The San Antonio Botanical Garden announced today it has selected Sabina Carr as Chief Executive Officer. As Vice President of Marketing at the Atlanta Botanical Garden for the past 16 years, Mrs. Carr leads the strategic vision, brand identity, and diversification of revenue streams for one of the nation’s leading public gardens. From 2014-2016, she served as President of the Board of the American Public Garden Association, the preeminent professional organization for botanical gardens and arboreta. Sabina will begin leading the Garden on November 6.
“Sabina’s vision and experience in large public gardens makes her the right leader for the Garden’s future as we build on the success of the Garden’s recent $40 million capital investment. She brings a proven track record, leading teams that tripled annual visitation, membership, and the operational budget during her tenure in Atlanta,” said John Troy, President of the Botanical Garden Board.
The Botanical Garden launched a national search for the Chief Executive Officer in April by engaging the Chicago-based firm of Kittleman & Associates, LLC, an executive recruiting company that works exclusively with nonprofit organizations. “We cast a wide net to find the person with the highest level of leadership skills, career experience, and industry knowledge to lead the Garden in our mission to connect people with plants,” said Mary Ann Beach, Chair of the Board Search Committee. “In every aspect, Sabina is the leader who understands the impact of public gardens in our lives and has the vision and strategic leadership skills to advance the Garden’s mission to serve our entire community.
As only the fourth female President of the Board of the American Public Garden Association, Sabina brings innovative ideas generated among this network of 600 member gardens and 6,000 individual members. Prior to joining the Atlanta Botanical Garden, Sabina held marketing and advertising positions with American Express, Conde Nast Publishing, and Saatchi & Saatchi Advertising.
“I am honored to join the Garden during this remarkable time of growth to further the ambitious accomplishments of the Board and staff,” said Sabina. “Great cities have great gardens and the botanical garden is the place to forge deep connections to plants and foster an understanding of the natural world. The recent expansion and soon to be completed Education and Events Center provides an enormous opportunity for this Garden to be relevant to the community for generations to come.”
