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PUBLISHER GWA 355 Lexington Ave., 15th Floor New York, NY 10017 Phone: 212-297-2198 info @ gardenwriters. org
EDITORIAL Jo Ellen Meyers Sharp editor jemsharp @ sbcglobal. net
Cathy Wilkinson Barash copy editor
Paul Wilson graphic designer paul @ paulwilsondesign. com
ADVERTISING Ashley Hodak Sullivan 212-297-2198 info @ gardenwriters. org
CIRCULATION Ashley Hodak Sullivan 212-297-2198 info @ gardenwriters. org
The information contained in articles and advertisements herein represents the opinions of the authors and advertisers, and although believed to be accurate and complete, is not represented or warranted by GWA to be accurate or complete. GWA disclaims any and all responsibility for damages suffered as a result of reliance on information contained herein.
2016-17 GWA BOARD OF DIRECTORS
President Kirk R. Brown John Bartram Lives
Vice President Becky Heath Brent & Becky’ s Bulbs
Treasurer Jo Ellen Meyers Sharp Write for You! LLC
Secretary Maria Zampini UpShoot LLC
Past President Larry Hodgson Horticom Inc.
QT is the membership newsletter of the GWA: The Association for Garden Communicators. It is published bimonthly and distributed electronically.
© 2016 GWA All rights reserved
DIRECTORS Region I C. L. Fornari( 2019 N) The Garden Lady Carmen DeVito( 2017 R) Groundworks Inc. Jan Johnsen( 2018 R) Johnsen Landscapes & Pools
Region II Denise Schreiber( 2017 N) Allegheny County Parks Dept. Louise Clarke( 2017 R) Morris Arboretum Kate J. Copsey( 2018 R) Freelance
Region III Diane Blazek( 2019 N) All-America Selections / National Garden Bureau Beth Botts( 2018 R) Morton Arboretum Susan Martin( 2017 R) Gardener Sue’ s News
Region IV Brienne Gluvna Arthur( 2018 N) Brie Arthur Consulting Cheval Opp( 2017 R) Cheval’ s Garden Tours Ira Wallace( 2016 R) Southern Exposure Seed Exchange Barbara Wise( 2018 R) Crescent Garden, LLC
Region V Bill Johnson( 2019 N) Bill Johnson Nature Stock Photography Inc. Rita Perea( 2018 R) International Contemplative Garden Association Kelly Norris( 2017 R) Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden
Region VI Nan Sterman( 2017 N) Plant Soup Inc. Jacqueline Soule( 2018 R) Gardening with Soule Lydia Plunk( 2017 R) Freelance
Region VII Ken Brown( 2018 N) gardening-enjoyed. com Wendy Downing( 2018 R) Freelance Tony Spencer( 2017 R) Freelance
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’ S MESSAGE
MARIA UNGARO
Branding Initiatives at Work in Atlanta
It was great to meet so many of you in Atlanta. We’ ve been working virtually with some of you for months, and it was wonderful to actually put faces to the voices. Those who attended got to see many of the initiatives that we’ ve been working on over the last 10 months come to life:
• Creating member value: Our priority has been and continues to be about creating value for our members and to grow our membership. We’ ve been making a concerted effort to recruit members from the Next Generation within the green industry. This year we held our first NextGen event at Longwood Gardens and Chanticleer Garden. We awarded our first Emergent Communicator Award to Katie Dubow of the Garden Media Group.
• Rebrand GWA: It was exciting to see our new brand in action. The event was filled with evidence of a new look and feel for GWA. The energy was palpable.
• Be the recognized education source, thought leader and resource for the industry: The GWA Conference was jam-packed with terrific educational opportunities, including keynotes from industry icon and plant guru Michael Dirr. The programming committee should feel great about all the presentations made to members.
• Achieve financial sustainability within two fiscal cycles: Treasurer Jo Ellen Meyers Sharp reported that although we still have a ways to go, we are starting to move the needle in the right direction.
Now that we’ ve set a strong foundation, we want to get you even more involved. Leadership met and reaffirmed our ongoing goals for 2017. Want to help us achieve all the goals we’ ve laid out? Join a committee. Don’ t miss your chance to build your network, demonstrate your creativity and give back to the green communications industry. Not sure which committee to join? Call me and we can discuss where would be a good fit.
Heartfelt thanks to Becky Heath, Kate Copsey and their committees for the tremendous educational programs and wonderful tours in Atlanta. A big thank you to the Board, especially those who are stepping off this year: National Directors: Linda Nitchman, Ellen Zachos and Bill Adams; and Regional Directors: Tom Mickey, Sue Markgraf, Kerry Mendez, Ira Wallace, Kevin Gragg, Pat Munts and Steven Biggs. Without the Board’ s support and leadership, we would not have been able to accomplish all we did these past 10 months.
For those who attended, you got to witness the incredible team in action— the incomparable # TeamGWA— Ashley Hodak Sullivan, Alexa Haller, Caitlin Norton, Sandy Stevens and June Price. I think you will agree that they are a force to be reckoned with and I am lucky to work with them every day. Please be sure to reach out with any questions or suggestions. See you in Buffalo, if not before!
N = National director • R = Regional director • Date = term expires
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