The Ah-Ha Moment

Richard Slayton

Richard’s career spans over four decades of service to the profession of
landscape architecture and the creation of environments for Healthcare
and Senior Living. He has served on the Uniform National Exam Review
Board; as American Society of Landscape Architects executive committee
member, including New York City Chapter president and Wisconsin Chapter
treasurer; as well as a board member on the American Horticultural Therapy Association.  As evidenced by a decade of service to the City of Madison Urban
Design Commission, Richard is passionate about improving the quality of
life in social environments. Following graduate studies, he has incorporated
the concept of biophilia to explore enhancements in the quality of our
interaction with nature.

Peg Schofield

Peg Schofield, MA, HTR, is an educator and Registered Horticultural Therapist working in the Philadelphia area. She is an Adjunct Professor and Program Director of the Horticultural Therapy Certificate Program at Temple University. Peg has served as President of the Mid-
Atlantic Horticultural Therapy Network, and as the Director of Horticulture at Cathedral Village Retirement Community. Currently she works as a Horticultural Consultant and Horticultural Therapist, serving communities of Breast Cancer survivors, individuals with PTSD, and those
coping with grief experiences.

Colleen Griffin

" After a 25 year career in the health care field,  I decided a change was necessary.  I followed my heart and enrolled in horticulture classes at a local community college. From there I found HT and attended HTI in Colorado. I acquired my HTR in 2018 and have since worked with adults and children with special needs in vocational and developmental/ behavioral programs.  For the past 4 years, I have been affiliated with Dempsey Centers for Quality Cancer Care serving not only those with a cancer diagnosis but their families and caregivers as well. My work with Dempsey centers on Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction.

Recently, I became involved with teaching master classes through the University of Maine Cooperative Extension Master Gardener Volunteer Program. 

I serve on the AHTA conference planning work team, and I am currently the membership coordinator for NEHTN and organize the quarterly newsletter for that network".  - Colleen 

Jennifer Smith-Simms

Jennifer Smith-Simms is the Manager of Public Programs in the Education Division at the Missouri Botanical Garden.  Jennifer oversees Adult Education, Youth & Family, and Therapeutic Horticulture programs. Her background is in Horticulture, Therapeutic Design, and Accessibility and Inclusion. She began her career at the Garden as an instructor sharing the love of plants and nature with senior citizens living in senior facilities in the community and at the Garden. Now at the Garden for 20 years, she enjoys sharing her strong passion for accessibility and inclusion for all especially when it comes to access to our cultural institutions and connecting all to plants and nature in order to increase their well-being. She has been a Registered Horticultural Therapist with the American Horticultural Therapy Association since 2004 and has proudly served on the board of the AHTA. 

Trish Hildinger

Trish has a BS in Horticulture and is a registered horticultural therapist. She is the owner of Horticultural Therapy Santa Cruz and founded the current California Horticultural Therapy Network. She works with a variety of populations including adults memory loss, dementia and stroke. 

 

 

horticulturaltherapysc.com

Christine Capra

Christine L. Capra has coordinated horticultural therapy education for over 20 years as the program manager at the Horticultural Therapy Institute and previously at the Denver Botanic Gardens. She oversees all aspects of the accredited certificate program. Based in Denver, Colorado she and partner, Rebecca L. Haller, HTM, co-founded the institute in early 2002 and continue to offer horticultural therapy education to students from across the United States and abroad. She is the co-editor of two horticultural therapy books: “The Profession and Practice of Horticultural Therapy” 2019 CRC Press and “Horticultural Therapy Methods: Making Connections in Health Care, Human Service and Community Programs” 2006. She is also the editor of the on-line HTI newsletter, “Making Connections” has won numerous writing awards and has been published in a variety of publications.

Matt Wichrowski

Matthew J. Wichrowski MSW, HTR has been practicing horticultural therapy at Rusk Rehabilitation NYU-Langone Medical Center for almost 30 years and is currently Clinical Assistant Professor. He teaches in
the Horticultural Therapy Certificate Program at New York Botanical Garden, presents regularly at national and international conferences, and has won many awards for his work. Matt is also Editor-in-
Chief of the AHTA’s Journal of Therapeutic Horticulture. His research interests center around the effects of nature on human health and wellness and his work has been published in a variety of media,
including textbooks, journals, and magazines.

Pam Catlin

Pam Catlin started her journey in the career of horticultural therapy in 1976 in eastern Washington state.   Since then she has initiated and facilitated over 40 HT programs in Washington, Oregon, Illinois and Arizona.  In Illinois, Pam worked in Chicago Botanic Garden's Urban Horticulture Department as a horticultural therapist.    She has lived in Prescott, Arizona since 1991 serving primarily elders, those with memory loss and adults with developmental/intellectual disabilities in the capacities of employee as well as doing independent HT contract work. Since the late 1990's Pam has been on the faculty of the Horticultural Therapy Institute.   Retired from full time HT work, Pam continues to work part time as a distance HT internship supervisor.  Pam has served as a board member, a Strategic Area Manager (SAM) and on various committees with AHTA.

Deborah Krause

Barb Kreski

At the end of 2018, Barb Kreski retired from her position as director of horticultural therapy services at the Chicago Botanic Garden after serving there nearly nine years. She is currently working independently as an educator, consultant, and subject matter expert. Her experience is in the field of horticultural therapy, occupational therapy, accessibility of gardens and a broad range of disabling conditions.