Natalie Ronayne Named Executive Director of Cleveland Botanical Garden

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Peter Vertes
Director of Communications
216.707.2839
pvertes@cbgarden.org

February 22, 2007

CLEVELAND, OHIO – 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."

Ronayne was recruited to the Garden in September of 2005 as its chief operating officer. In the fall of 2006, she assumed the position of acting executive director. Previously, she was director of the Department of Parks, Recreation and Properties for the City of Cleveland, where she managed a $70 million budget, 600 employees, and multiple properties, including 150 parks, 22 recreation centers and the Cleveland Convention Center. She helped to secure over $8 million in federal and state grants for neighborhood and regional park projects.

Since coming to the Garden, Ronayne has managed the day-to-day operations and provided leadership for the implementation of the Garden's new strategic plan. One of her major emphases was bringing community interests together to launch the Lonnie Burten Learning Garden in Cleveland’s Central neighborhood.

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.

Cleveland Botanical Garden, which began as the Garden Center of Greater Cleveland, the country's first urban garden center, celebrated its 75th anniversary year in 2005. A nonprofit garden, the institution is a national leader in urban horticulture and botanical education. From its 10-acre campus in University Circle to three inner-city learning gardens and dozens of outdoor classrooms at area schools, the Garden has introduced the benefits of gardening to thousands of people of all ages, interests, backgrounds and abilities. Since its founding in 1930, education has been the core of the Garden’s mission, guiding expansion in recent years to include urban outreach, school programs that support national academic standards, and sustainable economic development. It has 6,000 members and biennially hosts the nation’s largest outdoor flower show. The Garden's website is at www.cbgarden.org.

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