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The Horticultural Society of New York

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Staff & Board

Board of Directors

Jared Goss, Chairman
Alatia Bradley Bach, Vice-Chair
Frances Schultz, Vice-Chair
Bruce W. Addison, Treasurer

Salvatore Bacarella
George Ball
Barry Bloom
Cynthia Brann, ex officio
Marechal Brown, ex officio

Teresa Carleo
Missey Condie
Anita Cruso
Dennis S. Hersch
Michael Kovner
Michele E. Lindsay
Mario Nievera
Lily O’Boyle
Guy N. Robinson
Anne Shearman
Mitchell Silver, ex officio
Sheila Stephenson
Alison Strong
Mary Van Pelt

Advisory Board

CeCe Black
Andrea Henderson Fahnestock
Nina Griscom
Janet Mavec
Elizabeth Scholtz
Jessica Tcherepnine

Staff

Sara Hobel, Executive Director
shobel@thehort.org

George Pisegna, Deputy Director & Chief of Horticulture
gpisegna@thehort.org

Administration

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

Children’s Education & Professional Development

Pamela Ito, Director of Education
pito@thehort.org

Anna Sherman, Environmental Educator
asherman@thehort.org

NYdigs

Stephen Courtade, Program and Outreach Manager
scourtade@thehort.org

Development & Special Events

Kaitlyn Flanagan, Development Associate
kflanagan@thehort.org

Diana Ortiz, Special Events & Communications Intern
dortiz@thehort.org

Caroline Udelhofen, Senior Development Associate
cudelhofen@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, GreenHouse Instructor
bamos@thehort.org

Brett Billings, GreenHouse Instructor
Email: bbillings@thehort.org

Matthew Birnbaum, GreenHouse Instructor
mbirnbaum@thehort.org

Tiffani Coleman, GreenHouse Instructor
tcoleman@thehort.org

Maggie Herskovits, Greenhouse Instructor
mherskovits@thehort.org

Eva Joly, MSW, GreenHouse Instructor
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

Margaret Riche, GreenHouse Instructor
mrichie@thehort.org

William Robb, GreenHouse Program Manager
wrobb@thehort.org

GreenTeam

Nick Guntli, Director of GreenTeam
Horticulturalist
nguntli@thehort.org

Davon McLane, Workforce Development Manager
dmclane@thehort.org

David Snyder, Manager of GreenTeam
dsnyder@thehort.org

Fabricio Suxo, Field Gardener
fsuxo@thehort.org

Neighborhood Plaza Program

Laura Hansen, Managing Director of NPP
lhansen@thehort.org

Andrew Salimian, Field Operations Associate
asalimian@thehort.org

Web & Design

Alana Kerr, Graphic Designer
akerr@thehort.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

Cultivating Plants, People & Purpose

OUR LOCATIONS

Education Center
Denny Farrell Riverbank State Park
679 Riverside Drive, New York, NY 10031
Midtown Administrative Offices & Library
148 West 37th Street, 13th Floor
New York, NY 10018

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
Alatia Bradley Bach, Vice-Chair
Frances Schultz, Vice-Chair
Bruce W. Addison, Treasurer

Salvatore Bacarella
George Ball
Barry Bloom
Cynthia Brann, ex officio
Marechal Brown, ex officio

Teresa Carleo
Missey Condie
Anita Cruso
Dennis S. Hersch
Michael Kovner
Michele E. Lindsay
Mario Nievera
Lily O’Boyle
Guy N. Robinson
Anne Shearman
Mitchell Silver, ex officio
Sheila Stephenson
Alison Strong
Mary Van Pelt

Advisory Board

CeCe Black
Andrea Henderson Fahnestock
Nina Griscom
Janet Mavec
Elizabeth Scholtz
Jessica Tcherepnine

Staff

Sara Hobel, Executive Director
shobel@thehort.org

George Pisegna, Deputy Director & Chief of Horticulture
gpisegna@thehort.org

Administration

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

Children’s Education & Professional Development

Pamela Ito, Director of Education
pito@thehort.org

Anna Sherman, Environmental Educator
asherman@thehort.org

NYdigs

Stephen Courtade, Program and Outreach Manager
scourtade@thehort.org

Development & Special Events

Kaitlyn Flanagan, Development Associate
kflanagan@thehort.org

Diana Ortiz, Special Events & Communications Intern
dortiz@thehort.org

Caroline Udelhofen, Senior Development Associate
cudelhofen@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, GreenHouse Instructor
bamos@thehort.org

Brett Billings, GreenHouse Instructor
Email: bbillings@thehort.org

Matthew Birnbaum, GreenHouse Instructor
mbirnbaum@thehort.org

Tiffani Coleman, GreenHouse Instructor
tcoleman@thehort.org

Maggie Herskovits, Greenhouse Instructor
mherskovits@thehort.org

Eva Joly, MSW, GreenHouse Instructor
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

Margaret Riche, GreenHouse Instructor
mrichie@thehort.org

William Robb, GreenHouse Program Manager
wrobb@thehort.org

GreenTeam

Nick Guntli, Director of GreenTeam
Horticulturalist
nguntli@thehort.org

Davon McLane, Workforce Development Manager
dmclane@thehort.org

David Snyder, Manager of GreenTeam
dsnyder@thehort.org

Fabricio Suxo, Field Gardener
fsuxo@thehort.org

Neighborhood Plaza Program

Laura Hansen, Managing Director of NPP
lhansen@thehort.org

Andrew Salimian, Field Operations Associate
asalimian@thehort.org

Web & Design

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.

Join the Team

Current Opportunities

Fundraising Internship – Summer 2018
Grant Writer/Development Associate
Horticultural Therapist/ Rehabilitation-Vocational Specialist

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”