Team

GET TO KNOW THE TALENTED
PEOPLE WHO FUEL OUR MISSION

View of the Potomac River and a grassy bank with trees.

Board of Directors

Tim Conlon, Board Chair, Dubuque IA
Kathryn Acerbo-Bachmann, Acton, MA
Doug Barker, Washington, DC
Dr. Larry L. Deaven, Los Alamos, NM
Debbie Driesman, Potomac, MD
Dr. Janet Fender, Williamsburg, VA
Dr. James Folsom, Saint George Island, FL
Amy Golden, Falls Church, VA
Richard Hayden, New York, NY
Panayoti Kelaidis, Denver, CO
James McGrath, Norfolk, CT
Amy Merrick, Hancock, New Hampshire
Su Oh, Los Angeles, CA
Camille Paulsen, Puyallup, WA
Scott C. Plein, Falls Church, VA
Holly Shimizu, Glen Echo, MD
Philip Tabas, Washington, DC
Suzanne Laporte, President and CEO, ex officio, Chevy Chase, MD

Staff

White Birch tree. Summer forest. Nature background. Green leaves

Courtney Alsua

Director of National Programs
Favorite Plant: White Birch (Betula papyrifera)

Pink compound flower against green foliage

Sydney Bard

Associate Events Manager, River Farm
Favorite Plant: Hyacinth (Hyacinthus)

Salvia 'Black and Blue' showcasing strking blue-purple flowers with dark, almost black calyces against a lush green backdrop

Tammy Burke

Horticulturist, River Farm
Favorite Plant: ‘Black and Blue’ Salvia (Salvia guaranitica)

a display of tall purple/pink foxgloves with their tall, striking spires of dozens of cascading finger-shaped booms in a natural woodlands setting

Kate Cordle

Events and Rentals Manager, River Farm
Favorite Plant: Common Foxglove (Digitalis purpurea)

a vibrant orange daffodil, featuring a trumpet-shaped corona surrounded by six petal-like tepals

Leslie Fetty

Senior Associate, Membership and Development
Favorite Plant: Daffodil (Narcissus)

A vibrant yellow Foxtail Lily (Eremurus robustus), featuring a tall, cylindrical flower spike densely packed with small, star-shaped flowers, rising above a rosette of strap-shaped leaves.

Rochelle Greayer

Editor of American Gardener
Favorite Plant: Foxtail Lily (Eremurus robustus)

A plant with white flowers and green leaves near a brick wall.

Ed Harrington

Gardens and Grounds Manager
Favorite Plant: Oakleaf Hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia)

pink lilac flowers in full bloom, showcasing their delicate petals and sweet fragrance

Suzanne Laporte

President and CEO
Favorite Plant: Common Lilac (Syringa vulgaris)

White tulip with red stripes on a blurred green background

Allyson Liu

Development Manager
Favorite Plant: Tulip (Tulipa)

Matt Mattus

Senior Director of Horticulture
Favorite Plant: Sweet Pea (Lathyrus odoratus)

Maggie McCollom

Accounting Manager
Favorite Plant: Japanese Flowering Cherry (Prunus serrulata)

Melissa McElhenny-Fife

Assistant Gardener
Favorite Plant: Mediterranean spurge (Euphorbia characias ‘Wulfenii’)

A peach-colored dahlia, featuring delicate, layered petals with hints of orange and pink, showcasing the intricate beauty and vibrant color of this popular flower

Jane Morrison

General & Events Receptionist, River Farm
Favorite Plant: Dahlia (Dahlia)

Tree with vivid red leaves in a field against a blue sky.

Philip Saville

Manager of Membership Operations
Favorite Plant: Sugar Maple (Acer saccharum)

Krista Kjellman Schmidt

Senior Editor of American Gardener
Favorite Plant: Eastern Redbud (Cercis canadensis)

a bright green Dwarf Hinoki Cypress shrub

Peter Tajat

Managing Director, Property Operations
Favorite Plant: Dwarf Hinoki Cypress (Chamaecyparis obtusa)

An elderberry tree in full bloom, set against a natural background, featuring large, flat clusters of creamy-white, highly fragrant flowers with five petals.

Sheri Thorpe

Director of Finance
Favorite Plant: Common Elderberry (Sambucus nigra)

Johanna Tschebull

Communications Manager
Favorite Plant: Butterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberosa)

clusters of ripe, juicy blueberries hanging from the branches of a blueberry bush, surrounded by lush green foliage

Katie Tukey

Director of Development and Engagement
Favorite Plant: Highbush Blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum)

Plant with green spiky leaves and white flowers

Lillie Tynch

Editorial Intern
Favorite Plant: Adam’s Needle (Yucca filamentosa)

Acanthus mollis perennial plants with white and purple flowers. Summer nature.

Daniel Vincent

Director of Membership and Partnerships
Favorite Plant: Bear’s Breeches (Acanthus spinosus)

A pink rose, a perennial flowering shrub or vine from the genus Rosa within the Rosaceae family, featuring showy, fragrant flowers typically with five petals, and often adorned with thorns.

Mary Yee

Managing Editor of American Gardener
Favorite Plant: Rose (Rosa)

Albert A. Zani

Director of Travel Programs
Favorite Plant: Edelweiss (Leontopodium alpinum)

Consulting Staff

Rebecca McMackin, Lead Horticulturist

Horticultural Advisory Council

Dr. Jim Folsom, Eastpoint, FL
William McNamara, Truckee, CA
Dr. Mary Hockenberry Meyer, Plymouth, MN
Claire Sawyers, Swarthmore, PA
Keith Tomlinson, Arlington, VA

American Gardener Editorial Advisory Board

Kathryn Acerbo-Bachmann, Acton, Massachusetts
Lorene Edwards Forkner, Seattle, Washington
Panayoti Kelaidis, Denver, CO
Daria McKelvey, St. Louis, Missouri
Rebecca McMackin, Litchfield Hills, Connecticut
Kelly D. Norris, Des Moines, IA
Jessica Walliser, Pittsburgh, PA

TEAM