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NAOP Staff
Iris Gestram,
Executive Director
Prior to joining NAOP in 2007, Iris headed the Education and Visitor Services Department at historic Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, PA, where she oversaw guest services, education, public programs and marketing of the 1,000-acre public garden. Iris also was Director of Education and Visitor Services at the Olmsted-designed Bok Tower Gardens in Lake Wales, FL, adjacent to Mountain Lake Community with its numerous residential landscapes designed by the Olmsted firm.
Iris brings extensive experience in non-profit management, strategic planning and program development. She holds a M.S. in Public Horticulture Administration from the Longwood Graduate Program, University of Delaware, where she developed a preservation proposal for the historic landscape of Gibraltar in Wilmington, Delaware, designed by pioneer woman landscape architect Marian Cruger Coffin; and a M.S. in Plant Science from Humboldt University Berlin, Germany.
Alex Barnett-Howell, Membership Coordinator
Alex graduated from the University of North Carolina where he received a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Drama. Since then, he spent time working for two non-profit organizations in New York City, The Center for Reproductive Rights and the Brooklyn Family Defense Project, as well as for corporate law firms in Washington, DC. Alex is glad to be working for NAOP, due to the fact that he has spent most of his life around Olmsted works both in his hometown, Seattle, and in New York.
Prior to joining NAOP in 2007, Iris headed the Education and Visitor Services Department at historic Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, PA, where she oversaw guest services, education, public programs and marketing of the 1,000-acre public garden. Iris also was Director of Education and Visitor Services at the Olmsted-designed Bok Tower Gardens in Lake Wales, FL, adjacent to Mountain Lake Community with its numerous residential landscapes designed by the Olmsted firm.
Iris brings extensive experience in non-profit management, strategic planning and program development. She holds a M.S. in Public Horticulture Administration from the Longwood Graduate Program, University of Delaware, where she developed a preservation proposal for the historic landscape of Gibraltar in Wilmington, Delaware, designed by pioneer woman landscape architect Marian Cruger Coffin; and a M.S. in Plant Science from Humboldt University Berlin, Germany.
Alex Barnett-Howell, Membership Coordinator
Alex graduated from the University of North Carolina where he received a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Drama. Since then, he spent time working for two non-profit organizations in New York City, The Center for Reproductive Rights and the Brooklyn Family Defense Project, as well as for corporate law firms in Washington, DC. Alex is glad to be working for NAOP, due to the fact that he has spent most of his life around Olmsted works both in his hometown, Seattle, and in New York.