Transformation: 24 Years at Desert Botanical Garden with Ken Schutz

TRANSFORMATION

24 Years at Desert Botanical Garden with Ken Schutz

Editorial Staff

M anaging Editor Carol Schilling

A ssociate Editors Harriet Ivey

Editorial Committee

Mike Remedi

M argie Burke

H arold Dorenbecher

Kimberlie McCue

Elaine McGinn

Ken Schutz

Editorial Consultant Beth Brand

Contributing Writers Andrea Bailey

M argie Burke

Andrew Cipriano

Keridwen Cornelius

Kevina Devereaux

H arold Dorenbecher

Amy Flood

M arcia Flynn

Kimberlie McCue

Elaine McGinn

Mike Remedi

C arol Schilling

Ken Schutz

M arilyn Wolfe

Copy Editors Dana Terrazas

Kelsey Wolf-Donnay

Design Staff

M anager Dana Terrazas

Creative Director Ashley Quay

Design Lindsey Miles

Contributing Beth Brand

Photographers Haute Event Photography

Kari Foss

B ethany Hatch

Alexander Iziliaev

Lindsey Miles

J oyce Ore

Eirini Pajak

Polymath Photography

Jaron Quach

A shley Quay

Kevin Ritchie

Adam Rodriguez

L aura Segall

N athaniel Willson

Photography Committee Beth Brand

Elaine McGinn

A shley Quay

Kelsey Wolf-Donnay

Transformation: Published by 24 Years at Desert Botanical Garden Desert Botanical Garden with Ken Schutz 1201 N. Galvin Parkway Phoenix, AZ 85008 dbg.org

Publication Date July 1, 2025

©Desert Botanical Garden

This special publication is a 24-year retrospective in tribute to and appreciation of Ken Schutz, the Dr. William Huizingh Executive Director of the Garden since June 2001, who will retire September 30, 2025.

We asked Ken to do these things. He did them and more. We are grateful.

In 2001, when the Board of Trustees hired Ken Schutz to be the Garden’s 10th director, we asked him to concentrate on five issues:

• Oversee the build-out of the Garden’s first capital campaign and help it grow into those new facilities;

• Launch the next capital campaign within five years to create an endowment to support the Garden’s operating expenses;

• Continue to build the Garden’s scientific collections of cactus, agaves and other desert plants facing extinction;

• Transform the Garden from its informal status as “the bestkept secret in Phoenix” into a vibrant destination; and

• Ensure that the Garden’s plants and exhibits continue to serve its mission of education, conservation, research and exhibition.

The trustees through these 24 years have been pleased to work with Ken as he has focused on these issues. We have been amazed and inspired by his successes.

He has ensured the Garden’s plants have remained healthy and beautiful.

He has elevated the Garden to a place of joyful importance for people who live in this community.

He has increased the Garden’s impact on conservation and plant-study locally as well as nationally and globally.

He has provided leadership for three capital campaigns that added physical structures and created the endowment fund.

He has provided strong financial managerial skills, which allowed the Garden to create a tiered system of reserve funds and grew the endowment fund to eight figures.

More than 500,000 people now visit the Garden each year. We believe nearly every one of them leaves with a sense of appreciation for the desert and its plants as well as the comfort, joy and appreciation of beauty that a garden should offer. We believe the Garden’s hundreds of volunteers feel the same way.

Our heartfelt thanks and appreciation, and the greatest affection, go to Ken for his vision and leadership in the nearly quarter-century he has served as the director of Desert Botanical Garden. 2025

Harold C. Dorenbecher Chair, Board of Trustees

KEN’S ROAD TO THE GARDEN

Ken Schutz moved to Arizona in May 2001 to become executive director of Desert Botanical Garden. During his first four years in Arizona, he lived in Desert House on the Garden grounds. In 2005, he moved to downtown Phoenix where he and his husband of 30 years, Craig Thatcher, still live. Ken and Craig have three children and five grandchildren (so far).

Prior to moving to Arizona, Ken lived in Blacksburg, Virginia, where he was the executive director of the Science Museum of Western Virginia for eight years. Ken first became a Virginian when he enrolled at the Darden School of Graduate Business Administration at the University of Virginia in 1988. He graduated with a Master of Business Administration degree in 1990.

Ken was born in Baltimore, Maryland, and earned his Bachelor of Science degree from Bucknell University in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, in 1976. After college, he returned to Baltimore and became a middle school biology teacher before transferring to the Baltimore Zoo as the teacherin-residence. He stayed ten years at the Zoo, working in education, then marketing and, lastly, in fundraising and development. While at the Zoo, he earned a Master of Science degree in educational theory from Johns Hopkins University.

Over his career, Ken held a variety of leadership roles in the museum world. He served as president of the American Public Gardens Association, as a member of the national board of the Institute of Museum and Library Services, and as a member of the American Alliance of Museums’ accreditation commission.

In 2003, Ken received a Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust Fellowship to live in Mexico for two months while studying in a Spanish language immersion school. He visited prominent Mexican gardens as a way to sharpen his language skills and also to find inspiration for new plant exhibits at our Garden.

In 2019, Ken was selected as Valley Leadership's 71st Man of the Year in recognition of his accomplishments at the Garden and for his contributions to the broader community. Ken was given the Honorary Life Member Award this spring by the American Public Gardens Association, the organization’s most esteemed award, for his “uncommon devotion to public horticulture throughout his distinguished career."

2011, Ken and Dr. William Huizingh, who was a longtime trustee, donor, friend.

2003, Ken in Guadalajara, Mexico, during his Virgina G. Piper Charitable Trust Fellowship program.

2025, Ken with his husband Craig Thatcher at Dinner on the Desert.

THE GARDEN’S FORMULA FOR SUCCESS

By Ken Schutz, the Dr. William Huizingh executive director

The Garden is a complex enterprise. It serves people and plants. Both. Equally.

These pages describe some of the marvelous work the Garden does to protect desert plants and habitats. They also mention some of the incredible ways the Garden touches people’s lives and makes them better.

The challenge (and the thrill) of being the Garden’s executive director has been to forge these two reasons for being into the very DNA of one united organization. We don’t shrink from the challenge of simultaneously serving both plants and people; we derive our inspiration and energy from that work.

Over the course of my days at the Garden, I have developed a list of 10 things that make the Garden successful. I have shared it at least once a year with our staff members, and also with new hires and board members. I am happy to share it with you now.

1. Not-for-profit

This doesn’t mean we don’t try to operate at a profit, because we do. It means that our profits are reinvested in the Garden, rather than distributed to shareholders or individual investors.

2. Results oriented

While it can be difficult, we try to assess how well we are achieving our mission from the community’s perspective and not just our own. Sometimes this assessment is just numbers— how many people are served, the amount of money received or an audit report. But the results we strive for are far more lofty and difficult to measure, such as community pride in the Garden, community gratitude for the job we do caring for their Garden, and community trust that the Garden is in good hands.

3. Mission-driven

All of our activities are related to the Garden’s mission: commitment to the community, research, education, exhibition, conservation and being a compelling attraction. Our view is that we (board, staff and volunteers) are all privileged to have been selected by the community to care for their Garden. We serve at their pleasure; as long as we vigorously pursue the Garden’s mission, they will be pleased.

4. Advance excellence

We are good today. We can be better tomorrow. The quest for “advancing excellence” is never ending.

5. Holistic

Achieving the ultimate results — community pride, gratitude and trust — is a responsibility equally shared by all departments. So is the satisfaction from doing so. When faced with a decision to do what’s better for a department or what’s better for the Garden, the choice must always be for the Garden.

6. Openness and philanthropic culture

The Garden believes in collaboration, and seeks to share information and assistance with its neighbors in Papago Park as well as other Arizona arts and culture institutions and other gardens throughout the country. The Garden is generous in spirit, both internally and externally, and views its strategic and operating plans as ideas that should be shared widely if they can help other nonprofits.

7. Aesthetic/innovative

Style matters at the Garden. We have a distinctive “look” that has been carefully cultivated, especially in our exhibits, publications and website. The Garden has a reputation for innovative programming such as Chihuly and Topia, the first Ballet Arizona performance at the Garden.

8. Investment in people

The Garden supports training and professional development for staff, trustees and volunteers. The Garden uses a “Total Rewards Philosophy” for staff. Salaries are competitive with those for similar jobs and organizations. At least once a year, each staff member meets with their supervisor to talk career goals and how to achieve them at the Garden.

9. Meritocracy and fairness

The staff member best able to do a job does it, rather than yielding turf to someone else. Those who work the hardest and achieve the most are rewarded with increases in responsibility and/or compensation. The Garden accepts the risk that some of its best and brightest might be recruited away if the Garden cannot provide them with increasing responsibility.

10. Stability

The Garden operates on careful planning, resulting in a predictable work schedule, financial stability and high rate of staff retention. Ironically, maintaining stability often means changing. The need always to remain relevant to our community requires us to be nimble, adaptable and flexible.

KEN'S VISION & STRATEGY

By Carolyn O’Malley, 9th executive director of Desert Botanical Garden

In his 24 years as executive director of the Garden, Ken worked with the Board of Trustees to create a series of five-year strategic plans that pinpointed the Garden’s needs. Ken and the board members then led capital campaigns that raised the philanthropic support to meet those needs.

At the same time Ken attracted greater numbers of visitors and members by bringing in world-class temporary exhibits and building new permanent plant displays and exhibits at the Garden. He also expanded the variety and types of special events at the Garden—Dog Days, Día de Muertos, Flutterfest and others—that increased admissions revenue considerably. That money has strengthened all departments at the Garden, including research, collections and conservation. It has provided good wages for staff and funded generous reserve funds.

In short, Ken designed revenue engines that have supported the Garden’s work. That’s absolutely transformational.

LOOKING BACK: HIGHLIGHTS & LOWLIGHTS

By Ken Schutz, the Dr. William Huizingh executive director

Accreditation is not a ho-hum designation

Desert Botanical Garden is one of approximately 1,100 museums accredited by the American Alliance of Museums. Nationwide only 30 gardens have such status. Accreditation recognizes excellence across all platforms of collection care and management including research, education and scientific publication. The Garden was first accredited in 1983, then again in both 1999 and 2010. We are pleased that the Garden was reaccredited for another 10 years in February 2025.

We faced three major crises

During my tenure, the Garden’s ability to be nimble, adaptable and flexible was severely tested three times. Those times were: September 11, 2001, when tourism and leisure travel fell dramatically for an extended period of time after the terrorist attack on the Twin Towers in New York City; the autumn of 2008, when a catastrophic national financial collapse occurred just as the Garden was set to open its first Chihuly exhibit; and the spring of 2020, when COVID-19 closed the Garden and nearly every arts and culture venue in the country.

We were nimble, adaptable and flexible and we met each crisis with success. During each of those terrible times we were ready with interesting things to see in a beautiful and safe place while enjoying friends and family. In the aftermath of 9/11 and during the financial freefall that began in 2008, the Garden was a sanctuary offering immediate comfort and hope to visitors. In the case of COVID we were able to reopen in stages after a mandatory closing. By 2021, when the third Chihuly exhibit opened, we were back in full operation.

Good ideas come from everywhere

At the Garden, everyone—staff, trustees and volunteers—works together to develop annual operating budgets, capital campaigns and five-year strategic plans. This inclusive approach recognizes that good ideas come from many sources, and enriches the quality and ultimate success of each of these undertakings. Ideas grow into plans that are developed, approved and supported by people at all levels. It’s a good path to success.

Garden hospitality

An afternoon at the Garden is always fun and relaxing. But the Garden has found other ways to connect with our visitors, members and neighbors. The Garden became more welcoming and hospitable when we began to allow people to eat and drink and host important family events here. Making the hard decision to acquire a liquor license in 2002, and later opening a fine dining restaurant—Gertrude’s—in 2013, turned the Garden into a kind of home away from home where families and friends could gather and enjoy each other’s company. These important milestones, such as engagement parties, weddings, anniversaries, birthdays and bar mitzvahs, memorialize the Garden in a family’s life, and bring them back again and again to “their” Garden.

THE GARDEN'S MISSION

The Garden’s commitment to the community is to advance excellence in education, research, exhibition and conservation of desert plants of the world with emphasis on the Sonoran Desert. We will ensure that the Garden is always a compelling attraction that brings to life the many wonders of the desert.

Steve Blackwell, conservation collections manager, and Ivanna Caspeta, research assistant, observe rare orchids in the Ahearn Desert Conservation Laboratory.

RESEARCH, CONSERVATION, COLLECTIONS & HORTICULTURE

It's all about the plants

THE GARDEN’S COLLECTIONS ARE AT THE HEART OF OUR MISSION

By Dr. Kimberlie McCue, chief science officer

Three important collections are held at Desert Botanical Garden: the Living Collection, the herbarium and the library. In an age when some gardens, arboreta and even universities are closing their libraries and herbaria, the Garden has chosen to maintain those collections and add to them.

Access to each of these collections went mainstream during Ken Schutz's tenure, with each available to anyone with internet access. One may search the Living Collection at livingcollections.org, the herbarium at swbiodiversity.org and the library at dbg.org/visit/schilling-library.

The Living Collection—weird and wonderful beauty

Every visitor to the Garden sees and enjoys the Living Collection, displaying 50,000 plants throughout the Garden’s 140 acres, although most live within the 55 acres of cultivated plant beds. Raul Puente-Martinez is the curator of Living Collections.

The Living Collection began in 1939 when a cactus known as a Creeping Devil Stenocereus eruca was donated to the Garden. This plant was recorded in a bound volume and assigned the number 1939-0001 (a unique Garden accession number), signifying that the plant entered the collection in 1939 and was the first plant recorded that year. This plant is still alive in the Garden.

Every plant added to the collection since has been recorded and assigned a number by which it is tracked throughout its life. In 2001, Ken’s first year, 295 accession numbers were assigned. Since then 18,465 accession numbers have been added.

The Garden now holds more than 4,800 different species, sub-species and varieties, many of which are rare, threatened or endangered.

Seeds represent an important part of the Living Collection. The majority of these seeds are

Every accessioned Garden plant has a tag identifying its origin, name and number.

Sarah Hunkins, herbarium collections manager, conducts plant research in the herbarium.

Original volumes recording the Garden’s earliest collected plant specimens.

of rare, threatened and endangered species. Harbored in dedicated freezers, they provide the potential to restore populations or an entire species gone extinct in the wild.

The value of the Living Collection is incalculable. The plants are beautiful, weird and wonderful and show the diversity of desert plants. Scientists from around the world study these plants. Species within the collection are safeguarded for conservation, providing a backstop against extinction.

The Herbarium—the history of the plants that grow here

The herbarium holds an equally valuable collection. It contains dried and pressed plant specimens that include the leaves, roots, flowers and/or fruits of a plant that vouch for its existence at a particular time and place. The herbarium focuses on arid and semi-arid region plants with special emphasis on those in the cactus and agave families, preserving high quality specimens and their history for perpetuity. Andrew Salywon is the curator.

In 1972, J. Harry Lehr, the Garden’s first herbarium curator, greatly expanded the Garden’s collection of dried specimens. Under the leadership of Wendy Hodgson, curator emerita, and Andrew, with help from other staff, volunteers and support from Garden administration, the collection has grown fourfold, from 25,000 specimens in 1984 to 100,000 specimens in 2025, of which Wendy herself collected about 40 percent.

Garden staff and researchers from across the country and the world use the herbarium for

many purposes, including identifying species and their distribution, assessing rare species, determining new species, researching the effects of climate change on ecosystems, tracking the spread of invasive species, studying ethnobotany and even doing forensic research.

The Library—all you want to know about arid plants (and more)

The third Garden collection is in the Schilling Library, which moved in 2001 to a new building with more room for research and study. Beth Brand is the head librarian.

This collection includes 9,000 reference volumes and 457 journals, all about plants—ethnobotany, desert floras, taxonomic treatments of desert region plants and field guides for the areas in the world where Garden researchers work.

Especially treasured within the library collection are 350 rare books dating to the 16th century and 523 botanical illustrations from between the 18th to 20th centuries, as well as 11,080 digitized slides and 2,089 digitized pages of field notes by Dr. Edward F. Anderson, a former Garden research staff member and author of "The Cactus Family." The Garden's historic documents are held in the library archives.

People ranging from gardeners to plant scientists from all over the world visit the library for information about arid climate plants.

The Garden library is a member of The Council on Botanical and Horticultural Libraries, a network of specialized libraries and librarians that support the research of botanists and horticulturalists around the globe.

2025, staff and volunteers display the 100,000th specimen added to the herbarium collection.

BECOMING A CONSERVATION HOTSPOT

By Dr. Kimberlie McCue, chief science officer

Under Ken Schutz's leadership, the Garden has become a major player in plant conservation on the national and international stages, recognized as the premier institution for cactus and succulent knowledge and research.

In 2009, Ken approved two new positions to focus on building a cohesive, integrated conservation program—a program director for threatened species and habitats (that was me) and a conservation collections manager, Steve Blackwell. We had the mandate to move the Garden forward in conservation.

The Garden’s cactus and agave collections are now the “national” collections

In 2010, the Garden’s expansive and well-maintained cactus and agave collections were designated as the National Collections of Cactaceae and Agavaceae by the American Public Gardens Association’s Plant Collections Network. The Garden now cares for more than two-thirds of the species in the cactus family and 71 percent of the taxa (population groups) in the agave family. Because of this national designation and the collections’ high number of wildcollected plants, scientists from around the world use the Garden’s plant materials for their research.

In 2015, the International Union for Conservation of Nature named the Garden the host institute for its Cactus and Succulent Plants Specialist Group. As part of this honor, Garden researchers assess the risks of extinction for hundreds of cactus and agave species, organize workshops and educate the public about threats to cactus and succulents.

Part of the Garden's National Collection of Cactaceae, held in the cactus gallery.

Orchids in Arizona?

We’re working to save them

A founding member of the national Center for Plant Conservation in 1984, the Garden interfaced with the Smithsonian Institution to help found the North American Orchid Conservation Center in 2012.

Arizona is home to about two dozen native orchids. Garden researchers have collected seeds and root samples of several species. The root samples are sent to the Smithsonian where scientists work to isolate the fungus on which the orchid relies.

The first orchid the Garden began working on is Spiranthes delitescens, the Canelo Hills ladies tresses orchid. It is one of the rarest orchids in the country. Garden scientists have been working to conserve this orchid for almost a decade, and can now reliably propagate it. The Smithsonian has isolated the fungus associated with this orchid, another milestone in Garden conservation. The next step will be to reintroduce it back into the wild.

In 2018, the Garden joined with the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center to serve as the orchid seed bank for the Southwest region.

Global Genome Initiative

In 2017, the Global Genome Initiative (GGI) invited the Garden to join its sub-group, GGI-Gardens, a good fit with the Garden’s collections goal of building a DNA bank. In 2021, a grant from the GGI helped push forward our efforts on DNA banking. By the end of 2023, about 22% of accepted cactus family species were represented here, as well as 31% of agave family species.

Stepping up to help endangered species

Conservation Collections Manager Blackwell has expanded the seed bank of rare, threatened and endangered plants. He propagates many rare, threatened and endangered species and has been able to provide plant material for several reintroduction projects.

Knowing that a third of cactus species are threatened with extinction, the Garden houses around 548 rare and threatened plants and is enhancing the populations of imperiled succulents in their natural habitats.

An example of our work: after the endangered Arizona hedgehog cactus Echinocereus arizonicus subspecies arizonicus was devastated by the 2021 Telegraph Fire, Garden researchers harvested 300 cuttings from the Tonto National Forest. They rooted and propagated them at the Garden, then planted them at three sites in the wild. Over the past two years, they’ve monitored the cactus and even backpacked water to the thirsty plants during droughts. Remarkably, these cactus have achieved an 86 percent survival rate.

Garden researchers have shared this methodology so that the approach can be replicated with other species of endangered cactus around the planet.

Photo by Eirini Pajak

Seedlings of endangered Spiranthes delitescens, the Canelo Hills ladies tresses orchid.

Raul Puente-Martinez, curator of Living Collections, with an Arizona hedgehog cactus Echinocereus arizonicus subspecies arizonicus.

A WORLD-CLASS TRANSFORMATION IN FACILITIES FOR PLANT CARE AND RESEARCH

By Keridwen Cornelius

In the past 24 years the Garden has built state-of-the-art facilities that transform its capabilities to research, conserve, study, preserve and care for desert plants. The new facilities and what they enable scientists and horticulturists to accomplish is nothing short of jaw-dropping.

When Ken Schutz stepped into the director’s office, the Garden was finishing a $17 million investment in several new buildings, including the Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust Desert Research and Horticulture Center, the Kemper & Ethel Marley Foundation Education & Volunteer Building and the William J. & Barbara B. Weisz Learning Center. These additions moved the library and herbarium into a new building, created rooms for public education, allowed staff to move from trailers to bonafide office space, provided work

Photo by Matthew Salinger of coLAb Studio

New Greenhouse West opened in 2017.

and planning areas for volunteers and new lab space for researchers. They truly elevated the professionalism of the Garden’s campus.

In 2008, the Garden created a 20year physical master plan, reimagining the “back-of-house” footprint where horticulturalists and researchers work, and weaving together all parts of the Garden’s mission, including education and exhibits.

The master plan addressed horticulture and research facilities that were tired, to say the least.

Plants were maintained in aging hoop houses capable of providing only one-size-fits-all conditions. Plants from hotter environments were comingled with plants from cooler climates and all were surviving with just-good-enough conditions.

Plants requiring some shade protection (but not full cover) were grown in structures covered with shade cloth in summer and plastic sheeting in winter; propane heaters provided nighttime warmth. The hoop houses offered no protection against rodents.

By 2014, development of the back-ofhouse campus began. This campus, still being built out, will ultimately represent a $20 million investment carrying the name Hazel Hare Center for Plant Science. It will be state-ofthe-art, encompassing labs, galleries, horticultural hubs, educational facilities and growing areas.

The Ahearn Desert Conservation Laboratory houses the seed bank, where staff defend plants from extinction by storing seeds, researching ways to activate dormant seeds and propagating rare plants. The laboratory contains an herbarium preparation space where plants collected from the field are processed, pressed and dried before they enter a freezer room where freezing will kill pathogens. Only then are the specimens brought into

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2023, Donors Susan and Bill Ahearn with horticulture staff breaking ground for the new horticulture center.

Ahearn Desert Conservation Laboratory opened in 2019.

Ivanna Caspeta, research assistant, examining a rare and endangered seed.

the pristine herbarium (in the Pulliam building) to be mounted, digitized and entered into the collection. In the soil ecology lab, researchers study the effects of soils and plants on each other in different desert habitats. The lab also tests Garden soils to ensure they’re optimal for the plants and to diagnose issues that may be detrimental, such as salt build up due to irrigation.

The Marley Horticulture Learning Lab houses Desert Landscape School and other public classes.

The new energy-efficient Greenhouse West features three individual bays, each with living space, air circulation and temperature/humidity conditions calibrated to the needs of plants from diverse ecosystems. When plants that had not grown or bloomed in a decade were moved into this new greenhouse, horticulturists found some of them suddenly flowering and branching.

The RAF Exhibit Gallery opened this spring with Orchid Fever, a display of tropical and Arizona native orchids intermingled with other desert plants. This exhibit space will host live plant displays that showcase the work Garden researchers are doing, bringing “behindthe-scenes” work out into the public eye.

The Garden has nearly completed its master plan for horticultural facilities. Yet to come is a 12,000 square-foot shade pavilion that will nurture plants with ideal sunlight and shade, and an automated environmental control system.

"These transformations are taking us—both the plants and the people—from surviving to thriving."

—

Dr. Kimberlie McCue, chief science officer

The Ahearn Horticulture Center will replace scattered equipment storage areas and sweltering outdoor workspaces with an efficiently climate-controlled building.

Also in the build-out is an additional greenhouse expanding the Garden’s capacity to grow its plant collections, and a teaching garden house where the public can learn about desert landscaping through hands-on experiences.

“These transformations are taking us—both the plants and the people—from surviving to thriving,” said Chief Science Officer Dr. Kimberlie McCue. “The public will experience exhibits that we’ve never been able to offer. The new facilities for plant care will elevate the Garden’s public spaces. And the science we do here will conserve species and positively impact our desert home.”

2025, Orchid Fever, inaugural exhibition in The RAF Exhibit Gallery.

2006, Hazel Hare and Oonagh Boppart, co-chair of the Tending the Garden capital campaign, with Ken Schutz.

EVERYTHING GROWS — the plants, the buildings, the staff & what they do

In 2001, the research department was small with expertise in botany/taxonomy, ecology and seed banking. Over the course of Ken's tenure, the department has grown to 30 staff including the curators of the Garden's three collections. Their expertise has expanded to include plant physiology, plant/pollinator interactions, molecular biology, systematics, seed research, tissue culture, collaborative conservation (such as the Central Arizona Conservation Alliance) and the Geographic Information System. The name of the department was changed to reflect the full scope of endeavors— Research, Conservation and Collections.

Luis C. Romero, conservation collections research assistant, with Sclerocactus cloverae, a rare cactus.

ADVENTURES IN RESEARCH

By Keridwen Cornelius

During many years of botanical expeditions, the Garden’s intrepid researchers have faced difficult terrain in remote deserts around the world. From local Arizona regions, to Mexico, to South Africa, they have traveled far and wide to advance the Garden's mission and conserve desert plants.

Peru trip

A trip to Peru, in August 2024, truly tested their mettle. They rattled along one-lane roads that snake through the Andes, clinging to mountainsides to avoid sheer dropoffs down cliffs. They trekked at 16,000-foot elevations, chewing coca leaves to fend off altitude sickness, mostly

Andrew Salywon, herbarium curator, collecting agave flowers in Durango, Mexico.

Raul Puente-Martinez and Steve Blackwell rappelling in search of endangered Arizona hedgehog cactus Echinocereus arizonicus subspecies arizonicus

Photo by Eirini Pajak

unsuccessfully. They searched for succulents as small as golf balls hidden in underbrush, often based on vague location references recorded by people a decade to a century before.

In one instance, they drove for two days and hiked to coordinates where hundreds of cactus had been spotted previously. When they arrived, the area had been cleared and burned for agriculture. The cactus plants were reduced to ashes.

“It really gives you a new perspective,” said Research Botanist Raul Puente-Martinez, who participated in the Peru expedition. “You read about the threats, but when you actually see what happens, you know how bad it is.” On the other hand, he added, “when you find new populations of plants, you walk out of there with hope that we still have time to preserve many of these species.”

The team collected around 100 herbarium specimens, seeds and tissue for DNA extraction. Encountering these Peruvian cactus and agaves in the wild and learning about their soil and sun requirements will help the team grow the seeds and care for the plants at the Garden.

Botanical expeditions like this one—funded by longtime donors Bert and Betty Feingold—are vital to the Garden’s collection, conservation and research efforts. In addition, these trips allow Garden researchers to exchange knowledge and conservation techniques with other institutions, cultivate relationships with fellow experts and enhance the Garden’s international reputation. Forming these partnerships also helps the Garden procure plant collection permits, which are increasingly difficult to obtain as more and more cactus become endangered.

Wendy Hodgson, rock star in the plant universe

Wendy Hodgson, who has worked at Desert Botanical Garden for 51 years, is a trailblazer for Garden researchers.

She is an expert on the flora of the Grand Canyon where her adventures have required her to rappel down the steep canyon walls in search of rare plants, as well as rescue a cow stuck in a tree on the Navajo Nation. Once she nearly sat down on a rattlesnake. “I love a challenge,” she said.

A senior research botanist and herbarium curator emerita, Wendy has, in her career, identified and named nine plants new to botany. Drawing on 30 years of research, she wrote "Food Plants of the Sonoran Desert," winner of the Society for Ethnobotany Klinger Book Award. It describes indigenous uses of nearly 540 edible and medicinal plants.

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Wendy Hodgson, herbarium curator emerita, conducting research in the Grand Canyon.

Raul Puente-Martinez, Noemí Hernández Castro, cactus specialist, Andrew Salywon and Lucas Majure, researcher from University of Florida in the field in Pato, Peru.

Her work also involves nurturing relationships with indigenous communities. For example, certain threatened agave species can’t be protected under the Endangered Species Act because they were cultivated by ancient Native Americans. These plants are important to Indigenous peoples as a link to each other and to their ancestors. Because of this, in addition to bringing these agaves to the Garden, Wendy and others are collaborating with tribes such as the Hualapai Nation to assess and steward the agaves in their bio-cultural habitats.

“Wendy is a rock star to her friends and colleagues in the world of Southwest botany,” said Chief Science Officer Dr. Kimberlie McCue. “In countless ways she has inspired those around her to embrace the very special nature of desert plants.”

A harrowing drive home for the Katterman Collection

In the winter of 2014 Fred Katterman, one of the country’s largest private cactus collectors, donated nearly half of his collection to the Garden as he was preparing for retirement. The collection included cactus native to the Atacama Desert.

Research Botanist Puente-Martinez and Ray Leimkuehler, horticulturalist, had to drive the plants 2,700 miles from New Jersey to the Garden through freezing winter conditions. They hydroplaned on the freeway and feared that the plants which normally live in hot, dry conditions would freeze in the back of the U-Haul. “It was a terrifying experience,” Raul said. “Luckily, none of them were hurt when we hydroplaned, but we were scared that some might’ve not made it because of the blistering cold.”

They bought heaters and extension cords to plug in each night along the route back to Arizona to keep the plants warm in the trailer, and they drove south in the hopes of finding a warmer route. There were, however, serious rainstorms from Georgia to Texas and violent winds in New Mexico that made the driving difficult. “If we had rolled the truck, it would have been a disaster for this collection,” Raul said.

The Katterman collection safely made the journey here. Guests can find some of the plants along the walk at the Lewis Desert Portal and in the Sybil B. Harrington Cactus Gallery.

Wendy Hodgson hiking with a flower press pack.

Ray Leimkuehler moves Katterman Collection in a U-Haul.

Termite mounds in South Africa

Anyone who has flown over South Africa may have noticed the regularly-spaced earth mounds inhabited by termites. The origin of these mounds has long been a subject of curiosity and controversy.

Dr. Joe McAuliffe, research director emeritus and senior research scientist, has studied these mounds since 2012 with other eminent teams of researchers.

He has determined that the mounds were created by wind-blown sediments trapped around “fertile islands” developed over thousands of years by termite activity. The mounds are regularly spaced because their termite inhabitants are territorial and maintain the distance that allows each colony enough space in the termite universe to survive.

Joe is also investigating the effect these termite mounds may have on the global climate. The termite colonies help accumulate large deposits of calcium carbonate (lime) deep in their mounds, which through chemical reactions remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. These lime deposits hold a tremendous amount of carbon dioxide, a “hot-house” gas that contributes to the rise in global temperature.

A forest of rare and endangered cactus

In 2016, Plant Ecophysiologist Dr. Kevin Hultine and Research Botanist Puente-Martinez were hoping to establish an international network of collaborators and field research sites to study the tall columnar cactus plants now considered the most threatened plant species on Earth.

They had driven 3,000 miles north from Santiago, Chile, into the heart of the driest place on the globe, the Atacama Desert, then east over the world’s second highest mountain range, the Andes, and finally onto the Altiplano in northern Argentina.

There, amid the tall acacia and mesquite trees that resemble Arizona’s mesquite bosques, they found a forest of these endangered plants with a diversity of species rivaling that of the Sonoran Desert.

This unique spot has become the cornerstone of their efforts to the study the ecology and evolution of columnar cactus in South America.

Dr. Joe McAuliffe looking at a sectioned termite hive in South Africa.

Raul Puente-Martinez in Chile with Copiapoa cactus.

Dr. Kevin Hultine with Carolina Penitur, researcher from Chile, collecting spines of the Eulychnia cactus.

OUR SCIENTISTS LEAD RESEARCH & CONSERVATION PROJECTS AROUND THE WORLD

CALIFORNIA

White Mountains

Inyo National Forest

Sierra Nevada Mountains

Mojave National Preserve

Santa Clara River, Ventura County Death Valley

NEVADA

Boulder City

Mojave Desert, Clark County

Ash Meadows Wildlife Refuge

UTA H

Beaver Dam Mountains

Dixie National Forest

Kanab/St. George

La Sal Mountains

Moab

NEW MEXICO

Franklin Mountains

Florida Mountains

Lybrook Badlands

TEXAS

Davis Mountain State Park

CUBA

PUERTO RICO

Black Gap Wilderness Area DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

CHILE

Coquimbo Region

Atacama Region

Mendoza Region

ARGENTINA

From the depths of Arizona’s Grand Canyon to the coastal desert in Namibia, Africa, and across Mexico’s rich landscapes, Garden researchers have journeyed across the world to study, conserve and protect desert plants for 85 years.

NAMIBIA Namib Desert

COCONINO NATIONAL FOREST VERDE VALLEY WALNUT CREEK

MOUNTAINS

SUPERIOR, AZ ORGAN PIPE NATIONAL MONUMENT DESERT BOTANICAL GARDEN, PHOENIX HIEROGLYPHIC MOUNTAINS

ARIZONA From the Grand Canyon to the Southern Border

CORONADO NATIONAL FOREST CAVE CREEK

SUPERSTITION WILDERNESS

MUNICIPAL

SOUTH AFRICA

Succulent Karoo Cape Town

SAGUARO

CHIRICAHUA

AUSTRALIA Gnangara and Pilbara Regions

Research and conservation projects from 2023 to 2025.

Dale Chihuly, Opal and Amber Tower (detail), 2018 Desert Botanical Garden, Phoenix, installed 2021

EXHIBITIONS

Permanent and changing

DISCOVERING THE WONDER OF DESERT PLANTS IN THE PERMANENT BEDS

By Elaine McGinn, chief experience officer

Permanent exhibits of plants at the Garden show visitors how desert plants make a living in all their fascinating ways.

Five thematic trails over 55 acres lead through exhibits that explain how plants adapt to arid lands, how desert plants and animals live together, how human cultures have used desert plants for food, medicine and fiber, and how we can live sustainably in our own landscapes.

A new exhibits department renovates and expands the permanent displays

When Ken Schutz arrived, he formed an exhibits department as a way to attract a larger and more diverse audience. The Garden would continue to create permanent exhibits showcasing the living plants, but would also display seasonal and temporary art exhibits.

During his tenure, the Garden has invested more than $18 million in new plant exhibits and displays. Each five-year strategic plan identified what new exhibits or renovations of old ones could better tell the story of plants living in a tough environment.

Lewis Desert Portal opened in 2014.

The main trail becomes a path of discovery

In 2003, an interdepartmental team explored how to strengthen the Garden’s core trail, the Desert Discovery Trail. They concluded that transforming the Desert Discovery Trail into a series of “gallery” spaces would better organize the visitor experience to understand the messages of the trail by making it one of discovery and appreciation for deserts and desert plants.

Eight years later the Core Trail Master Plan was published, further focusing the Desert Discovery Trail as the core of the Garden experience, brand and message. This plan continues to be the Garden’s guide for permanent exhibits along the core trail in the future.

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Garden donors supported major improvements to plant displays

Starting in 2005, the campaign, Tending the Garden, aimed at renovating and rejuvenating existing trails and plant displays. That campaign created new permanent exhibits in old spaces:

• Ottosen Entry Garden, an impressive mass planting on entering the Garden

• Sybil B. Harrington Cactus and Succulent Galleries, with expanded space for these growing collections

• Berlin Agave Yucca Forest, highlighting the Garden’s worldclass agave and yucca collections

Sybil B. Harrington Cactus and Succulent Galleries opened in 2006.

Berlin Agave Yucca Forest opened in 2009.

Ottosen Entry Garden opened 2007.

Inside the Sybil B. Harrington Cactus Gallery.

2009, opening the Berlin Agave Yucca Forest with Elaine McGinn, Ken Schutz, past Board President and Trustee Emerita Lee Cohn, Trustee Hazel Hare and donors Joy and Howard Berlin.

The Saguaro Initiative campaign in 2013 included $3.5 million to develop new dynamic spaces from the Core Trail Master Plan:

• Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust Desert Terrace Garden, an off-the-beaten-path for resting and contemplation

• Lewis Desert Portal, leading into the Garden's core trail

• Cohn Family Butterfly Pavilion, a butterfly exhibit on the Harriet K. Maxwell Desert Wildflower Trail

• The Fine Family Contemplation Garden, with a water feature and labyrinth

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Virgina G. Piper Charitable Trust Desert Terrace Garden opened in 2015.

Fine Family Contemplation Garden opened in 2016.

Harriet K. Maxwell Desert Wildflower Trail opened in 2003.

2014, groundbreaking of the Lewis Desert Portal with retired Director of Development Beverly Duzik, Ken Schutz, Trustee Emerita Jan and Tom Lewis and Elaine McGinn.

Cohn Family Butterfly Pavilion opened in 2017.

and sustainably in the desert

• Renovations to Plants & People of the Sonoran Desert Trail

• Sam & Betty Kitchell Heritage Garden, the historic part of the Desert Discovery Trail

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Apache wickiup on the Plants & People of the Sonoran Desert Trail renovated in 2023.

Past Board President and Trustee Emerita Nancy Swanson at the Plants & People of Sonoran Desert Celebration in 2023.

Sam & Betty Kitchell Family Heritage Garden opened in 2016.

Edible Garden in the Steele Herb Garden opened in 2008.

The Carol Bulla Memorial Sundial on the Barbara B. Weisz & Family Plaza opened in 2008.

New admission windows opened in 2002.

Gertrude's Restaurant opened in 2013.

Schilling Entry Arbor opened in 2002.

• Christensen Family Desert Oasis, offering comfort with water, shade and seating

• Ahearn Portal, opening the way to collections and horticultural facilities

• The RAF Exhibit Gallery, a new space to showcase Garden research projects

Each new exhibit and experience has been designed to respect what the Garden is and does.

Christensen Family Desert Oasis opened in 2024.

The RAF Exhibit Gallery opened in 2025.

Ahearn Portal opened in 2025.

Christensen Family Desert Oasis ribbon cutting.

The Fine family at The RAF Exhibit Gallery ribbon cutting.

THE BIG IDEA

In 2013, Garden staff and consultants did a deep study to design a new interpretive master plan for the Garden.

That work produced a unifying Big Idea: The Garden is here to help you enjoy the beauty of the desert and care about it.

That idea has framed every exhibit, display, event and activity at the Garden for the past decade. It shapes the Garden’s educational offerings and what the volunteers do. It directs the Garden’s work in science, research, conservation and collecting. It helps visitors enjoy themselves and discover the beauty of the desert while making learning about the desert pleasant and enjoyable.

ART AT THE GARDEN— EVERYBODY COMES TO SEE WHAT'S NEW

By Elaine McGinn, chief experience officer

The Garden has become a new space to see art in the Phoenix area since launching its art program in 2002.

Art exhibits especially curated for the Garden have been set along the trails each year, attracting record numbers of visitors. These exhibits have supported the Garden’s mission by funding new or renovated permanent exhibits.

Comprising large and striking pieces, each of the outdoor art shows has offered a different take on the desert and its unique plant palette.

Spring 2002 saw the opening of the first sculpture show, Dave Rogers’ Big Bugs, a whimsical exhibit of monumental scale insects made from wood.

Other exhibitions followed:

• World renowned artist Patrick Dougherty wove hundreds of willow branches into a magnificent large-scale sculpture. The finished work of art, Childhood Dreams, was located on the Harriet K. Maxwell Desert Wildflower Trail.

• Combining art and nature, Chihuly's three shows, Nature of Glass, Chihuly in the Garden and Chihuly in the Desert, were set against majestic saguaros and the striking Papago Buttes. Chihuly’s masterpieces stunned from day to night as color, light and form came alive in all three exhibitions of extraordinary glass installations.

• The Garden and The Heard Museum collaborated to present the works of Apache master sculptor Allan Houser. Allan Houser: Tradition to Abstraction featured 18 sculptures in bronze that reflect the modernist influences from which Houser drew inspiration for his work, as well as a collection of his two-dimensional drawings for children's books. The Heard Museum also displayed paintings, sketches and small-scale sculptures from their collections.

2002, Dave Rogers' Big Bugs

2003, Childhood Dreams by Patrick Doherty, Garden sets new direction with temporary art installations.

2015, Bruce Munro, Water-Towers. Desert Botanical Garden (Phoenix, AZ, USA. 2015).

• Sonoran Light was inspired by the Sonoran Desert, and was a collection of eight works seen among the Garden cactus and succulent galleries. Iconic installations, Field of Light and Water-Towers, featured plastic bottles filled with water and washed with colored light in this reimagined exhibit by Bruce Munro.

• Jun Kaneko Kaneko’s colorfully glazed ceramic and bronze forms joined the rich backdrop of the Garden’s desert flora. Guests explored the imaginative color palette and whimsical Tanukis sculptures and could take a mindful moment among the installation of Kaneko’s iconic Dangos or round form series.

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2013, Chihuly in the Garden by Dale Chihuly.

2017, Jun Kaneko Tanukis sculptures.

• Electric Desert | A Light and Sound Experience in which cactus and desert became a living canvas in this nighttime-only experience, washing Garden plants and landscapes in light and music at six locations.

• Wild Rising included more than 1,000 animal sculptures made from colorful and recyclable plastic. These charming creatures captured animal forms while addressing global and local sustainability and conservation issues, including climate change, plastic in the oceans and the importance of recycling.

The Garden has become a new space to see art in the Phoenix area since launching its art program in 2002.

2019, Wild Rising by Cracking Art.

2018, Electric Desert | A Light and Sound Experience by Klip Collective.

2018, Electric Desert | A Light and Sound Experience by Klip Collective.

• Fernando Botero: El Maestro exhibit highlighted significant works from the Colombian artist’s career including voluminous sculptures playfully intertwined with the Garden’s own large-scale living collection of magnificent saguaros, towering cardons and the beautiful Papago Buttes. The exhibit was complimented with a colorful indoor gallery in Dorrance Hall, highlighting Botero’s paintings, drawings and small sculpture.

• LIGHT BLOOM by HYBYCOZO transformed the Garden with stunning geometric light installations that illuminated the beauty of the desert landscape in a new way.

2023, Fernando Botero: El Maestro, Fernando Botero (Colombia, 1932); Reclining Woman, 2007; Bronze sculpture.

2024, LIGHT BLOOM by HYBYCOZO.

EDUCATION

Sharing the magic of the desert

LEARNING IS LIKE THE GARDEN DUST— IT’S EVERYWHERE

By Andrew Cipriano, senior director of education

Nearly everything at the Garden involves learning.

It begins with signs along the trails that explain what you are seeing. Volunteers at Discovery Stations tell guests about desert plants and animals, and docents guide guests through the Garden. The Garden offers a variety of instructional classes for adults and children. Docents themselves, along with horticultural aides and volunteers, receive training that makes them experts at what they do. School field trips and adult education programs provide deeper learning experiences to tens of thousands of participants annually.

The Garden has been a major influence in the past three decades in showing desert homeowners and landscapers the beauty and thrift in using native desert plants in their landscapes. Desert House, where Ken Schutz lived for four years, was a demonstration project that illustrated construction and landscaping techniques to save water and electricity. Since 1997, Desert Landscape School has trained and certified experts in desert landscaping.

The robust educational programs at the Garden were slowed, however, when the COVID pandemic forced the Garden to close in March 2020. Education programs were shuttered, and from March 2020 through the spring of 2021 adult education classes were not offered at the Garden. Formal school programs went offline for a longer period of time. From spring 2020 through the summer of 2024 there were no guided school field trips offered at the Garden. Desert Landscape School evolved to online classes only. Adult learning programs return, updated and re-energized

Adult education is back now, however, offering 197 classes this past year in many categories—art, travel, cooking, wellness, science and nature, gardening and landscaping. We will continue to benchmark adult education programs at other top tier institutions, expanding on the exceptional and memorable learning experiences available.

Dig in to Desert Landscape School

Desert Landscape School is also back in action, with an updated curriculum certified by International Society of Arboriculture and American Society of Landscape Architects. Founded in 1997, the bilingual school is taught by Garden professionals to offer training and certification particularly for professionals in the landscape field. It is now offered in modules online to anyone interested in learning about desert landscaping.

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A new leadership position weaves learning throughout the Garden

This spring the Garden created a new executive leadership position, chief learning officer, and hired Steve Erickson, who came on board in June. The new position reflects a national trend among leading institutions to invest in high-level education positions.

All educational initiatives, including school programming, Desert Landscape School, Volunteers in the Garden and adult learning will fall under Steve’s wheelhouse. He will help create the forthcoming Myrna H. Berger Children & Family Garden.

Collaborating across all departments, he will work with conservationists, researchers, exhibit designers and visitor experience teams to create integrated learning experiences through every facet of the Garden, providing the strategic vision and leadership necessary to position the Garden as a national leader in education.

Students learning about roots on a field trip.

Adult education gardening class in the Marley Learning Lab.

Rebuilding school programs has begun

When field trips were eliminated in 2020 due to COVID, this was in part because Ken realized that the time had come to reimagine and redesign the student experience. New hands-on, guided field trips were rolled out October 2024 and piloting is underway with six elementary schools. Teachers and students are already raving about the quality of these preliminary experiences.

The Garden is mapping a new strategic plan with goals that will see the Garden become a leader in education for visitors of all ages. Innovative programs for K-12 STEM education will serve school districts, teachers and students.

Nature play becomes part of the Garden

Under Ken’s leadership, Cactus Clubhouse opened in 2020, for children and their families to explore the outdoors through play activities. Programs returned post-COVID, such as Storytimes, Seedlings classes and Summer Camp.

The Myrna H. Berger Children & Family Garden is a future project planned for the west side of the Garden. Envisioned as a multi-acre feature, it will be created with garden spaces and natural play areas to delight and educate the Garden’s youngest visitors. Children will learn about the flora and fauna of the Sonoran Desert through nature-based play in a garden designed especially for them.

The flora and fauna in the Garden provide such an incredible backdrop to create world-renowned educational programs. It is truly an ‘artist’s palette’ of opportunities." "

— Andrew Cipriano, senior director of education

Artist rendering of the Myrna H. Berger Children & Family Garden.

Child having fun at the Cactus Clubhouse opening in 2020.

GARDEN VOLUNTEERS: A POWERFUL WORKFORCE

By Andrea Bailey, program director of volunteer services

Desert Botanical Garden treasures its nearly 800 volunteers who contribute about 60,000 hours each year to the Garden. They work in every department, either with the public or behind-thescenes, assist in every event, and help with daily operations and care throughout the property.

To say Garden volunteers are indispensable is an understatement.

Volunteers in the Garden (VIGs) are drawn to the Garden because of the sense of community that is well established here, as well as the camaraderie and the purpose they feel serving as a Garden ambassador.

"The Garden is my happy place," more than one volunteer has said.

And just like every Garden plant in the collection, each volunteer is nurtured with rigorous training and appreciated in annual recognition programs.

A new volunteer starts with a two-day, threehour orientation, where they choose a Garden department in which to work. They receive additional preparation through online, onthe-job and live training programs lasting from two hours to fifteen weeks, depending on the complexity and level of commitment of the volunteer work they have chosen.

Every year, Garden volunteers are recognized for their length of service and other milestones at an annual luncheon served by staff.

Volunteers also are offered many continuing education series to enrich their experience at the Garden.

"

The Garden is my happy place."

Horticulture aides Shirley Bekey (30 years of service) and Susan Ahearn (35 years of service) planting a cactus.

Judy Bishop (10 years of service), Lois Flynn (30 years of service) and Crista Abel (past VIG president, 10 years of service and current volunteer program specialist staff member) serving as Flashlight Knights, preparing materials for Flashlight Nights.

A close link to the Garden’s executive director

One aspect of the Garden’s volunteer program that stands out among others is its connection with Ken Schutz.

Through monthly meetings and frequent updates, Ken has built a good rapport with volunteers during his tenure. He volunteers four nights every holiday season for Las Noches de las Luminarias. Ken’s support not only shows his solidarity with these hundreds of volunteers but also demonstrates that volunteerism is highly valued at the Garden.

This philosophy started upon Ken’s arrival in 2001, when he joined the docent training class to better understand their impact. When the COVID lockdowns closed the Garden in 2020, he kept the volunteers engaged with monthly meetings via Zoom.

The Garden volunteers feel they know Ken well and view him as their champion and friend. They look forward to welcoming him into their ranks when he retires from leading the Garden.

Volunteers in the Garden Presidents Who Served With Ken

Pat McKenna | 2001-03

Barbara Lieberson | 2003-05

Tom Bekey | 2005-07

Ann Younger | 2007-09

Dawn Goldman | 2009-11

Mike Gilman | 2011-13

Archer Shelton | 2013-15

Marilyn Wolfe | 2015-18

Crista Abel | 2018-20

Janet Wieder | 2020-22

Edlyn Soderman | 2022

Mary Hovden | 2022-24

Ann Lehmann | 2024-25

Past VIG president Pat McKenna (30 years of service) leading a docent tour.

Docent Sandy Golden (20 years of service) engaging with guests at the mesquite station.

Dennis Brown (15 years of service) welcoming visitors in one of his roles as a guest guide.

A COMPELLING ATTRACTION

Becoming a space for all

EMBRACING INCLUSIVITY

By Keridwen Cornelius and Kevina Devereaux, senior director of social responsibility & impact

Under the leadership of Ken Schutz, Desert Botanical Garden has evolved into a vital, inclusive community anchor. Ken championed a bold vision, which is to ensure the Garden reflects and celebrates the diversity of its surrounding community, not only through its collections and exhibitions but also through its people, programs and purpose.

A pivotal moment in this journey was the 2016 exhibition Space in Between by artist Margarita Cabrera. Created in collaboration with local immigrant women, the exhibition featured Border Patrol uniforms embroidered with personal immigration stories and shaped into soft sculptures of desert plants. Though staff initially worried about community response, the exhibition was met with heartfelt engagement. “Actually, we had a wonderful reception, and it changed how we were viewed in the Latinx community,” said Elaine McGinn, chief experience officer.

That moment catalyzed deeper institutional work. In 2018, with a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the Garden formalized its diversity, equity and inclusion efforts through a professional development program. In 2019, the Garden hired a manager of workforce development and diversity, marking a turning point in the Garden’s internal culture and providing staff training on equity and increasing diversity across teams.

In 2021, a new department was created to institutionalize the Garden’s social responsibility efforts, expand outreach and build deeper relationships with underrepresented communities.

These leadership and staffing changes followed Ken’s earlier initiative in introducing bilingual signage and expanding Spanishlanguage marketing materials.

Cultural programming also flourished. Lotería Nights, a garden-themed spin on traditional Mexican bingo, and Día de Muertos became signature events rooted in authenticity and joy. The goal was to make these programs feel authentic, resembling something that really happens in Mexico.

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2016, Space in Between by Margarita Cabrera.

People playing lotería game at Lotería Nights.

2022, Día de Muertos Community Ofrenda designed by Oaxacan ceramic artist Rufina Ruiz Lopez.

From Pride Night, which was inspired by a visitor suggestion and became one of the Garden’s most popular Flashlight Nights, to Flutterfest and sensoryfriendly tours developed with the Southwest Autism Research & Resource Center, the Garden has prioritized true partnerships and engagement. Annual Juneteenth commemorations and the long-running Plants & People of the Sonoran Desert Celebration continue to honor and reflect Black and Indigenous communities. These efforts have helped reshape perceptions of the Garden and foster a deep sense of belonging.

Over the past two decades, thanks to Ken’s leadership and vision, the Garden has grown into a place where more people see themselves represented on the stage, in the garden beds, in the programs and among staff and volunteers. As Senior Director of Event Services Marcia Flynn put it, “We’ve become a more inclusive and inviting destination for everyone.”

Annual Pride celebrations.

Tony Duncan performs at the annual Plants & People of the Sonoran Desert Celebration.

Annual Juneteenth commemorations.

NO LONGER THE “BEST-KEPT SECRET”

In the years before Ken Schutz took the helm at Desert Botanical Garden, the Garden was proud that local residents voted it a “Point of Pride” in Phoenix.

It was a badge of distinction to be regarded as the Valley’s “best-kept secret.”

Ken changed that, however, when he took a deliberate strategy to lure local residents back to the Garden time after time and to make sure that out-of-towners also came to see what was happening at the Garden.

And that was it: what was happening at the Garden was always new, exciting and something you couldn’t see elsewhere, whether that meant desert plants in their unusual life forms and habits or an eye-popping show of Chihuly glass or Botero sculptures.

The Garden of course also offers beauty and serenity as a relief from busy schedules and even in times of sadness.

Under Ken’s leadership the Garden has emerged as a top cultural and tourist destination in Phoenix and Arizona, ranked by Trip Advisor as the “Best Attraction in Phoenix” for the past three years.

It has also developed recognition and praise nationally as one of the country’s top public gardens by a number of media outlets such as Vogue, The Travel Channel, USA Today, Fodors and AFAR.

“Best-kept secret” to “mustsee”—quite a journey.

COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS

Being a good neighbor

SPACES OF OPPORTUNITY— A COMMUNITY CONNECTION

By Marilyn Wolfe, volunteer, and Kevina Devereaux, senior director of social responsibility & impact

Spaces of Opportunity is a thriving 19-acre community farm, garden and market located in South Phoenix. It is a collaborative effort between Desert Botanical Garden, Tiger Mountain Foundation, Orchard Community Learning Center, Unlimited Potential and Roosevelt School District. Together, these partners are transforming a once-vacant lot into a vibrant hub of health, education and economic opportunity in a historically underserved area.

The idea for Spaces began in 2014, through a grassroots coalition called Cultivate South Phoenix (CUSP), made up of local organizations and community members committed to addressing food insecurity and improving wellness. Their vision was to create a space that nourishes families and children and provides affordable access to healthy foods, opportunities for physical activity, and a connection to the cultural roots of the community.

Desert Botanical Garden’s interest in community gardening dates back to 2011, when it launched a small pilot project on Garden grounds. The success of that effort inspired the Garden to include community gardening in its larger Saguaro Initiative, a capital campaign focused on expanding outreach and impact. This commitment laid the foundation for deeper community partnerships.

In 2015, the Garden formally joined the movement to create Spaces of Opportunity. Around the same time, CUSP member Nicolas de la Fuente interviewed for a community gardening role at the Garden and shared a powerful insight with Ken Schutz: “If you want a community garden, you really need to be in the community.” That moment shifted the Garden’s approach and prompted a meaningful investment in South Phoenix.

Spaces farmer Bridget Pettis celebrating a harvest.

Jesus Najera Rueda has farmed at Spaces for 10 years.

As the project gained momentum, Roosevelt School District offered 19 acres of vacant land under a generous $1/year lease to help bring the vision to life. The launch was supported by $1.5 million in initial funding, including $250,000 from the Garden’s Saguaro Initiative and a $125,000 grant from the Vitalyst Foundation. These critical early investments helped clear the land, establish infrastructure and bring community partners together to transform a food desert into a food oasis.

The Garden continues to play a pivotal role. Through the annual “Fund the Farm” fundraising event, launched in 2017, the Garden has raised over $1 million to support site improvements. These funds have enabled the purchase of tractors, the installation of cold storage units, a compost bin, a shade structure, permanent market canopy, restrooms and the hiring of a full-time lead farmer to manage daily operations.

In 2022, Garden volunteers began cultivating their own plot at the farm. Since then, they’ve transformed once-barren soil into a productive, organic garden that yielded over 2,500 pounds of fresh produce in 2024. Much of the harvest is donated to local food banks or sold at the onsite farmers market, held monthly, or donated free to seniors and veterans through Gregory's Fresh Markets. Under the leadership of Community Programs Coordinator Lilian Kong, volunteers also learn and share organic gardening practices while strengthening ties with the surrounding community.

The impact of Spaces extends beyond food access. Garden staff and volunteers help maintain the Healing Garden, developed by Unlimited Potential, and partner with organizations like Blue Watermelon Project and Native Seeds/ SEARCH to promote healthy eating, cultural awareness and sustainable agriculture. Children from nearby elementary schools visit regularly to learn about gardening and experience the joy of harvesting their own food.

Spaces of Opportunity is not just a farm, it is a thriving ecosystem of health, equity and community resilience. With continued support from key funders and collaborative partners, it serves as a powerful example of how public gardens can drive transformative change from the ground up.

Garden Trustee Diana Gregory, director of Gregory Outreach Services Foundation, is a community farmer at Spaces.

Garden VIGs grow beautiful vegetables in their community garden space.

Fourth grade students from Lassen Elementary showing the crops they grew.

JOINING FORCES TO CARE FOR THE LAND THROUGH CAZCA

By Keridwen Cornelius

Tackling enormous challenges—preventing the desert from being paved for parking, protecting native plants from being squeezed out by invasive grasses or building corridors where coyotes can roam free—requires a united front. That’s why Desert Botanical Garden convened the Central Arizona Conservation Alliance (CAZCA).

Founded in 2012, with initial and subsequent funding from the Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust, this coalition has grown to include 100 organizations. They’re joining forces to care for natural open spaces in Maricopa County and beyond. “CAZCA helps these groups share information, resources, volunteers

and lessons learned,” said Challie Facemire, CAZCA program director. “Coordinating also avoids duplicating efforts, a waste of resources, time and money,” she said.

A critical step in the evolution of CAZCA was the development of the Regional Open Space Strategy for Maricopa County (ROSS). Creating ROSS took two years with over one hundred meetings. It was vetted by an advisory council of notable conservationists, land managers and regional policy experts and was published in 2017.

In 2025, the ROSS was reviewed and revised. It maintains the original four goals—protect & connect, sustain & restore, love & support, coordinate & elevate—while updating and adding objectives and actions.

The ROSS guides all CAZCA endeavors, including managing invasive plants. A key pivotal project launched by multiple CAZCA partners was the Buffelgrass Blues program to combat buffelgrass, which smothers baby saguaros and is prone to sparking wildfires that blaze up to 1,600 degrees. Trained volunteers mapped buffelgrass-choked areas and painstakingly pickaxed the die-hard grasses out of the ground. From this program sprouted Desert Defenders, an alliance of 35 organizations helping to rid parks and preserves of invasive plants such as buffelgrass, stinknet and red brome.

CAZCA’s cooperative strategy has led to other successes. The White Tank Mountains Conservancy, a CAZCA organization, works with developers to preserve wildlife corridors that radiate around these West Valley mountains into surrounding wildlands, allowing mountain lions, javelinas, kit foxes and desert tortoises to roam through their homelands.

CAZCA’s Sonoran Insiders group pairs organizations with social media ambassadors to spread the word about conservation and responsible recreation. Collectively, they reach an audience of 98,000 people. Recently, CAZCA’s Urban Desertscape Enhancement group created a primer on landscaping with native plants. Their goal is to save water and create habitat for pollinators such as the monarch butterfly, which is listed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

Another CAZCA collaboration brings together unlikely bedfellows: fire safety and butterfly support. The Garden’s Great Milkweed Grow Out effort and Arizona’s Department of Forestry and Fire Management are helping homeowners remove invasive, flammable fountain grass and replace it with monarch-friendly milkweed. Thanks to the program’s outreach, at least one homeowners association is prohibiting fountain grass. “Fountain grass will be removed from the entire neighborhood, and we’ll help them do it,” Challie said. “They back up right to wild open space, so this is going to have a great impact.”

Scan the QR code to read the Regional Open Space Strategy (ROSS) for Maricopa County or visit cazca.org.

NEIGHBORHOOD PARTNERS: EVERYONE WINS

By Marcia Flynn, senior director of event services

Ken Schutz believes that collaborating with other nonprofits brings interesting and fun-filled events to the Garden and also reaches into the broader community. The practice has been a pillar in the way he has managed the Garden for more than 24 years, creating events that are not only engaging but also deeply impactful.

Many of these joint efforts have become popular annual events.

The Garden and Central Arizona Cactus and Succulent Society have been partners for more than 50 years. The Garden hosts the group’s annual cactus and succulent show and sale and their monthly meetings. The organizations share an overlapping membership as well as programs that support each other and, ultimately, efforts to protect endangered plants.

In 2012, Ballet Arizona made its debut performance at the Garden with the world premiere of Ib Andersen’s Topia. The event quickly achieved must-see status, drawing thousands of fans to the spellbinding, open-air performances presented at sunset before the diverse landscape vistas of Papago Park. Each year the dance company concludes its season with performances at the Garden in May.

The Garden has partnered with Local First Arizona and Southern Arizona Arts and Cultural Alliance since 2018 to host the Devour Culinary Classic, which showcases Arizona's top chefs and continues to sell out months in advance.

Starting in 2019, the Garden has provided a complimentary venue and event sponsorship for Arizona Hispanic Chamber of Commerce’s Annual Power of the Purse.

Every dog has its day, and that day has been a special Saturday each year since 2014 when the Garden began partnering with the Arizona Humane Society to host Dog Days at the Garden with free admission for pups. The event now occurs nearly every Saturday autumn through spring.

Central Arizona Cactus and Succulent Society annual cactus and succulent show and sale.

2025, Ballet Arizona Eroica performance.

Dog Days at the Garden.

During its annual Las Noches de las Luminarias event, the Garden has hosted Season for Sharing campaigns, toy drives for donations to the Salvation Army and a night of remembrance with Central Arizona Shelter Services on the evening of the winter solstice.

The Garden’s Desert Landscape School has partnered many years with Habitat for Humanity to assist new homeowners with their landscaping. The Garden has also offered family memberships to Habitat homeowners.

Lowell Observatory and Arizona Science Center have partnered with the Garden's donor groups on family and children’s events over the years.

“Antiques Roadshow” was filmed at the Garden in 2019; it aired on Arizona Eight PBS in 2020. The station also filmed “Trail Mix'd” at the Garden in 2023, which aired in 2024.

In 2024, the Great Arizona Puppet Theater returned to perform for children's education programs.

Other cultural and performing arts partnerships have been with Arizona Opera, The Phoenix Symphony, Phoenix Boys Choir, Arizona Theater Company, Childsplay Theatre, Scottsdale Artist League Paint Outs and Phoenix Chamber Music Society.

In 2022, and every year since, the Garden has hosted a naturalization ceremony, conducted by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Each new American receives a family membership to the Garden.

Local chef preparing food at Devour.

Naturalization ceremony.

THE POWER OF GIVING

Our friends have been generous

INSPIRATION FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S OFFICE

By Carol Schilling, trustee emerita

Raising friends and funds for Desert Botanical Garden

There are many ways to support the Garden, starting with its nearly 30,000 member households. These individuals and families visit often, bring guests and frequently contribute further to the Garden’s mission.

A tapestry of volunteers, many over decades, have helped the Garden as docents, horticultural aides, committee chairs and board members.

They share a deep appreciation for the Garden, enjoy the friendships they form and are passionate about seeing the Garden thrive. Many have also been inspired by the leadership of Ken Schutz.

Guided by the Garden’s development staff, these volunteers help raise friends and funds through capital campaigns, planned giving, Patrons Circle, Dinner on the Desert and other leadership efforts by trustees.

Capital Campaigns: dreaming big, delivering results

Over the past 25 years, four capital campaigns have successfully raised more than $65 million for the Garden.

The first, Growing a Legacy for Generations, launched in 1999 when Carolyn O’Malley was executive director. Bennett Dorrance, a trustee at the time, volunteered to lead the campaign with her. A capital campaign seemed like a gamble to some. Could this quiet little garden raise such a mountain of money? “We had fun,” Bennett said, “and it was successful. It provided many of the things the Garden needed.”

2008, Jacquie and Bennett Dorrance with Dorrance Family Foundation Conservation Biologist Dr. Shannon Fehlberg and Director Emeritus & Senior Research Scientist Dr. Joe McAuliffe, Trustee Emerita Carolyn O'Malley and Ken Schutz.

That campaign was pivotal in Garden history, raising $18 million, a challenging amount of money for local campaigns at that time, and jumpstarted the Garden into the 21st century. “It was the first step into making the Garden the great place it is today,” Bennett said. “The Garden has become such an important part of the Valley— all the beauty it offers, the special exhibits."

“And Ken is the best thing that ever happened.”

Each campaign has been guided by a strategic plan, updated every five years, ensuring that fundraising efforts aligned with Garden needs. These plans, combined with master site plans, became blueprints for growth.

“Inspired leadership and thoughtful planning made these campaigns successful,” said Beverly Duzik, former director of development who worked with Ken for 20 years. “Only big dreams generate big gifts.”

“When leaders take time to develop goals thoughtfully and involve potential investors in the process, donors both big and small will follow,” she said.

Steve Evans, who co-led the second phase of The Saguaro Initiative campaign with his wife Ardie, a former trustee, pointed out that people support the Garden for more than just its plants. “The Garden offers what the community craves,” he said, “which is unique experiences like Chihuly or ballet performances.”

He said the Garden has also earned a strong reputation in the nonprofit community. When it borrowed $350,000 from the Arizona Community Foundation for irrigation improvements, it repaid the loan in just three years, becoming a model for other nonprofits, he said.

Planned giving: a lasting legacy

Planned giving allows donors to leave gifts to the Garden in their wills, ensuring longterm support. The Planned Giving Committee hosts an annual celebration to engage and appreciate these legacy donors.

“The key to planned giving is having dedicated staff who manage the process,” said longtime supporter Harry Papp. “Good planned giving officers listen to donors, understand their passions and help them create meaningful legacies. While some planned gifts are known in advance, others come as unexpected but vital contributions. These gifts have given Ken the ability to pursue projects he otherwise might not.”

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2008, Tending the Garden capital campaign cabinet – L to R: Michael Gilman, Robert B. Bulla, James D. Kitchel, Ken Schutz, James Binns, Connie Binns, Don Squire, Susan Ahearn, Tahnia McKeever, Liisa Wilder, William Wilder, Melodie Lewis, Chuck Munson. Seated: Faye Kitchel, Nancy Swanson, Hazel Hare and Oonagh Boppart co-chairs, Kathy Munson. Not pictured: Rebecca Ailes-Fine and Peter Fine, Lee Cohn, William Huizingh, Jan Lewis, Julie Louis, Harry Papp, William J. Post

2015, Sonoran Circle Celebration, Ken Schutz with Trustee Emerita Rose and Harry Papp.

Patrons Circle: friendship, access and impact

Patrons Circle began as a small group of friends—Nancy Swanson, Rose Papp and Marilyn Shomer—who love the Garden. “We were just a low-key group who enjoyed each other’s company and enjoyed watching the Garden grow,” said Connie Binns, a former trustee. Today, 477 Patrons Circle households enjoy exclusive dinners, behind-thescenes experiences and private tours.

Ardie and Steve Evans first became involved in the Garden when they were asked to make a campaign gift, which led Ardie to serve two terms as a trustee. She has served on the Patrons Circle committee. “Patrons Circle provides access to people, places and experiences you would not normally have,” she said. Beyond social events, Patrons Circle also showcases the Garden’s scientific work. Twice a year, members attend Botany & Brunch to meet Garden scientists and learn about groundbreaking research. “This has been transformative,” Ardie said. “People don’t realize the depth of science happening at the Garden.”

2023, Patrons Circle event, Chief Financial and Operating Officer Margie Burke and Trustee Shelley Cohn with Ken Schutz.

2018, Conserving the Preserves Luncheon, Trustee Emerita Carolyn O'Malley, Randy and Trustee Emerita Carol Schilling, former Trustee Connie Binns.

2014, Patrons Circle event, former Trustee Carole Kraemer, Trustee Emerita Jan Lewis, Barbara Ottosen, former Trustee Ardie Evans.

2018, Conserving the Preserves Luncheon, Ken Schutz with co-chairs Pam Hait and past Board President and Trustee Emerita Martha Hunter Henderson.

Patrons Circle Travel: exploring the world together

Garden-sponsored trips have taken small groups of donors to gardens and cultural sites worldwide, forging lifelong friendships. Being on a Garden trip is a person-to-person experience, Ardie said. “These relationships bring people closer to the heart of the Garden itself.”

Longtime Trustee Jane Jozoff, who revitalized the travel program in 2024, agreed. “These trips offer unique perspectives and allow donors to connect deeply with each other,” she said. The most recent trips have been to Tucson, Washington, D.C., Galápagos Islands, and Laguna Beach, California, with Ireland and Flagstaff planned for 2026.

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2011, Patrons Circle Trip to New York, chaired by Barbara Ottosen (fourth from right).

2024, Patrons Circle Trip to Santa Fe, chaired by Trustee Luis Ávila (far right).

Dinner on the Desert: a beloved tradition

Founded by former Board Chair Nancy Swanson, Dinner on the Desert has become a premier social event. It started as a Western-themed gala in Tom Chauncey’s Arabian horse barn, Nancy recalled. “Then we moved it to the Garden, and it took off.”

Tickets often sell out before invitations are mailed, and guests enjoy an elegant dinner under the stars, surrounded by desert beauty. The silent auction in Dorrance Hall is a highlight. Longtime sales subcommittee and Trustee Shelley Cohn said the event’s popularity makes fundraising easy. “You rarely get a turndown,” Shelley said. “It is a magical evening.”

2024, Dinner on the Desert.

2023, Dinner on the Desert co-chairs Faye Kitchel and Shoshana Tancer with Ken Schutz.

Leadership and strategic vision

A strong relationship between Ken and the Board of Trustees has been crucial to the Garden’s success. “Strategic planning helps leaders reflect on where they want to go,” said former Board Chair Bill Wilder. “Ken guided that process.”

Carolyn O’Malley, Ken’s predecessor, credited him with giving a spark to the board. “With new energy, they embraced fundraising and weren’t afraid to ask for support," she said. Ken also took a bold risk in bringing Chihuly glass to the Garden. “He took a $900,000 gamble, and it paid off,” Carolyn said. “The exhibit netted far more than expected.”

Beyond fundraising, Ken has empowered staff to take on new roles, expand their skills and pursue ambitious projects.

Jan Lewis, a longtime trustee, praised Ken’s leadership. “He listens to everyone, considers all viewpoints and comes back with great ideas,” Jan said. “One of Ken’s toughest decisions was requiring staff vaccinations when the Garden reopened after COVID-19. It was controversial at the time, but the executive committee supported him,” she said.

Most board members stay engaged long after their terms end. “That’s because of Ken’s leadership,” Jan said. “He builds real relationships.”

Volunteers: a Garden engine

Committees at the Garden bring together staff, volunteers and trustees to generate ideas and shape the Garden’s future. Barbara Lieberson, former chair of Volunteers in the Garden, said the collaboration is invaluable. ”It allows ideas to rise up from anywhere and ensures everyone has a voice,” Barbara said.

Barbara, a 34-year docent, writes thank-you notes, one of many volunteer roles she has held. “Ken has always championed volunteers,” Barbara said, recalling when he approved funding for a national docent conference co-hosted by the Garden and the Phoenix Art Museum. “He was always mindful of the budget, but when I asked for $15,000, he said yes without hesitation. The event was phenomenal.”

Longtime docent Marilyn Shomer agreed. “I liked Ken the first time I met him, and I have loved him ever since. He brought an amazing talent for leadership."

”Ken transformed our sleepy little Garden into something extraordinary, “ she said. “I can’t imagine the Garden without him.”

Kathy Munson, who has served on multiple committees, said Ken’s belief in marketing helped elevate the Garden’s profile. “He cultivated people who helped move us past the best-kept secret label,” Kathy said. Ultimately, she credits Ken for the Garden’s warm, inclusive culture. “No matter your role—staff, volunteer, board member—you feel like you’re part of the team,” Kathy said. “And that’s because of Ken.”

2015, Steve and Ardie Evans with Jan Lewis.

2008, Volunteers in the Garden Annual Celebration.

FINANCIALS: A STORY OF RESILIENCE

As Ken Schutz details in his Formula for Success story on pages 5 & 6, the graphs below reflect how the Garden has become a financial model for non-profit organizations. While the Garden maximizes attendance, memberships and philanthropy, and at the same time prudently manages expenses, it strategically reinvests profits in exhibits, programs and facilities that support its mission.

Operating Revenue vs. Expense

Revenue/Expenses by Fiscal Year

$39,900,000

$34,900,000

$29,900,000

$24,900,000

$19,900,000

$14,900,000

$9,900,000

$4,900,000

$(100,00)

The chart above illustrates revenue vs. expenses and net surplus/(deficit) for each fiscal year. Years with blockbuster exhibits show significantly higher-than-average surplus contrasted with non-blockbuster years, which typically generate little surplus or break even.

Admissions & Attendance

$16,000,000

$14,000,000

$12,000,000

$10,000,000

$8,000,000

$6,000,000

$4,000,000

$2,000,000

$0

$40,000,000

$35,000,000

$30,000,000

$25,000,000

$20,000,000

$15,000,000

$10,000,000

Above, the graph presents a projection of steady 2.5% revenue growth, represented by the blue line. The green line reflects actual results, demonstrating that the Garden has surpassed its commitment to growth across all revenue streams, exceeding the anticipated 2.5% increase.

While Admissions Revenue figures fluctuate year-over-year for myriad reasons, they have far outpaced the standard assumption of 2.5% growth. In the second chart Attendance numbers also fluctuate during this period but ultimately fall in line with an average attendance growth of 2.5%.

$18,000,000

$16,000,000

$14,000,000

$12,000,000

$10,000,000

$8,000,000

$6,000,000

$4,000,000

$2,000,000

$0

As part of its commitment to financial sustainability, the Garden has strategically established reserve accounts to reinforce its balance sheet. These reserves are funded by surplus revenue generated during blockbusters and serve as critical resources for continuity of operations, growth opportunities, repairs and maintenance and other essential needs in years with lower revenue.

Each reserve fund was created with a specific purpose:

• Huizingh Fund functions as an internal line of credit.

• Asset Repair and Replacement Fund provides readily available funds for repairing or replacing capital assets essential to operations.

• Opportunity Reserve supports strategic opportunities that further the Garden’s mission.

• Emergency Reserve acts as a safeguard against unexpected and significant financial downturns.

• CapEx Reserve funds purchase and construction of capital assets.

Key milestones in the development of these reserves include:

• FY2009 Chihuly exhibition enabled growth in the Huizingh Fund.

• FY2014 Chihuly exhibition replenished prior withdrawals from the Huizingh Fund and led to the creation of the Opportunity and Emergency Reserves in FY2015.

• FY2022 Chihuly exhibition, combined with government grants related to COVID-19, facilitated the establishment of the CapEx Reserve in FY2023.

• Strong cash flow management has supported continued reserve growth, allowing for increased fund targets across all accounts in FY2024.

Since 2007, the Garden’s reserve accounts have grown from $125,000 in 2007 to $16.5 million in 2024, demonstrating a disciplined approach to financial oversight and long-term stability.

Additionally, in 2009 the Garden Board of Trustees established the Desert Botanical Garden Foundation to steward an endowment fund whose assets currently exceed $18 million.

LOOKING AHEAD

Getting ready for tomorrow

CHALLENGES FOR THE FUTURE

By Ken Schutz, the Dr. William Huizingh executive director

As the Garden begins its next chapter, one of the biggest challenges it will face is responding to climate change—particularly drought and excessive heat.

Shade

Responding to the excessive heat that Phoenix has experienced in recent years, the Garden is developing long term plans for heat mitigation. One of them includes increasing the shade canopy throughout the Garden. To accomplish this, the Garden has developed an aggressive plan to plant hundreds of trees whose shade will offer protection to cactus, agave and other desert plants from the intense summer sun.

Public Awareness

The Garden’s mission also encompasses a public awareness campaign on climate change.

This spring the Garden hosted a major exhibit by textile-based artist Ann Morton titled TOWARD 2050. Thousands of community-sourced handmade flags were displayed in a captivating labyrinth at Sunset Plaza. Each flag represented one person’s thoughts and feelings about climate change; collectively all the flags represent our community’s hopes and concerns about what climate change will mean for Arizona.

Visitors enjoying the Garden trails.

Ann Morton’s TOWARD 2050 invited the public to craft handmade artworks that express their views on the environment.

MAKING SURE THE FAUCET DOESN’T RUN DRY

By Amy Flood, Garden trustee

Desert Botanical Garden, always a careful steward of water, has taken steps to secure its future water needs.

Guided by water-smart trustees and supported by generous donors, the Garden has acquired rights to 225 acre-feet of water. The Garden now uses about 84 acre-feet of water annually.

Historically the Garden has bought water from the City of Phoenix. In the late 1990s, a Garden trustee and water expert noted that the Garden was buying potable water (water drinkable from the tap) at a high cost. He championed the idea to use non-potable water for plants from the canal that runs alongside the Garden. He and his staff put together a plan, and in 2012, working with the City of Phoenix and Salt River Project (SRP), the Garden transitioned to pumping irrigation water from the canal. This lowered the Garden’s operating costs and provided non-chlorinated water for its plants but remained costly.

In 2018, Kitty Collins, a Garden donor who understood water rights, approached Ken and the trustees about the Garden securing its own water rights. Kitty realized that with the rate of growth in the Valley, Phoenix might eventually be unable to supply the Garden’s water needs. Kitty pledged her financial support to such efforts.

After COVID-19, a new trustee, also an expert in water rights, recommended that the Garden seek groundwater rights. He helped identify some available rights for acquisition and guided the Garden on how it could turn those rights into a permanent water supply for the Garden. Doing so involved obtaining consents from the City of Phoenix, and modification to well-lease agreements with SRP.

In March 2023, the Garden acquired 64 acrefeet of water rights and in August 2024, an additional 161 acre-feet of water rights from the descendants of a pioneer farming family in Gilbert. Ty S. Lamb, and his siblings Todd Lamb and Tina Riggs, transferred the water rights that

their father, Gilbert Lamb, had originally obtained. “We felt like we were stewards of something very precious,” Ty Lamb wrote, “and wanted to make sure they would be transferred to someone very special.” These acquisitions were funded with the help of Kitty Collins’s legacy gift.

The Garden now owns rights to enough irrigation water and a delivery system that reduces operating costs and secures a water supply sufficient for the Garden to expand the plant collection within its footprint in perpetuity.

Lake Mead, Arizona.

A FOND FAREWELL

When I retire as Desert Botanical Garden’s executive director this fall, I will be completing more than 24 years of service. My tenure at the Garden has been an amazing source of inspiration and personal satisfaction. This nearly quarter-century has also been a time of success and transformation for the Garden.

The Garden’s key mission pillars of conservation, research, exhibition and education were established when the Garden was founded in 1939. As you have read, so many important milestones have been achieved within these mission directives since 2001, and the Garden’s commitment to its core mission has been unwavering.

In the past 24 years, the Garden has also expanded its reach outward—not to replace its core mission, but rather to touch more lives and inspire greater awareness and support for that mission. The Garden was no longer satisfied with being the “best–kept secret” in Phoenix in 2001, and during the last 24 years it has emerged as a pillar in Arizona’s cultural, entertainment and tourism sectors.

And in the last 24 years the Garden has become what in the museum profession is called a community anchor. This phrase is used to describe a cultural institution that is not just a good steward of its own destiny, but one that also reaches beyond its borders to strengthen and enrich the entire community it serves.

The Garden’s diversity initiatives over the past decade are recognized by gardens and museums around the country as exemplary because we have demonstrated what the nation’s top organizations already know: That embracing diversity is not just the right thing to do—it is also good for business. The Garden’s partnerships with health and human services organizations at Spaces of Opportunity in south Phoenix are addressing food insecurity. And the Garden’s signature partnership with conservation organizations around the Valley, called CAZCA, is stabilizing and restoring desert habitats throughout the mountain park reserves.

As my retirement date approaches, I find myself thinking back to the spring of 2001 and my first interview with the Garden’s search committee. Nearly every member of that committee is still involved at the Garden and, as former trustees, they still give generously of their time, talent and treasure to support the Garden’s mission. To them I would like to say, thank you for placing your trust in me back then and for extending your friendship and unconditional support to me over the past 24 years.

Since I started as the Garden’s executive director, I have had the privilege of working with 13 board presidents and many talented members of the Garden’s Board of Trustees. The accomplishments over the past 24-plus years celebrated in these pages are theirs, too, and I hope they enjoy recalling the memories of all that we did together.

Desert Botanical Garden’s staff is the most talented, professional, mission-driven and resultsoriented staff of any garden in the country. I will sorely miss working with them every day and—especially—deriving my own inspiration from their energy, spirit and unflinching commitment to the Garden’s mission.

And, finally, I would like to thank all the Volunteers in the Garden (VIGs) for their incredible commitment, as they provide tens of thousands of hours each year supporting every aspect of the mission. When I arrived, I was an agent of change—and the VIGs were a repository of Garden history and traditions. We didn’t always see eye-to-eye. But we worked hard to find the overlapping balance between “old” and “new” ways at the Garden, and together we discovered that the Garden’s founders were all volunteers who also harnessed an amazing entrepreneurial spirit that gave birth to the Garden in 1939. The Garden VIGs taught me that tradition and innovation mutually reinforce one another, and I will be forever grateful for that lesson.

I will leave the Garden knowing that it is in good hands, thanks to the board, staff and VIGs who will remain after I am gone. It’s been so much fun serving with all of you, and I look forward to watching the next chapter in the Garden’s history unfold, when its 11th leader steps into that role later this year.

Ken Schutz

The Dr. William Huizingh

Executive Director

KEN THROUGH THE YEARS WITH FRIENDS & FAMILY

A SCHOLARSHIP FUND WILL HONOR KEN’S LEGACY

To honor Ken Schutz’s legacy of more than 24 years as executive director of Desert Botanical Garden, the Board of Trustees has established a scholarship for graduate students studying plant science and desert ecology.

The fund will be administered through Arizona Community Foundation (ACF), beginning with a $100,000 grant. Contributions of any size may be made to the Ken Schutz Plant Science and Desert Ecology Scholarship at ACF or by scanning the QR code below.

The first awards of this scholarship will begin in 2026.

Ken’s academic background and work as a biology teacher make the scholarship a perfect fit to celebrate his accomplishments at the Garden. The longest serving director at the Garden, Ken has worked with the board members to execute a sound vision and a series of strategic plans that have transformed the Garden from a local attraction to an internationally recognized institution celebrated for its visitor experience, conservation efforts, scientific research and community outreach.

Senior

Garden staff

(as of July 2025)

Ken Schutz, the Dr. William Huizingh Executive Director

Margie Burke, Chief Financial & Operating Officer

Steve Erickson, Chief Learning Officer

Dr. Kimberlie McCue, Chief Science Officer

Elaine McGinn, Chief Experience Officer

Mike Remedi, Chief Development Officer

Andrew Cipriano, Senior Director of Education

Kevina Devereaux, Senior Director of Social Responsibility & Inclusion

Genevieve Ennis, Controller

Marcia Flynn, Senior Director of Event Services

Michael Hempel, Senior Director of Information Technology

Laura Spalding Best, Senior Director of Exhibits

Courtney Stanford, Senior Director of Visitor and Member Services

Anice Stonerock, Senior Director of Human Resources

Dana Terrazas, Senior Director of Marketing Communications

Mike Thoreby, Senior Director of Facilities & Operations

Alana Turner, Executive Administrator & Board Liaison

Kelsey Wolf-Donnay, Senior Director of Development, Individual Giving

Tina Wilson, Senior Director of Horticulture