The Ecological Landscape Alliance is excited to announce a new formal partnership with New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill and the U.S. branch of Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI-US). This exciting new venture, rooted in strong mission alignment, will bring the leadership base of both BGCI-US and ELA to the botanic garden and will strengthen all three organizations in plant conservation, research, and ecological horticulture practice.
“This is a remarkable moment in ELA’s history,” says incoming ELA President Rie Macchiarolo. “The partnership with New England Botanic Garden will help fuel ELA’s growth and improve the level of service we offer our members. Affiliation with BGCI-US will help bridge the gap between plant conservation and landscape professionals.”
Mark Richardson, Executive Director of ELA
The partnership will be headed by Mark Richardson, who will serve as Executive Director for both ELA and BGCI-US. Mark is familiar to ELA members, having served as a board member for 10 years and as President from 2023-2024. He will oversee and execute the mission, strategic planning, and function of both ELA and BGCI-US, and ensure each organization maintains its individual identity. Mark spent the last six years as Director of Horticulture at New England Botanic Garden, where he oversaw the horticulture staff responsible for maintaining nearly 200-acres of gardens and natural areas. Before joining the team at New England Botanic Garden, Mark served six years with Native Plant Trust in Framingham, Massachusetts where he first joined the ELA board in 2014. During his tenure at New England Botanic Garden, Mark helped grow the garden’s reputation for horticultural excellence, engaging in meaningful projects to preserve rare plant collections and earning national recognition for sustainability initiatives that decarbonize horticulture operations.
Macchiarolo continues, “Mark is perfect for this role in so many ways. Because of his long tenure of service, he knows ELA inside and out. We are delighted to be working with him and New England Botanic Garden in this next chapter for ELA—the future is so bright! This partnership will expand ELA’s reach to more horticultural and botanical institutions, giving those professionals opportunities to learn, employ, and share ecological landscape techniques.”
“I’m thrilled to take on this new challenge in partnership with two organizations that share New England Botanic Garden’s vision of a world where people and plants thrive,” says Richardson. “ELA plays a critical role in educating industry professionals about innovations in ecological horticultural practices. BGCI-US provides its member gardens with vital resources in their efforts to save plants. Each complements the other and this partnership will further the strategic goals of all three organizations.”
Beginning in July, ELA’s headquarters shift to Boylston, Massachusetts. The first initiatives Mark plans to undertake as Executive Director include developing the organization’s next strategic plan, and overhauling the website to reflect ELA’s growing national footprint and provide better service to members. “Our membership has grown exponentially since I first joined the board, but the resources we devote to providing member services have yet to catch up. I’m excited to hear from our membership about what they hope to see in ELA’s future as we reach out to them to develop our new strategic plan. I’m also excited to develop new tools and additional partnerships to expand the great educational programming ELA provides.”
“The affiliation is a natural fit,” says Grace Elton, CEO of New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill. The Garden operates on 200 acres and engages over 200,000 annual visitors in its mission to create experiences with plants that inspire people and improve the world. “Partnering with ELA and BGCI-US,” Elton explains, “creates opportunities for New England Botanic Garden to advance its strategic priorities, allowing the organization to better convene peer institutions and thought leaders in public horticulture around plant conservation and plant-based solutions to climate change.”
For more information about New England Botanic Garden, its mission, history, and news visit nebg.org. For more information about BGCI-US, its mission, history, and news, visit bgci.org.
