Bennett	Vice President, Horticulture & Collections	Atlanta Botanical Garden	Here
	Liaison	Tyler Hale	Program Manager	American Public Gardens Association	Here
INCLUSION, DIVERSITY, EQUITY, & ACCESSIBILITY (IDEA)	Chair	Trey Ramsey	Outreach and Inclusion Manager	Ithaca Children’s Garden	Here
	Vice-Chair	Gitu Jain	Creative and Marketing Manager	New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill	Here
	Liaison	Jeanette Henderson	Community Coordinator	American Public Gardens Association	Here
INTERNATIONAL GARDENS	Chair	Ayse Pogue	Horticulturist	Chicago Botanic Garden	Here
	Vice-Chair	Lina Ramirez Granada	Regional Conservation Initiatives Coordinator	Naples Botanical Garden	Here
	Liaison	Jeanette Henderson	Community Coordinator	American Public Gardens Association	Here
MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS	Chair	Mackenzie Knight-Fochs	Education Programs Manager	Arboretum at Scott Arboretum Of Swarthmore College	Here
	Vice-Chair	Laura McPhail	Director of Communications and Guest Experience	Huntsville Botanical Garden	Here
	Liaison	Richard A. Doran	Marketing and Communications Manager	American Public Gardens Association	Here
NATIVE PLANTS	Chair	Sanja Jennings	Stewardship Specialist	Wood County Park District	Here
	Vice-Chair	Annabel Renwick	Curator	Sarah P. Duke Gardens	Here
	Liaison	Jeanette Henderson	Community Coordinator	American Public Gardens Association	Here
PLANT COLLECTIONS	Chair	Paul Mills	Curator of The Living Collections	Ganna Walska Lotusland	Here
	Vice-Chair	Emily Ellingson	Curator and Assistant Director	Polly Hill Arboretum	Here
	Liaison	Pam Allenstein	Plant Collections Network Manager	American Public Gardens Association	Here
PLANT CONSERVATION	Chair	Jennifer Neale	Director of Research & Conservation	Denver Botanic Gardens	Here
	Vice-Chair	Sean Lahmeyer	Plant Collections & Conservation Manager	Huntington Library, Arts Museum, & Botanical Gardens	Here
	Liaison	Pam Allenstein	Plant Collections Network Manager	American Public Gardens Association	Here
PLANT NOMENCLATURE & TAXONOMY	Chair	Autumn Ayers	Garden Records & Collections Manager	Descanso Gardens	Here
	Vice-Chair	Emily Conn	Manager of Plant Records and Horticulture Programs	Lincoln Park Zoo	Here
	Liaison	Pam Allenstein	Plant Collections Network Manager	American Public Gardens Association	Here
SMALL GARDENS	Chair	Morgan Pendergrass	Director	Donald E. Davis Arboretum	Here
	Vice-Chair	Open			Here
	Liaison	Jeanette Henderson	Community Coordinator	American Public Gardens Association	Here
TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION PROFESSIONALS (TIPS)	Chair	Eric Crowell	Lead IT Tech	Minnesota Landscape Arboretum	Here
	Vice-Chair	Jason Best	Director of Biodiversity Infomatics	Fort Worth Botanic Garden	Here
	Liaison	Jeanette Henderson	Community Coordinator	American Public Gardens Association	Here
VOLUNTEER	Chair	Sarah Hartley	Manager of Volunteer Services	Holden Forests & Gardens	Here
	Vice-Chair	Rebecca Robert	Assistant Director	Scott Arboretum of Swarthmore College	Here
	Liaison	Jeanette Henderson	Community Coordinator	American Public Gardens Association	Here

Council of Communities – Leadership

Title

Quick Links

Preferred Partners