FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 14, 2020 [email protected] | 718-623-7241

Scot Medbury, Botanic Garden’s President and CEO, Departs January 31, 2020 After 14 Years Leading the Institution

Medbury Steered BBG Through Largest Capital Campaign in its 110 Year History Transforming and Expanding Gardens and Programs to Serve Growing and International Audiences

Brooklyn, NY—Scot Medbury, president and chief executive officer of Brooklyn Botanic Garden since 2005, will leave the Garden on January 31, 2020. As Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s sixth leader since 1910, Medbury has provided vision and strategic leadership to the Garden’s highly successful Campaign for the Next Century capital campaign, which added new gardens, refined visitor facilities and expanded and strengthened education and community programs for the next generations of visitors. Upon departing BBG, Medbury will assume the directorship of Quarryhill in Sonoma County, California.

Diane Steinberg, chair of Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s Board of Trustees and co-chair of the Campaign for the Next Century said: “Scot’s leadership of Brooklyn Botanic Garden over the last 14 years has added strength upon strength to this world-renowned institution. With a focus on excellence in design, and a commitment to sustainability and accessibility, Scot leaves an institution both boldly and subtly reshaped, better positioned for relevant service in the next 100 years. We wish Scot tremendous success at Quarryhill Botanical Garden.”

With a distinguished record of over 40 years in public gardens, Medbury is a widely acknowledged leader in the public garden world. Medbury was attracted to Brooklyn Botanic Garden by its historic commitment to education and community. Says Medbury: “Brooklyn Botanic Garden was the first of its kind—a botanic garden founded to put education on par with horticultural display in a thriving urban environment. In the largest and most populous borough of the most densely populated city in the country, Brooklyn Botanic Garden is a model urban garden, committed to educating environmental stewards as much as it is to engaging in the art and science of horticulture.”

When Medbury arrived at Brooklyn Botanic Garden in 2005, the Garden’s Board of Trustees had completed a master site plan for the Garden and had committed to its implementation. Under his leadership, the Garden embarked on the largest fundraising campaign in its history and completed design and construction of a series of capital projects comprising the most significant garden renewal effort since BBG’s founding decades. The outcomes of these efforts have helped ensure a revitalized Garden for the 21st century.

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BBG Garden Apprentice Program alum, Chidi Duke, and BBG president Scot Medbury on behalf of the Garden accept the 2014 National Medal for and Library Service from First Lady Michelle Obama. Courtesy of IMLS.

Projects have included the new award-winning Diane H. and Joseph S. Steinberg Visitor Center and transformed Robert W. Wilson Overlook, both designed by architects WEISS/MANFREDI Architecture/ Landscape/ Urbanism; a major revitalization of the southern third of the Garden including the expanded and redesigned Discovery Garden for families and the new Shelby White and Leon Levy Water Garden, both designed by landscape architects Associates (MVVA); an extension in size and scope of the historic Native Flora Garden designed in partnership with landscape architect Darrel Morrison; the Elizabeth Scholtz Woodland Garden, a shade garden on a previously undervisited site also designed by MVVA; and a major Water Conservation Project that is a model for botanic gardens and parks around the world, among many other projects.

Says Frederick Bland, chair emeritus of Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s Board of Trustees: “With Scot at the helm of the Garden’s capital campaign, we left virtually no area of this beloved 52-acre oasis untouched. A passionate plantsman, Scot is also a committed design partner, whose vision guided our selection of some the world’s finest practitioners of public architecture, landscape, and engineering. As a result, the Garden is more beautiful, accessible and thoughtful than ever before.”

During Medbury’s tenure, Garden attendance grew from 625,000 to a peak of nearly 1 million visitors per year. Today, over 250,000 children visit the Garden for free every year, connecting with plants both in formal educational settings and through the Garden’s many interactive spaces for hands- on-learning. As many as 70,000 people participate in BBG’s expanded community greening programs, creating a growing cadre of urban greening champions. In 2014, BBG won the National Medal for Museum and Library Service, the country’s highest honor bestowed on and libraries, recognizing outstanding service to the community. In the 14 years Medbury led the Garden, its budget grew from $14M in 2005 to $24M in 2020, while the Garden’s endowment more than doubled, growing from $28M to $70M. Medbury led the Garden in the years following the 2008 financial crisis, ensured its stability during the economic downturn and kept it on track to succeed in its Campaign for the Next Century.

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Says Earl D. Weiner, chair emeritus of Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s Board of Trustees and co-chair of the Campaign for the Next Century: “Without question, Scot’s passion for plants, his dynamism, and his awareness of landscape history and the special place that Brooklyn Botanic Garden occupies therein – guided the board, staff and volunteers through the campaign to success that far exceeded our expectations. The health of BBG now and into the future is in no small part due to his steadfast vision.”

Says Medbury: “It has been a privilege and an honor to work alongside the outstanding trustees, staff, and volunteers of Brooklyn Botanic Garden during a period of remarkable growth and change. The projects we have accomplished—new gardens, welcoming entrances, accessibility features, and programs for the community—represent the most dramatic series of changes to this historic garden in the last century, making the Garden more relevant, resilient and welcoming to visitors for years to come.”

Medbury became president of Brooklyn Botanic Garden after leading the San Francisco Botanical Garden and Conservatory of Flowers; he had previously also held appointments at gardens in Washington, Hawai’i, Great Britain, and New Zealand. Medbury is affiliated with several professional associations, including the American Public Gardens Association (APGA), where he is a past trustee. He currently serves on the governing councils of Botanic Gardens Conservation International–U.S., the Center for Plant Conservation, and the International Dendrology Society, and is an advisor to five American public gardens. Medbury received the professional citation from the APGA in 2004, and he was elected an honorary member of the Garden Club of America the following year. In 2006, in celebration of the 100th anniversary of the American Alliance of Museums, Medbury was one of 100 people named to the Alliance’s Centennial Honor Roll.

Diane Steinberg, Shelby White, and Scot Medbury open the Water Conservation Project in 2019. Photo by Julienne Schaer. Courtesy of Brooklyn Botanic Garden.

About Brooklyn Botanic Garden Founded in 1910, Brooklyn Botanic Garden (BBG) is an urban botanic garden that connects people to the world of plants, fostering delight and curiosity while inspiring an appreciation and sense of stewardship of the environment. Situated on 52 acres in the , the Garden is home to more than 12,000 types of plants and hosts over 800,000 visitors annually. Learn more at bbg.org.

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An Era of Transformation: Scot Medbury’s Tenure as Brooklyn Botanic Garden President & CEO (2005-2020)

Introduction During his 14-year tenure at Brooklyn Botanic Garden, president and CEO Scot Medbury led Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s Campaign for the Next Century, a $124M capital campaign, in order to realize an ambitious series of capital and programmatic changes. The success of the campaign allowed the Garden to create new, expanded, and restored gardens rich with interpretive and educational opportunities while also increasing community outreach, deepening on-site programming, improving visitor amenities, and strengthening BBG’s endowment. During this time, the Garden’s visitation grew to its highest-ever.

Capital Campaign Under Medbury’s leadership, the Garden inspired the largest fundraising campaign in its history and completed design and construction of an ambitious suite of capital projects comprising the most significant garden renewal effort since BBG’s founding. The projects include:

• The Diane H. and Joseph S. Steinberg Visitor Center, a LEED Gold certified building designed by WEISS/MANFREDI Architecture/ Landscape/ Urbanism and winner of over 20 major architectural design awards. Opened in 2012. • New entrances at and , redesigned to better serve visitors. Opened in 2009 and 2015, respectively. • The reimagined Herb Garden, showcasing vegetables, fruits, and herbs from around the world and serving as a living classroom for home gardening and cooking. Opened 2010. • The Native Flora Garden Expansion, designed in partnership with landscape architect Darrel Morrison, which grew to include 150 native species and furthers the Garden’s efforts on plant conservation. Opened in 2013. • The redesigned and relocated Discovery Garden, designed in partnership with landscape architecture firm Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates (MVVA), a drop-in site where children of all ages can explore and learn about plant wildlife, expanded in size and programming. Opened in 2015. • The Water Conservation Project, the first project of its scale and complexity in North America, designed by MVVA. The project was completed in 2019. Part of the Water Conservation Project included the opening of the Shelby White and Leon Levy Water Garden, a and riparian environment. Opened in 2016. • The Robert W. Wilson Overlook, designed by architecture firm WEISS/MANFREDI, an ascending garden that provides new ways to

Page 1 of 3 experience BBG’s iconic vistas and offers pathways for visitors of all abilities. Opened in 2019. • The Elizabeth Scholtz Woodland Garden, designed by MVVA, a new garden featuring plants that flourish in shady, relatively dry contitions and created to be a source of inspiration to urban gardeners. Opening early 2020. • Improved accessibility and updated interpretation throughout many areas of the Garden’s 52-acres.

Commitment to Education programs at the Garden have expanded under Medbury’s tenure. Education Today, over 250,000 children visit the Garden for free every year, connecting with plants both in formal educational settings and through the Garden’s many interactive spaces for hands-on-learning.

• Free, drop-in Discovery Programs provide year-round opportunities for children of all ages to explore nature through hands-on experiences in the new Discovery Garden. • The Garden Apprentice Program (GAP) for teens is a nationally acclaimed youth environmental leadership program that gives NYC teens the opportunity to learn about urban agriculture and the environment while receiving on-the-job training. • The Brooklyn Academy of Science and the Environment (BASE), cofounded by BBG in partnership the NYC Department of Education as Brooklyn’s first environmentally focused public high school, serves over 400 students annually. • Urban Advantage provides professional development for NYC middle school science teachers and helps students understand how scientific knowledge develops, while giving them opportunities for hands-on learning, investigation, and field trips. • Project Green Reach (PGR), an inquiry-based science program for Brooklyn's K-8 Title I schools, provides a curriculum package, classroom instruction, student plants, transportation to and a tour of BBG, and teacher training • Early Openings for Children and Families of All Abilities and Memory Loss Tours for adults and caregivers have helped create new opportunities for audiences with special-needs to experience the Garden

Community The Campaign for the Next Century also included expanding BBG’s community Programs based programming. Now, as many as 70,000 people participate in BBG’s community greening programs, creating a growing cadre of urban greening champions. Programs include:

• The Greenest Block in Brooklyn, a free contest open to all residential blocks, commercial blocks, and community gardens in Brooklyn. • The Brooklyn Urban Gardener (BUG), a certificate program that is building a growing base of community leaders in urban greening.

Page 2 of 3 • The Street Tree Stewardship Initiative, empowering New York residents to correctly care for their trees with free training, tools, and permits. • The Community Garden Alliance, a collaborative network of community gardeners in Brooklyn who participate in sharing technical assistance, plant swaps, workshops on sustainable horticultural practices, networking parties, and much more. • Participating in The NYC Project, created by the NYC Department of Sanitation (DSNY) in 1993, which works to rebuild NYC’s soils by providing New Yorkers with the knowledge, skills, and opportunities they need to make and use compost locally.

Increased Revenue During Medbury’s tenure, Garden attendance grew from 625,000 to a peak of and Attendance nearly 1 million visitors per year. The Garden welcomes visitors from around the world, as well as its local Brooklyn community, and has been named a top botanic garden and travel destination in numerous national and international publications.

During this time, the Garden’s budget grew from $14M in 2005 to $24M in 2020, while the Garden’s endowment more than doubled, growing from $28M to $70M. Medbury led the Garden in the years following the 2008 financial crisis, ensured its stability during the economic downturn and kept it on track to succeed in its Campaign for the Next Century.

Recognitions In 2014, BBG won the National Medal for Museum and Library Service, the country’s highest honor bestowed on museums and libraries, recognizing outstanding service to the community. The award was given in recognition in then 100 years of youth environmental education. Medbury and other BBG representatives accepted the award from First Lady Michelle Obama.

Medbury currently serves on the governing councils of Botanic Gardens Conservation International–U.S., the Center for Plant Conservation, and the International Dendrology Society, and is an advisor to five American public gardens. Medbury received the professional citation from the APGA in 2004, and he was elected an honorary member of the Garden Club of America the following year. In 2006, in celebration of the 100th anniversary of the American Alliance of Museums, Medbury was one of 100 people named to the Alliance’s Centennial Honor Roll.

About BBG Founded in 1910, Brooklyn Botanic Garden (BBG) is an urban botanic garden that connects people to the world of plants, fostering delight and curiosity while inspiring an appreciation and sense of stewardship of the environment. Situated on 52 acres in the heart of Brooklyn, the Garden is home to more than 12,000 types of plants and hosts over 800,000 visitors annually. Learn more at bbg.org.

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