Natalie Ronayne Named Executive Director of
Cleveland Botanical Garden

February 22, 2007

Cleveland, OH - The board of directors of Cleveland Botanical Garden has appointed Natalie Ronayne as the sixth executive director in the institution's seventy-six year history.

The announcement comes after an intense, national search conducted by a committee of board members representing the Garden's various constituencies. "When all was said and done," says William E. Conway, the chairman of the search committee, "we recognized that the visionary leader and effective fund-raiser we sought to take the Garden to the next level was already in our midst." Adds Board President Ruth S. Eppig: "In addition to a longstanding passion for the Garden's mission of urban greening, education and conservation, Natalie possesses strong administrative and financial skills and a significant knowledge of the community, its residents, its public officials, and those of us dedicated to plants, the environment, and making Greater Cleveland the best place in the country to work, study, and play."

"I am thrilled," comments Ronayne, "to be doing what I love with such a creative, devoted group of people. The Garden is an inspiring place with an important role, which is to use plants to improve our lives and the health of our city and planet."

After graduating from Wittenberg University with a degree in biology, Ronayne earned a Master of Environmental Policy and Management at Indiana University. She serves on the Ohio Canal Corridor Board and Lake Erie Coast Ohio Board. She is married to Chris Ronayne, president of University Circle, Inc. The couple lives on Cleveland’s west side.