President
Bruce A. Harkey, President and CEO, joined Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens in 2007. Inspired by horticulture, the Conservatory elevates quality of life and connects the community through educational, cultural and social experiences.
To achieve this mission, Harkey led the successful development of ten new world-class facilities and botanical gardens. A capital campaign of $45 million from the private and public sectors supported this bold vision. The Scotts Miracle-Gro Foundation Children’s Garden and Expanded Visitor Experience projects completed in 2018 ushered in a new era focused on the guest experience while ensuring access to underserved communities. With the completion of the North Star Visioning process in 2022, the Conservatory aspires to be a premier botanical garden destination, with a purpose of inspiring a connection to nature, creating life enhancing experiences, and cultivating belonging for all people. In 2024, after 24 months of community research and visioning with architecture and design experts, the North Star Master Plan was unveiled. This bold vision, including more than 15 transformational capital projects, will guide the Conservatory on its path to becoming a premier botanical garden destination over the next 25 years.
Prior to the Conservatory, Harkey spent four years with Honda Motor Company in Tokyo, Japan in an international management training program and fourteen years in management positions with Honda of America Manufacturing in Marysville, Ohio. Harkey received Bachelor of Science degrees in Landscape Horticulture and Package Engineering from Michigan State University.
Harkey serves as Board President of American Public Gardens Association (APGA). He is a board member of the Friends of the Ohio Governor’s Residence and Heritage Garden. He is the former president of the Columbus Cultural Leadership Consortium (CCLC) and is a former board member of the Contemporary American Theater Company (CATCO), Columbus Association for the Performing Arts (CAPA), Clintonville Beechwold Resources Center (CRC), Experience Columbus and the Asian Festival.
