AT THE GARDEN — Senior staff

Patsy Benveniste serves as the Chicago Botanic Garden’s vice president of community education programs. In this capacity, she oversees the Center for Teaching and Learning, community gardening and horticultural therapy at the Garden. Ms. Benveniste also coordinates and helps develop strategic program resources for Windy City Harvest, a 14-acre urban horticulture jobs training and community education program in the North Lawndale area of Chicago. She also serves as Garden liaison on a variety of other community initiatives.

Ms. Benveniste has been actively involved in school food reform and school gardening. She is a regular presenter at American Public Garden Association conferences; serves as chair of APGA's People-Plant Interaction Committee and was a presenter at the 2006 Bioneers conference; and has been active in raising funds from private and government sources to support various programs and outreach projects.

Before joining the Garden in 2000, Ms. Benveniste served as director of education at Lincoln Park Zoo (1995-2000) and director of corporate and foundation giving (1990-1995).