NAOP Staff

Executive Director
Prior to joining NAOP in 2007, Iris headed the Education and Visitor Services Department at historic Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, PA, (2001–2007) where she oversaw guest services, education, public programs, PR and marketing of the 1,000-acre public garden. Iris 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. She holds a M.S. in Plant Science from Humboldt University Berlin, Germany.

Iris is active in the historic landscape preservation and public horticulture fields. She recently completed a strategic plan for the Smithsonian Horticulture Services Division that initiated a name change to Smithsonian Gardens to better reflect the stature and operations of Smithsonian Gardens as a public garden, educational institution, and horticultural display garden. Iris served on the Longwood Graduate Program Executive Committee and the Gibraltar Landscape Advisory Committee for Preservation Delaware, Inc.

Director of Development and Membership
Kristen joined NAOP from the George Washington University, where she was Grants Manager for Corporate and Foundation Relations.  In this role she worked with faculty members, corporate contacts, and foundation program officers to facilitate and steward corporate and foundation partnerships.  Having worked in non-profit development for ten years, Kristen started her career at the Smithsonian Institution where she spent five years in development operations before joining the George Washington University in 2007.

Kristen earned her undergraduate degree in Sociology and Anthropology from St. Mary’s College of Maryland in 2002 and later went on to earn a Master’s in Landscape Design, with a focus on sustainability, from the George Washington University in 2010.

Kristen’s public service includes past volunteer work as a Citizen Forrester with Casey Trees in Washington, DC and as a volunteer leader with Friends of Sligo Creek Park in Silver Spring, Maryland.  She is currently volunteering with the Anacostia Watershed Society.

Office and Membership Coordinator
David is originally from Orlando, Florida, and graduated from Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, with a B.A. in History and Political Science. Prior to joining NAOP, he worked for CQ Roll Call (owned by the Economist Group), most recently as Director of Circulation. There he oversaw subscriptions, printing and distribution for three news publications, including Roll Call, the newspaper of record on Capitol Hill, and coordinated many long-term projects for the organization, including merging the subscription databases of three companies (acquired during his tenure there) with Roll Call's database. In 2007 the Economist Group sent him to Brussels to coordinate a database conversion for European Voice, a sister company to CQ Roll Call. Prior to working for CQ Roll Call, he held internships with Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon, as well as CNN.

David is an avid news consumer, and enjoys reading and walking (though not simultaneously). He has visited numerous Olmsted firm-designed spaces, including Central Park, the Biltmore Estate, the Capitol and White House grounds, the National Cathedral grounds, Roosevelt Island, Rock Creek Park, the National Zoo, Druid Hills, Piedmont Park, and Olmsted Linear Park.