Two and a half years ago, South Coast Botanic Garden (SCBG) welcomed MaryLynn Mack to its team as Chief Operating Officer. From new exhibits like GLOW and SOAR to the Garden’s new Ranger department and design improvements, you’ve seen her impact on the Garden ever since. South Coast Botanic Garden is lucky to have her, and now the more than 300 public gardens that make up the American Public Gardens Association (APGA) can share in that benefit as MaryLynn takes on a new role as President of the association.
“I’m looking forward to working with the amazing staff and board, first of all,” says MaryLynn. “The passion and energy both bring to serving our members is inspirational. I want to do whatever I can to help our industry grow.”
The APGA works to champion and advance public gardens as leaders, advocates and innovators in the conservation and appreciation of plants. In short, it wants to make public gardens indispensable. MaryLynn has been a member since 2004 and was chair of the association’s IDEA (inclusion, diversity, equity and accessibility) committee in 2015.
Prior to joining SCBG, she worked at Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix, Arizona. While her love of botanical gardens is apparent in her work, it’s not how she got her start. MaryLynn was in the US Navy before working at Cox Communications and the San Diego Natural History Museum. The transition to working at gardens was natural, according to MaryLynn, since many are accredited museums. Plus she couldn’t pass up the chance to work in nature.
“The ability to connect people to the wonders of flora and fauna is essential for the preservation of plants and green space, and botanic gardens have the opportunity to engage and teach the community in innovative ways,” says MaryLynn.
And the APGA directly impacts how gardens and the community learn from one another.
“Members of the APGA share information, best practices and experiences that have an impact throughout the Americas. The result benefits all gardens to serve communities everywhere,” says MaryLynn. “We as a member organization (since 1940) have been the leading professional organization for the field of public horticulture. We advocate on behalf of public gardens. We celebrate plants!”
It’s also fitting that the next APGA president is coming from South Coast Botanic Garden, one of the first botanical gardens to be built on a sanitary landfill and proudly serves as an example of land reclamation and sustainability.
“South Coast Botanic Garden’s impact on the public garden world continues as we happily share one of our treasured resources with the APGA community and welcome our own Chief Operating Officer, MaryLynn Mack as the new incoming president,” says Adrienne Nakashima, CEO, South Coast Botanic Garden. “We have no doubt that her service to the Association and to our communities will have immense impact.”
While MaryLynn will have her hands full with her new responsibilities at AGPA, South Coast Botanic Garden visitors will still see her impact in the garden. She will remain COO, relying heavily on the “good work, expertise and commitment” of the teams at both institutions. In fact, she isn’t slowing down at all. While we can’t give too much away, MaryLynn has some exciting surprises coming to SCBG this year that will impact how visitors experience our 87 acres for years to come.
One important aspect about her new responsibilities with APGA that she isn’t taking lightly is her role as a Black female president of a national organization – especially at a time like now.
“It is an honor, and my goal is to be a mentor and advocate to others in our industry who represent diversity,” says MaryLynn.
The Garden has remained open to serve the community by being a place to encourage wellness and health through nature and open space. Please help keep us open by considering a gift to the Garden. You can do so here.
