NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION
Chicago Horticultural Society
1000 lake cook road glencoe, illinois 60022
Board of Directors
chicagobotanic.org
Officers and Executive Staff as of 12/31/2019
Jennifer Schwarz Ballard, Ph.D., Vice President, Learning & Engagement
Jean M. Franczyk, President & Chief Executive Officer
Aida Z. Giglio, Vice President, Human Resources
Fred Spicer, Executive Vice President and Director
Gregory M. Mueller, Ph.D., Chief Scientist and Negaunee Vice President of Science
Thomas J. Nissly, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
Harriet Resnick, Vice President, Visitor Experience and Business Development
James F. Boudreau, Executive Vice President, External Affairs 2019 Life Directors
Dana Anderson
M. James Leider
Marilynn B. Alsdorf*
Russell F. Bartmes
Benjamin F. Lenhardt, Jr.
J. Melfort Campbell
Martha D. Boudos
Anne Leventry
Barbara Whitney Carr
Terrence R. Brady
Diane vS. Levy
Gary P. Coughlan
Jennifer K. Brown˚
Laura M. Linger
Peter R. Crane
Neville F. Bryan
Anne S. Loucks
When we first wrote this letter, we simply wanted to thank you for
New reach
delivering one of the most successful years ever at the Chicago
Our new holiday light show, Lightscape, sold out. More than 175,000
Botanic Garden in 2019—and then the world changed. The new
people attended—20 percent of whom were first-time visitors to the
coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak became a worldwide pandemic.
Garden. Lightscape, and other programs such as the pollinator-
We temporarily closed our beloved Garden, based on the recom-
focused Bees & Beyond, helped propel attendance to a record
mendations of federal, state, and county officials. All classes,
1.275 million visitors, up 22 percent from 2018.
programs, and events were canceled. What has not changed is our commitment to inspire and touch lives
You helped us achieve record levels of earned and raised revenues,
Suzanne S. Dixon
through the natural world. A growing body of research shows that
and Annual Fund contributions. Facing substantial cuts in government funding, we doubled down on our strategic imperative to
Michael J. McMurray
Thomas A. Donahoe
Michael J. Busch
Christopher Merrill
Peter B. Foreman
We will emerge from this crisis stronger and more relevant than ever
diversify and grow revenue, and to become more widely known and
Heidi B. Capozzi
William E. Moeller
Ralph F. Fujimoto
to the health and well-being of the communities we serve.
appreciated.
David R. Casper
Gregory A. Moerschel
James J. Glasser
Robin Colburn
Lois L. Morrison
Caryn L. Harris
As we write this letter, the scent of witch hazel lingers in the Sensory
Thank you to our loyal staff, boards, volunteers, members, visitors,
Jill M. Delaney
Henry Munez
Pamela K. Hull
Garden, and thousands of sunny ‘Yellow Mammoth’ crocuses
and donors, and to our partner, the Forest Preserves of Cook
James W. DeYoung
Jennifer J. Neighbours˚
Thomas B. Hunter III
Timothy A. Dugan
Craig Niemann
Posy L. Krehbiel
bloom in the grassy meadow of Evening Island. We send a message
County. You help us improve lives, communities, and our planet.
Peter M. Ellis
Jane S. Park
William H. Kurtis
Jean M. Franczyk˚
Katie Parks˚
Donna La Pietra
Dorothy H. Gardner
George A. Peinado
Daniel I. H. Linzer
Steven J. Gavin
Toni Preckwinkle˚
Josephine P. Louis
Arthur J. Gibson
Bob Probst
Mary L. McCormack
Nancy Gidwitz
Arnold Randall˚
Jeanine McNally
Christopher E. Girgenti
achievements of 2019. Here’s a quick recap of what we accomplished together:
New momentum
Mary B. Richardson-Lowry
William A. Osborn
We completed the ten-year “Keep Growing” capital and endowment
John C. Robak
Homi B. Patel
campaign. The campaign, which modernized and improved the
John K. Greene*
James Robinson
Susan L. Regenstein
Garden, raised $140 million, including $44.9 million in endowment.
Charles V. Greener
Ryan S. Ruskin
Anne O. Scott
Joseph P. Gromacki
Darren Serrao
David Byron Smith
Gillian Growdon
Robert E. Shaw
Susan K. Stone
William J. Hagenah
Andrew Sinclair
Richard L. Thomas
Jonathan S. Holloway
Thomas E. Skilling
Howard J. Trienens
John L. Howard
Maria Smithburg
Ernest P. Waud III
the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, one of the
Jane Irwin
Harrison I. Steans*
Arthur M. Wood, Jr.
world’s most-cited and comprehensive scientific journals, and on
Gregory K. Jones
Pam F. Szokol
green plant evolution in the prestigious journal Nature.
Jennifer M. Kasten
Kimberly Vender Moffat˚
˚ex officio *deceased
Peter Keehn
Catherine M. Waddell
R. Henry Kleeman
Andrew J. Warzecha Melvin F. Williams, Jr.
Nancy Kurz˚
Nicole S. Williams
Thomas E. Lanctot
Michael R. Zimmerman
chicagobotanic.org/annual_report
of hope for the future, as well as gratitude for the extraordinary
Ellis M. Goodman
Susan A. Willetts
To find complete donor list and view our Annual Report online, please visit
Throughout 2019, we pushed ourselves hard, and you responded.
John H. Buehler
Judith H. Konen˚
PERMIT NO. 1568
Annual Report | 2019
A message from the Chairman of the Board and the President & CEO
people live happier, healthier lives when they spend time in nature.
Angela Korompilas
NORTHBROOK, IL
One of the treasures of the Forest Preserves of Cook County
Robert F. Finke Chair
2019 Board of Directors
US POSTAGE PAID
New impact The Garden achieved widespread recognition for its conservation science work. Our scientists published research on prairie plants in
Jean M. Franczyk, President & CEO, and Robert F. Finke, Chairman of the Board
We cultivate the power of plants to sustain and enrich life.
The Farm on Ogden, the project of the Garden and Lawndale Christian Health Center, continues to thrive, supporting and sustaining a healthy urban community. The multiuse facility, in the North Lawndale neighborhood of Chicago, won a Distinguished Building award from the American Institute of Architects Chicago in 2019.