Columbus, OH – December 3, 2025 — Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens is proud to announce the launch of the Urban Garden Leadership Academy (UGLA), a new initiative designed to empower, connect, and equip current and emerging leaders in Central Ohio’s community gardening and urban agriculture space. Led through the Conservatory’s Growing to Green program and developed with contributions from experts across Columbus, OSU Extension, Columbus Public Health, community organizations, and experienced garden leaders, UGLA provides participants with hands-on training, peer learning, and practical tools to strengthen their gardens and deepen their community impact.

The 12-week academy combines interactive workshops, mentorship, and site visits that cover essential topics including garden planning, advanced growing techniques, food systems and policy, community outreach, storytelling and visibility, budgeting, fundraising, and organizational leadership. The academy’s inaugural cohort reflects the region’s vibrant gardening community: 19 participants representing 15 gardens across Central Ohio, ranging in age from 21 to 78 and bringing a wide range of lived experiences, roles, and leadership aspirations.

For many participants, UGLA has been a transformative experience. “What’s been most rewarding about my UGLA experience is getting to be in a room of people with such different backgrounds and having the space to bring my own unique experience and abilities to the table,” shared participant Max Rojanasakdakul. “Although I may have been younger than most people in the room, I felt like I was never seen as less experienced or amateur.”

Others are already putting their new skills into action. Sam Arthurs, who works closely with Local Matters’ garden education programs, said, “I absolutely plan to apply what I’ve learned in UGLA. I plan to utilize the skills I outlined above to search Land Bank for space and build a garden around the Local Matters mission of food access and education… I feel much more confident after this class than I did before it.”

Participants also highlighted how the program expanded their understanding of local collaboration and community assets. Angela Beasley said, “I was able to identify potential partners through asset mapping and the steps to engage in future collaboration. I realize the assets that we have just 2 blocks away.”

Through on-site experiences at gardens across the region, participants gained new perspectives on what makes community initiatives thrive. “The most rewarding experience has been the trips to various places and seeing how some of the gardens and initiatives in the area operate,” shared Harjote Kaur. “I like to hear the inner workings of various initiatives to see the strategies people implement.”

With a strong focus on inclusivity, community building, and long-term sustainability, the Urban Garden Leadership Academy is equipping both current and new generation of leaders to strengthen food access, support neighborhood resilience, and create thriving green spaces across Central Ohio.
For more information about UGLA or the Conservatory’s Growing to Green program, visit fpconservatory.org/growing-to-green

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Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens offers world-class horticulture, art & nature-based exhibitions and educational programs. The 13-acre indoor and outdoor facility—situated two miles from downtown Columbus—features glasshouses including the historic John F. Wolfe Palm House; botanical gardens including the Scotts Miracle-Gro Foundation Children’s Garden and Scotts Miracle Gro-Foundation Community Garden Campus; and event venues. The Conservatory is home to the largest collection of Chihuly glass in a botanical garden and Light Raiment II by internationally renowned artist James Turrell. Committed to the community, the Conservatory strives to provide an accessible and welcoming experience to all.