We love motivated, green-minded individuals. Our team is dedicated to providing environmental, cultural, and educational resources for all New Yorkers. You can view our current open positions, internships & volunteer opportunities at Idealist.org.
Current Opportunities
Horticultural Therapist/ Rehabilitation-Vocational Specialist
The mission of the Horticultural Society of New York (The Hort) is to sustain the vital connection between people and plants. Our social service and public programs educate and inspire, growing a broad community that values horticulture for the many benefits it brings to our environment, our neighborhoods, and our lives.
Founded in 1900, and incorporated in 1902, with J. P. Morgan, Louis C. Tiffany, and J.J. Phelps among its earliest members, the goal of the Horticultural Society was to further the love and knowledge of horticulture through informative monthly meetings, formal lectures, and seasonal flower shows.
Today, over 100 years later, we are still growing a community of urban gardeners. Our development reflects the changes in urban horticulture itself, from a focus on specimen plants and ornamental gardens viewed alone in their majestic beauty, to a holistic understanding that plants and gardens are inexorably linked to the health of people, wildlife and our environment.
At The Hort, we recognize the interrelatedness and complexity of the “green” issues in our city, and therefore the core of our efforts is to educate and inform across the spectrum. We still help New Yorkers know plants and gardens as aesthetic wonders, but now our programs and projects encompass urban farming, rooftop gardening, container vegetable production, bioremediation, storm water abatement, landscape design, vocational training, horticultural therapy and environmental literacy.
APPLE SEED builds learning gardens in public schools for thousands of disadvantaged children suffering from a lack of green spaces and fresh foods,and provides much-needed professional development to their teachers.
GREENHOUSE offers horticultural therapy and vocational training to incarcerated individuals on Rikers Island and helps them learn not just a skill but how to change the very course of their lives.
GREENTEAM provides transitional employment to at-risk youth and ex-offenders and helps them secure full-time jobs.
NEIGHBORHOOD PLAZA PROGRAM beautifies public spaces in low-income communities across the five boroughs and helps make New York greener.
NYDIGS provides affordable horticulture-based workshops, activities, and conferences to positively change perceptions and behaviors toward health, community, and the environment.
Jared Goss, Chairman
Alatia Bradley Bach, Secretary & Vice-Chair
Frances Schultz, Vice-Chair
Bruce W. Addison, Treasurer
George Ball
Cynthia Brann, ex officio
Marechal Brown, ex officio
Elizabeth Cabot
Anita Cruso
CeCe Black
Andrea Henderson Fahnestock
Nina Griscom
Janet Mavec
Elizabeth Scholtz
Jessica Tcherepnine
Sara Hobel, Executive Director
shobel@thehort.org
George Pisegna, Deputy Director & Chief of Horticulture
gpisegna@thehort.org
Lauren Keane-Farrell, Executive Assistant
lkeanefarrell@thehort.org
Cleo Lewis, Director of Finance
clewis@thehort.org
Adriana Narain, Finance Associate, Grants & Contracts
anarain@thehort.org
Pamela Ito, Director of Education
pito@thehort.org
Crystal Leckie, Environmental Educator
cleckie@thehort.org
Anna Sherman, Environmental Educator
asherman@thehort.org
Stephen Courtade, Manager
Facility, Garden & Recreation Programs
scourtade@thehort.org
Annette Nielsen, Manager
Community Partnerships & Food, Nutrition & Culinary Programs
anielsen@thehort.org
Diana Ortiz, Development Associate
dortiz@thehort.org
Kevin Sullivan, Senior Grant Writer
ksullivan@thehort.org
Cristina Valbuena-Castor, Manager
Individual Giving & Special Events
cristina@thehort.org
Mechthild (Hilda) Krus (HTR), Director of GreenHouse & Horticultural Therapy
hkrus@thehort.org
Sarah Schluep, GreenHouse Program Manager & Horticultural Therapist
sschluep@thehort.org
Becca Amos, GreenHouse Instructor
bamos@thehort.org
Kayla Bennett, GreenHouse Instructor
kbennett@thehort.org
Tiffani Coleman, GreenHouse Instructor
tcoleman@thehort.org
Maggie Herskovits, Greenhouse Instructor
mherskovits@thehort.org
Eva Joly, MSW, Discharge Planner and Community Liaison
ejoly@thehort.org
Pamela Koch, GreenHouse Instructor
pkoch@thehort.org
Jessica Myers, GreenHouse Instructor
jmyers@thehort.org
Thomas Opatz, GreenHouse Instructor
topatz@thehort.org
Tifani Peguero, GreenHouse Program Manager
tpeguero@thehort.org
Melanie Reed, GreenHouse Instructor
mreed@thehort.org
Margaret Riche, GreenHouse Instructor
mrichie@thehort.org
William Robb, GreenHouse Program Manager
wrobb@thehort.org
Nick Guntli, Director of GreenTeam
Horticulturalist
nguntli@thehort.org
Alexander Hromockyj, Assistant Manager of GreenTeam
ahromockyj@thehort.org
David Snyder, Manager of GreenTeam
dsnyder@thehort.org
Fabricio Suxo, Field Gardener
fsuxo@thehort.org
Laura Hansen, Managing Director of NPP
lhansen@thehort.org
Andrew Salimian, Operations Manager
asalimian@thehort.org
Alana Kerr, Graphic Designer
akerr@thehort.org
We love motivated, green-minded individuals. Our team is dedicated to providing environmental, cultural, and educational resources for all New Yorkers. You can view our current open positions, internships & volunteer opportunities at Idealist.org.
Current Opportunities
Horticultural Therapist/ Rehabilitation-Vocational Specialist
Edible Manhattan, “Growing New Lives” (PDF)
Fox News, “New program gives former inmates a second chance”
The Huffington Post, “By Leaves or Play of Sunlight, John Cage: Artist and Naturalist”
National Geographic, “This Is Your Brain on Nature”
News 12, “Horticultural program aims to rehabilitate Rikers inmates”
New York Family, “Green Days: The Hort is Growing A New Generation of Little Gardeners and Eco-Minded Families” (PDF)
The Wall Street Journal, “One Bright Side of Rikers Island” (PDF)
Well + Good, “How You Can Help Make Healthy Food a Staple on Everyone’s Table”
