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About The Garden
History
Learn more about Ruth Bancroft, the Mt Diablo Fruit Farm, and the history of the garden by visiting our History page. Read about The Garden's History.

Staff Biographies
Pat Bassett, Membership Manager Pat Bassett joined the Garden in 2006 to work with a newly acquired membership database system. The job blossomed into bookkeeping, mailings and event data management. Within the last year, the Garden has itself blossomed with new staff and accounting help, so Pat’s position is now focused on Membership. She has a background in non-profit management, with her last position serving as Associate Director of Humanities West, a small non-profit in San Francisco that presents programs rooted in history and the arts. Pat has a BA in English Literature from Willamette University in Salem Oregon. pbassett@ruthbancroftgarden.org

Charlotte Blome, Garden Manager Charlotte Blome is the Garden Manager of The Ruth Bancroft Garden. She has a strong background in garden design and maintenance and had her own garden design company for 17 years. In the 1980’s she apprenticed to a master gardener in Kyoto, Japan and interned with the landscape architect Nakane Kinsaku. She has a BA form the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Currently, she resides near Chicago and comes regularly to the Garden for site visits charlottet@ruthbancroftgarden.org

Sophie Damerel, Education Coordinator Sophie Damerel recently graduated from Saint Mary's College with a BA in Environmental Studies. Her passion for the environment has gone beyond classroom learning through her participation in environmental education camps, recycling programs and greenhouse gas reduction efforts. She is an enthusiastic supporter of education at every age and continues to learn each day she spends at The Garden. Having grown-up in the Bay Area, Sophie is pleased to be a contributor to the preservation of The Ruth Bancroft Garden. sophie@ruthbancroftgarden.org

Laura Hogan, Nursery Manager Laura is a retired environmental graphic designer who provided primarily interpretive signage for both public and private clients over a 40-year career. She is excited to to pursue her ongoing study of drought tolerant plants by assisting with the organization of The Ruth Bancroft Nursery and plant sales. Laura is a past Advisory Board member of the University of California Botanical Garden at Berkeley where she also specialized in the propagation and sales of cacti and succulents. She enjoys working with enthusiastic volunteers who appreciate the wealth of plants The Ruth Bancroft Garden and Nursery have to offer. laura@ruthbancroftgarden.org

Brian Kemble, Curator Brian Kemble has been involved with The Ruth Bancroft Garden since 1980. He is highly regarded in the horticultural world and lectures in this country and in South Africa on the Agave family, Aloes, Bromeliads, the history of The Ruth Bancroft Garden and other horticultural topics. Kemble has a B.A. in Philosophy from Antioch College. His work has been in the area of horticulture since 1976, including garden design and installation, tree trimming and garden maintenance. Brian's work for The Garden has included hybridizing of aloes, agaves, and some South American cacti. Brian has traveled extensively in Mexico and South Africa, studying and photographing plants in their native habitats. brian@ruthbancroftgarden.org

Chip O'Grady, Gardener New to the Bay Area region, Chip O'Grady started as a volunteer in early 2011 before accepting a gardener position shortly after. His background includes working as a project manager for a non-profit economic development organization where he assisted small businesses and communities with economic analysis. He holds a bachelor of science in marketing and a bachelor of art in economics from California State University, Chico, and is currently pursuing an MBA from St. Mary's College of California. He loves to work outdoors and jumped at the opportunity to work for the Garden.

Ry Southard, Executive Director Ry Southard joined The Ruth Bancroft Garden as Executive Director in October of 2011. Ry has recently served as Executive Director at Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens. He relocated to California from the Vail Valley of Colorado where he lived for 15 years. Ry’s experience includes serving for four years as Executive Director of Betty Ford Alpine Gardens, the world’s highest botanic garden. Additionally, Ry co-founded, was General Manager and Chief Compliance Officer of Rocky Mountain Planning Group, Inc., a wealth management firm. Ry has a BFA from San Francisco Art Institute.

Andrew Wong, Head Gardener Andrew Wong is a Bay Area native and has been working at The Ruth Bancroft Garden since 2008. Andrew studied Horticulture at Merritt College with coursework in native plants, arboriculture, and soils. When he is not gardening, Andrew spends his time running ultra marathons, and has completed distances greater than 100 miles. Currently, he is training for a 12-hour run to help raise money for The Garden. andrew@ruthbancroftgarden.org

Read The Biographies of Our Board Members.

The Ruth Bancoft Garden Newsletter
The Ruth Bancroft Garden has gone electronic! To receive our monthly eBulletin in your inbox, sign-up on the right hand side above. You may also pick up printed copies at the Garden office or request copies to be mailed to you.

Newsletter

Mission Statement

The mission of the Ruth Bancroft Garden, Inc. is to preserve this exceptional example of garden design and to continue to develop its collection of water-conserving plants for the education and enjoyment of the public.

Grant Funders

The Ruth Bancroft Garden would like to recognize the following grant funders:

The Quest Foundation for funding our Education Coordinator’s position

The Stanley Smith Horticultural Trust for funding our directional signs

The California Horticultural Society for funding towards our restoration projects.