Staff Biographies
Administration
SHARON MYRIE, vice president of Education, oversees BBG's Education Department, which serves over 150,000 youth, adults, and community organizations annually. Prior to joining BBG, she was associate executive director for programs at Lenox Hill Neighborhood House, where she developed and managed programs for children and adults. Ms. Myrie has also served as executive director of Sponsors for Educational Opportunity, one of New York City's first mentoring programs for high school students of color. Ms. Myrie holds a JD from the George Washington University National Law Center and a BA in psychology from Ithaca College.
Continuing Education
KATHERINE (KAT) LEMCKE is the director of Continuing Education. She holds an MS in environmental education and a BA in psychology. Prior to joining BBG, Kat developed interpretive projects for the Wildlife Conservation Society, including bird guides and rainforest education centers, as well as a sustainable tourism plan for Gabon's national parks.
RACHEL FERM is the Continuing Education coordinator. She holds a BA from NYU, where she designed her own program of study. Prior to joining BBG, she was a children's book editor. Rachel has attended classes and lectures all over New York City, including BBG's own Horticulture Certificate program.
THERESA GONZALEZ, program assistant, holds a BFA in scenic design from NYU. In addition to supporting classes and developing ideas for adult curricula at BBG, Theresa is an education volunteer at the American Museum of Natural History. Her professional experience includes more than ten years in theater, opera and film/TV around NYC.
Interpretation
ROMI IGE is the manager of Interpretation. She has a BS in landscape architecture and a two-year certificate in ornamental horticulture, both from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. She was a Chanticleer Fellow in public garden management and also completed the International Botanic Garden Management Diploma Course at Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Romi has also worked in landscape design, retail nursery sales, and as a public garden horticulture intern.
Programs for Children And Families
MARILYN SMITH, director of Children's Education at BBG, has worked in the field of environmental education for over 20 years. She worked as a naturalist in Ohio and directed a nature center in Connecticut before coming to BBG. Marilyn holds a BS in biology from Wheaton College and an MS in botany from Miami University.
Children's Garden and Family Programs
PATRICIA HULSE, manager of Family Programs at BBG, has been exploring the wonders of science and nature with children and adults in NYC since 1999, previously at Brooklyn Children's Museum and the New York Botanical Garden. She holds a BS in elementary education with a concentration in science from Boston University. Her family of farmers out on Long Island can't believe she lives and works in a city, though she spends most of her days outside with children in a garden.
MONIKA HANNEMANN is BBG's Discovery Program coordinator and Education Greenhouse manager. She holds a BA in botany and environmental studies from Oberlin College. She also has taught and gardened with children in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and in New York with the Horticultural Society of New York.
Garden Apprentice Program
SAARA NAFICI, the Garden Apprentice Program coordinator, holds a B.S. in Conservation and Resource Studies from UC Berkeley and a Masters in City Planning from MIT. Before joining BBG, Saara worked in the environmental education field for several years in the San Francisco Bay Area and engaged in housing justice and bicycle education work in Boston and NYC.
Programs for Teachers and School Groups
BARBARA KUSHNER KURLAND is the school Programs manager in the Children's Education Department at BBG. She holds a BA from Vassar College and an MA from Lehman College, CUNY, both in biology. She taught middle and high school science in the New York City public schools before coming to BBG, where she has been teaching and learning about plants with children, youth, and adults since 1989.
REBECCA STERN is a senior instructor for BBG's School Workshops and coordinates the Summer Science Adventures Program. She holds a BA in English with a minor in biology from Wellesley College and is currently earning a Certificate in Horticulture at BBG. She worked in both formal and informal middle school science education in Boston and Philadelphia before coming to BBG.
BARRINGTON ROGERS, senior instructor for BBG's School Workshops, assists in the coordination and day-to-day activities of the Children's Garden programs. He has a diploma in agriculture from JSA, a BS in agronomy and an M. in agricultural education and human resources from Prairie View A&M University. He has been employed at BBG for over ten years, sharing his knowledge and experiences with many children of different age groups.
BECKY LABOY is the Teacher Education coordinator at BBG. She holds a BA in international relations and an MA in education, both from Alliant International University. Becky has taught in public schools for six years and holds teaching licenses in New Jersey and California. She now enjoys providing professional development to teachers in New York City.
Project Green Reach
SARA EPSTEIN is the coordinator of Project Green Reach. She holds a BA in environmental studies from Oberlin College and a Certificate in Horticulture from BBG. Sara not only enjoys teaching about plants but growing, cooking, and eating them, too.
SARA SCOTT is the Senior Instructor for Project Green Reach. She holds a BA in Environmental Studies from Mount Holyoke College and an MA in Secondary Science Education from Pace University. Sara comes to BBG with five years teaching experience in the areas of Earth/Physical Science(s). She is excited to explore the wonders of plants with inquiring young minds, and to get her hands dirty in the Children's Garden.
Brooklyn Academy of Science and Environment
ELYSSA ARNONE, BASE program manager, holds a BS in plant biology from Ohio University. She has worked with middle and high school students in both formal and informal educational settings for the past ten years.
KIM CHASE, Science Education coordinator at BBG, holds an MS degree in environmental science from Antioch New England Graduate School. She runs the Science Research program for BASE and mentors GAP (Garden Apprentice Program) high school interns in BBG's Science Department.
IRENE SHEN, BASE partnership director, works for BBG and Prospect Park Alliance, bridging the partnerships between BASE and both institutions. Her background is in high school science education, environmental justice, sustainable urban agriculture, and community-based organizing. She holds a BA in Biology from Columbia University and an MSW from the Hunter College School of Social Work, and she likes to laugh.
Greenbridge
ROBIN SIMMEN is the director of Brooklyn GreenBridge. She has an MA in landscape design from the Conway School of Design and a BA from Cornell University. She has worked as an environmental planner, landscape designer, senior book editor, and photographer.
SUSAN FIELDS is the GreenBridge program manager. She has worked for many years with community gardens throughout NYC. She has an MSW and a BA in psychology, a certificate in gardening from the New York Botanical Garden, and is currently studying horticultural therapy.
LIS THOMAS is the GreenBridge outreach assistant. A graduate of Barnard College, she has studied botany at New York Botanical Garden and is currently pursuing a certificate in Horticulture from BBG. She is an active gardener and a passionate amateur mycologist.
KARLA OSORIO-PÉREZ is the manager of the Brooklyn Compost Project of Brooklyn GreenBridge. As a Peace Corps volunteer in El Salvador, she worked in agroforestry on compost awareness as an environmental educator. She also worked as a research manager studying ant species at the University of Puerto Rico.
LUKE HALLIGAN is the compost instructor of the Brooklyn Compost Project of Brooklyn GreenBridge. He is also a certified BBG Master Composter and VP/Education Chair at the Floyd Bennett Garden Association.
YACOUBA DIAKITÉ is the Brooklyn GreenBridge/Brooklyn Compost Project office assistant. He has worked as an operations assistant at the African Development Bank in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire, West Africa; as a research analyst with United Grain Growers in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada; and as an agrometerologist with the Agrhymet Center, Ministry of Rural Development, in Mauritania. He holds an MA in agricultural economics from Université Laval in Quebec, Canada.
Instructors
MARY JO ANZEL studied at the School of Visual Arts and is a life member of the Art Students League. Her floral watercolors are represented by several greeting card companies and East Coast galleries.
JOHANNA BAUMAN is a garden and landscape historian. She has a PhD in art history from the University of Virginia and teaches courses in garden history and art history at the graduate and undergraduate levels.
KAREN BELL holds an MFA in photography from Rhode Island School of Design and has taught at the New School, International Center of Photography, and FIT. Her photographs have been exhibited and collected throughout the U.S.
ENID BRAUN paints urban imagery and plein air pastel landscapes. She is a coordinating artist in New York City for the Tile Project, an international art project. She holds a BFA from the San Francisco Art Institute and an MFA from Pratt Institute.
NAN CAREY has a BFA in painting from the Rhode Island School of Design. Her classes and workshops introduce the pleasure of sketchbook journaling to budding artists of all ages. Her work is exhibited and collected in the metropolitan area and beyond.
KWOK KAY CHOEY learned Chinese brush painting from master artist and teacher Chen Wen-hsi. He has exhibited his works throughout the U.S. He has practiced and taught Chinese brush painting and tai chi chuan for more than 20 years.
JOE ECK and Wayne Winterrowd are the authors of A Year at North Hill: Four Seasons in a Vermont Garden and Living Seasonally: The Kitchen Garden and the Table at North Hill. They live in Vermont and are cofounders of the garden design firm North Hill.
ROSE EDINGER is an award-winning floral designer with over 20 years' experience. She specializes in thematic design work and has decorated events in the New York region and beyond.
SARA EPSTEIN is the coordinator of Project Green Reach. She holds a BA in environmental studies from Oberlin College and a Certificate in Horticulture from BBG.
SUSAN FIELDS is the program manager of GreenBridge. She has a MSW, a BA in psychology, and a Certificate in Gardening from NYBG.
DANIEL GIBBONS holds MAs from the University of Michigan and Villa Schifanoia in Florence. He is a member of the Brooklyn Watercolor Society. He conducts workshops in New York and the Caribbean and exhibits locally and in the Virgin Islands.
JOE GIUNTA has led bird walks for the Nature Conservancy and the South Fork Natural History Society and taught a beginning birding course for Summer Fest. He has birded extensively in the U.S., Panama, Belize, Venezuela, and Costa Rica.
ROB GOLDMAN is a bridge instructor, author, and tea fanatic. He lived in southern Asia, where he began studying tea cultures. Further studies in Chinese medicine and philosophy contributed to his expertise in the world of tea.
LUKE HALLIGAN is the compost instructor of the Brooklyn Compost Project for GreenBridge. He's an active gardener at the Floyd Bennett Field Community Garden and holds a BBG Master Composter certificate.
ROBERT HEROLD is a national director of the American Wine Society, whose motto is "Wine appreciation through education." He is ranked among its top 50 award-winning home winemakers. In addition to teaching, he is a consultant on establishing vineyards in Connecticut and New York.
SALLY MORGAN KRAUSE and her family are the resident caterers at Brooklyn Botanic Garden's renowned Palm House.
JUDITH KUNHARDT holds a degree in art history from the City College of New York. She is a member of the Brooklyn Watercolor Society and a fellow of the BBG Florilegium Society.
BARBARA KUSHNER KURLAND is BBG's manager of School Programs. She holds a BA from Vassar College and an MA from Lehman College, CUNY, both in biology.
ULI LORIMER is BBG's curator of the Native Flora Garden. He has a lifelong interest in native plants and holds an honors degree from the University of Delaware in landscape horticulture.
ALBERT MASSIMI holds an MA from Columbia and studied art at SUCB, the University of Siena (Italy), and LIU; he learned brush and ink painting while in the Peace Corps in Korea. He belongs to GNSI, ASBA, and the Brooklyn Watercolor Society, and has exhibited in the metropolitan area.
SANDRA MCLEAN is a food writer, chef, and educator. She teaches at the Institute of Culinary Education in Manhattan and is the chair of Slow Food NYC. She is currently writing a primer on the local foods movement.
JOAN MCDONALD runs a private garden design business, Gardens by Joan, and is a graduate of the BBG Certificate in Horticulture program.
THAD MCGAR is a longtime bonsai assistant at BBG, first under Kazuo Fujii and then former bonsai curator Robert Mahler. He received a BFA from the University of Texas and worked as a photographic retoucher before becoming interested in bonsai.
LEDA MEREDITH is a professional gardener and ethnobotanist with expertise in herbs and locavorism. She consults for residential, commercial, and institutional gardens in urban settings and recently authored Botany, Ballet, and Dinner from Scratch: A Memoir with Recipes.
ROBB MOSS is owner of FloraCulture and has taught floral design courses at Parsons School of Design, the New School, the New York Horticultural Society, and his own Floral Design Center of New York.
KARLA OSORIO-P…REZ is manager of the Brooklyn Compost Project for GreenBridge. She holds a BA in biology from the University of Puerto Rico.
MARGARITA POULSON has designed unique botanical jewelry for seven years. She is a horticulture and facilities associate at BBG and a graduate of the BBG Certificate in Horticulture program.
JOAN E. PRIOR is a prize-winning floral designer whose arrangements have adorned weddings from Manhattan lofts to Southampton mansions. Joan is also an accredited flower show judge and author.
LORETTA POOLE is a member of the Brooklyn Watercolor Society and holds an MA in art education from Brooklyn College. She has taught in public and private institutions and exhibits her work throughout New York.
NIGEL ROLLINGS is a designer and builder of gardens in the New York area and has taught classes at BBG since 1995. He won the Association of Professional Landscape Designers Silver Award for residential garden design in 2006.
CLIFFORD ROSE is the manager of horticulture operations at Green-Wood Cemetery. An ISA-certified arborist, he formerly worked at Brooklyn Botanic Garden and holds a BA in psychology from Queens College.
ADELE L. ROSSETTI is a professor of art at Pratt Institute and a member of the BBG Florilegium Society. A lecturer, scientific illustrator, and artist, she received the American Society of Botanical Artists' Excellence Award in 2001. She has a BS in scientific illustration and an MFA in painting and drawing.
JIM RUSSELL has gardened and maintained landscapes at the Prospect Park Zoo and at Battery Park, in Manhattan. He holds a BBG Certificate in Horticulture.
JAMES SALIERNO is assistant professor of biology at Fairleigh Dickinson University. He received his doctorate in environmental toxicology from the University of Maryland and currently studies the effects of environmental stress on fish populations and community ecology in aquatic and estuarine systems.
LOIS P.SHEINFELD is an environmentalist, educator, award-winning writer, and passionate gardener. She has taught at Stanford University and at NYU and lectures for BBG, NYBG, and other garden groups.
ROBIN SIMMEN is director of GreenBridge. She has an MA from the Conway School of Landscape Design, a BA from Cornell, and a lifelong interest in gardening.
LIS THOMAS is the outreach assistant for GreenBridge. She has a BA from Barnard College and is studying for a BBG Certificate in Horticulture.
IAN TONNESSEN is the owner of Flowers by Ian Tonnessen and has been working in the floral design industry for over 20 years.
EVELYN TULLY COSTA is the owner of Evelyn Tully Costa Designs LLC., which specializes in ìgreenî townhouse and terrace garden design. She has also reported for National Public Radio on environmental and sustainability issues.
GEORGE VALLO opened Portafiori Floral Design Studio in 1991. He specializes in parties, weddings, and corporate design. He has also designed silk flowers and prop pieces for many Broadway shows.
ANNE WALSH is a member of the Guild for Natural Science Illustrators and holds degrees in art education and art history. She has taught in public and private schools, at the Custer Institute, and at Mohonk Mountain House.
WAYNE WINTERROWD and Joe Eck are the authors of A Year at North Hill: Four Seasons in a Vermont Garden and Living Seasonally: The Kitchen Garden and the Table at North Hill. They live in Vermont and are cofounders of the garden design firm North Hill.