2010 APGA Board of Directors Nominations

Secretary

Wilf Nicholls has been director of the Memorial University of Newfoundland Botanical Garden (St. John's, Canada) since 1997 and teaches undergraduate applied and plant biology. In addition to research on ornamental native plants and nutriceuticals, Wilf is on the Limestone Barrens Species-At-Risk Recovery Team; he currently oversees the ex situ conservation of several rare and endangered endemic calciphiles. Wilf is currently director at large on the APGA Board, headed the recent publications task force, and served on the AABGA program committee (in the mid-1990s). Other board work includes the Canadian Ornamental Plant Foundation, Canadian Botanical Conservation Network, Landscape Newfoundland & Labrador, Newfoundland Horticultural Society (president), and the Community Food Sharing Association. Wilf has organized/moderated sessions and workshops at APGA meetings; is a frequent speaker to industry, public, and learned societies; and authored articles and a regular column for the Vancouver Sun. As host of a TV gardening show and a frequent guest on radio phone-ins, he is a well-known face/voice of horticulture in Newfoundland.

Treasurer

Bill LeFevre is director of the Sarah P. Duke Gardens at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. Bill received a BS from the University of Connecticut and an MS as a Fellow in the Longwood Graduate Program in public horticulture at the University of Delaware. Bill serves on the board of Seeds, Inc., and is a member of the Advisory Committee for the Duke Forest and the Tourism Development Authority of the Durham Convention and Visitor's Bureau. Bill currently serves as treasurer of APGA, having been appointed last year to fill the unexpired term of current APGA Vice President Paul Redman. Bill previously served as director of Bartram's Garden in Philadelphia, established by botanist John Bartram in 1728, and managed Philadelphia's Parks Revitalization Project at the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society following a successful career in commercial landscape construction and service in the United States Navy as a carrier-based air traffic controller.

Directors at Large

A seasoned marketer with twenty years' experience ranging from consumer products to media to non-profit, Sabina Carr is director of marketing and communications for the Atlanta Botanical Garden. Since 2002, she has been responsible for leading the development of the Garden's brand identity, introducing blockbuster exhibitions, driving visitation, increasing membership, and expanding its image via public relations, web-site development, and management, promotions, advertising, and marketing research. During her tenure, the Garden doubled visitation and membership. In the summer of 2009 she was given the added responsibilities of Visitor Services and Private Events, increasing her exposure in impacting the guest experience. A New York native, Carr previously held key positions at American Express Publishing, Condè Nast and Saatchi & Saatchi Advertising Worldwide. Her husband Tom is a marketing executive with Discovery Networks based in Silver Spring, Maryland, and they have five-year-old twin daughters Margot and Camilla.

Jane G. Pepper took over the reins of the 182-year-old Pennsylvania Horticultural Society (PHS) in 1981. In her role as president, she oversees the Society's activities and programs, including the renowned Philadelphia Flower Show and Philadelphia Green, a national model for neighborhood revitalization. Under Pepper's guidance, the organization has become a leading voice in regional greening initiatives. The Society's programs and activities have seen tremendous growth under Pepper's leadership. Nearly 16,000 active members enjoy a variety of benefits, including the award-winning Green Scene magazine, a 14,000-volume horticultural library, garden tours, lectures, workshops, and awards programs. Prior to her position with PHS, Pepper, a native of Edinburgh, Scotland, was Horticulturist at Haverford College in Haverford, Pennsylvania. She holds a MS degree in public horticulture administration from the Longwood Graduate Program and a BS degree in plant science from the University of Delaware. She also has an AS degree in landscape design from Temple University.

Paul Kuenstner is a vice president at the Fidelity Foundation in Boston, working with non-profit organizations around the country. The Foundation encourages strong management and self-reliance in non-profits. Prior to joining the Foundation in 2000, Paul was in corporate real estate for 15 years, at Fidelity Investments, QVC Networks in Pennsylvania, and Citibank and Chemical Bank in New York City, managing people, projects, and properties. A registered architect, Paul has a degree in English literature from Swarthmore College, a MArch from Columbia University, and an MBA from New York University. He is on the board of ThinkingBeyondBorders.org, an international gap-year program for students. Paul has done just enough gardening to know that he's not particularly talented at it--his interest is more professional, having worked with many gardens over the years on restoration projects, new gardens, technology projects, etc. He is inspired by those gardeners who can blend art and science to create always-changing beauty. He and his wife live in Newton, Massachusetts, and have a daughter in college and a son in high school.