DURHAM, N.C. – September 21, 2026 — Following a nationwide search, Duke University has selected Grace Elton as the next executive director of Sarah P. Duke Gardens, effective Jan. 1, 2027. Elton will succeed Bill LeFevre, who is retiring after 19 years as executive director. Elton joins Duke Gardens from New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill in Boylston, Massachusetts, where she has served as CEO for nine years.

Grace Elton’s tenure at New England Botanic Garden began in 2017 and ushered in a period of transformative change. She is responsible for increasing the Garden’s annual budget by 78 percent, annual visitation by 81 percent, and membership by 47 percent. She led the largest comprehensive capital campaign in the Garden’s history, raising over $31 million to build a garden for children and families, a beloved space known as The Ramble, and improve infrastructure and ADA accessibility. She also increased the Garden’s physical footprint by over 60 acres, advancing its conservation impact, and grew the organization’s endowment. Today’s garden sits on nearly 200 acres, welcomes more than 250,000 visitors each year, and boasts national recognition for its gardens, its annual holiday light display, and its sustainability initiatives.

Elton’s record of growth and innovation positions her to lead Duke Gardens into its next chapter. “Throughout the search process, Grace stood out for her vision, energy, authenticity, and ability to bring people together around a shared sense of possibility,” said Toddi Steelman, Vice President and Vice Provost for Climate and Sustainability at Duke University. “She is an experienced and thoughtful leader who empowers talented colleagues, builds strong relationships with boards and donors, communicates directly and openly, and understands how to connect a garden more deeply with its surrounding community. We are especially excited about the opportunity she represents to strengthen the Gardens’ connections across Duke, throughout Durham, and across the broader public-horticulture field.”

“I am thrilled to join Duke Gardens and the Duke University community,” said Elton. “Duke Gardens has an extraordinary history and an exciting future, and I am honored to have the opportunity to help lead this remarkable institution. I look forward to getting to know the Gardens’ staff, volunteers, supporters, students, and the broader Durham community, and to building on the strong foundation Bill LeFevre has created over the past two decades.”

Elton has a strong background in public horticulture, with leadership and experience at premier gardens in the United States and United Kingdom. While serving as director of horticulture at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden in Richmond, Virginia, the garden garnered national recognition as a top 10 botanical garden by USA Today and received the National Medal from the Institute of Museum and Library Services. She also served as horticulture supervisor and adjunct professor at the 118-acre Ambler Arboretum of Temple University in Ambler, Pennsylvania. As a recipient of the prestigious Martin McLaren Horticulture Scholar Award presented by the Garden Club of America, Elton studied botanic garden education, practical horticulture and landscape design at leading institutions in England, including the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, Royal Horticultural Society Garden Rosemoor, the Eden Project, and the Chelsea Physic Garden; and in Scotland at the Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh.

Elton holds a Master of Science in public horticulture with a certificate in museum studies from the Longwood Graduate Program at the University of Delaware. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in environmental horticulture, with a specialization in public gardens management, from the University of Florida. She previously served as treasurer of the board of directors of the American Public Gardens Association.

“Duke Gardens is entering an exciting new era,” Elton said. “The recent completion of the Garden Gateway has created new opportunities to welcome visitors, expand learning and engagement, and strengthen the Gardens’ role as a resource for Duke and the broader community. I am especially excited to work with the talented Gardens team and our many partners to build on that momentum while honoring the legacy and character of this extraordinary garden.”

Elton will join the Duke Gardens team on Jan. 1, 2027. For more information about Sarah P. Duke Gardens, visit gardens.duke.edu.