SANTA FE, NM – August 16, 2025 – The Santa Fe Botanical Garden will get new leadership this fall. The garden announced Wednesday the appointment of a new executive director — Laura Leach, currently director of development and marketing at Tucson Botanical Gardens in Arizona.

Leach is a graduate of New York Botanical Gardens’ School of Professional Horticulture and has more than three decades of experience in development and marketing.

She will assume her new position in the Land of Enchantment in November.

“Public gardens play an increasingly important role in the health and wellbeing of our communities,” Leach said in a news release. “I look forward to connecting with Santa Feans and our visitors from all over the world to hear — and help shape — stories of this garden’s impact on their lives.”

Leach will succeed David Young, a retired university administrator with a doctorate degree in botany who has served as executive director for three years. Young will return to his position on the garden’s board of directors.

“Her background, creativity and enthusiasm are just the right combination of talents to help us realize our ambitious goals for the Garden’s future and our growing contributions in the community,” Board Chair Libby Keefer said of Leach in the news release.

Beyond public gardens, Leach has worked for nonprofits, including environmental, conservation and performing arts organizations in the United States and the United Kingdom, according to the release. She has also worked at the Ladew Topiary Gardens in Monkton, Md., and the Wasatch Community Gardens in Salt Lake City.

At the Wasatch Community Gardens in 2023, Leach received an Outstanding Development Professional Award from the Utah chapter of the Association of Professional Fundraisers, according to the release.

The Santa Fe Botanical Garden includes almost 20 acres full of native and non-native plants on Museum Hill. It hosts various programs and events, including concerts and children’s summer camps.

ARTICLE Lily Alexander is a Santa Fe New Mexican reporter through a fellowship with the New Mexico Local News Fund.