Defining the Future of Garden Leadership
The public garden sector is changing fast—aging infrastructure, shifting funding, and a workforce in transition. The leaders who will navigate all of this aren’t just going to appear. They need to be cultivated, intentionally, and with care.
That starts with a plan that grows your people as intentionally as you grow your gardens. One that develops your staff, maps the future, and creates clear paths for emerging leaders to step into bigger roles.
We need these plans at every level: within our organizations and across our entire sector.
Our report examines the competencies future senior leaders of public gardens will need. We explore whether gaps exist between what leaders need and the competencies current leaders have, and whether gardens have internal pipelines strong enough to support future succession. These questions position leadership readiness not only as an individual skillset but also as an organizational and sector-wide responsibility with long‑term consequences for public gardens.
We hope this report proves beneficial for executives, senior leaders, boards, hiring managers, leadership development professionals, and aspiring leaders across the public garden field.
Read the 2025–2026 Cohort Project