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.
- Mission
- History
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.
- About
- Staff & Board
- Opportunities
- Partners
- Press
- Archives
Cultivating Plants, People & Purpose
OUR LOCATIONS
OUR PROGRAMS
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.
Board of Directors
Jared Goss, Chairman
Frances Schultz, Vice-Chair
Bruce W. Addison, Treasurer
Martin Breheny, Secretary
George Ball
Cynthia Brann, ex officio
Elizabeth Cabot
Anita Cruso
James P. Druckman
Timothy Hamilton
Michael A. Kovner
Michele E. Lindsay
Mario Nievera
Lily O’Boyle
Duncan Sahner
Michele E. Lindsay
Mario Nievera
Lily O’Boyle
Duncan Sahner
Anne Shearman
Mitchell Silver, ex officio
Patricia Sovern
Mitchell Silver, ex officio
Patricia Sovern
Advisory Board
CeCe Black
Andrea Henderson Fahnestock
Nina Griscom (in memoriam)
Janet Mavec
Elizabeth Scholtz
Staff
Sara Hobel, Executive Director
shobel@thehort.org
George Pisegna, Deputy Director & Chief of Horticulture
gpisegna@thehort.org
Administration
Lauren Keane-Farrell, Chief of Staff
lkeanefarrell@thehort.org
Cleo Lewis, Director of Finance
clewis@thehort.org
Adriana Narain, Finance Associate, Grants & Contracts
anarain@thehort.org
Children’s Education & Professional Development
Pamela Ito, Director of Education
pito@thehort.org
Gandhi, Environmental Educator
gandhi@thehort.org
Anna Sherman, Program Manager
asherman@thehort.org
Carla Shotwell, Educator
cshotwell@thehort.org
Greenhouse and Kitchen Garden at Denny Farrell Riverbank State Park
David Sleininger, Greenhouse and Garden Supervisor
dsleininger@thehort.org
Daniel Wohl, General Manager, Education Center & Greenhouse
dwohl@thehort.org
Development & Special Events
Morgan Murphy, Development Associate
mmurphy@thehort.org
Kevin Sullivan, Senior Grant Writer
ksullivan@thehort.org
GreenHouse & Horticultural Therapy
Mechthild (Hilda) Krus (HTR), Director of GreenHouse & Horticultural Therapy
hkrus@thehort.org
Sarah Schluep, GreenHouse Program Manager & Horticultural Therapist
sschluep@thehort.org
Becca Amos, Senior GreenHouse Instructor
bamos@thehort.org
Zahra Booth, GreenHouse Instructor
zbooth@thehort.org
Arielle Hartman, Senior GreenHouse Instructor
ahartman@thehort.org
Pamela Koch, Senior GreenHouse Instructor
pkoch@thehort.org
Jessica Myers, Senior GreenHouse Instructor
jmyers@thehort.org
Brian Sutton, GreenHouse Instructor
bsutton@thehort.org
Melanie Reed, Senior GreenHouse Instructor
mreed@thehort.org
GreenTeam
Nick Guntli, Director of GreenTeam
Horticulturalist
nguntli@thehort.org
Wilson Berroa, Seasonal Gardener
wberroa@thehort.org
Katherine Biggar, Administrative Assistant
kbiggar@thehort.org
Natalie Brickajlik, Program Development Manager of GreenTeam
nbrickajlik@thehort.org
Patrick Costello, Workshop Instructor
pcostello@thehort.org
Paulene Hosein, Gardener
phosein@thehort.org
Alexander Hromockyj, GreenTeam Manager
ahromockyj@thehort.org
Jeremy Jungels, Assistant Director of GreenTeam
jjungels@thehort.org
Josuan Martinez, Seasonal Gardener
jmartinez@thehort.org
Taariq King, Seasonal Gardener
tking@thehort.org
Fabricio Suxo, Field Gardener
fsuxo@thehort.org
Craig Zeitlin, GreenTeam Manager
czeitlin@thehort.org
Neighborhood Plaza Program
Georgia Faulkner, Operations Manager
gfaulkner@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.
Collaboration is a vital component of everything the Hort does. We partner with greening and environmental organizations, academic institutions, departments of the local, state and national government, cultural and arts organizations, community-based groups and social service agencies. If you are interested in collaborating with the Hort on a project, please contact one of our staff members here.
Selected Press
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”
NYC Dept. of Correction, “Bold Print: Official Newsletter of the New York City Department of Correction (March/April 2019)” (PDF)
NY1 News, “Kids Part of Beautification Effort Along Sutphin Boulevard”
The Horticultural Society of New York’s archives (1811 – 2010) are available from The New York Historical Society through NYU Digital Library Technology Services.
Guide to the Horticultural Society of New York Records