Board of Trustees
Antonia Adezio joined the board of Greenwood Gardens in 2007. Ms. Adezio is the founding Executive Director of the Garden Conservancy, begun in 1989 by Frank Cabot to save exceptional American gardens. Ms. Adezio has participated in the preservation of nearly twenty significant American gardens, and is a member of the board of directors of public gardens in California, Texas and New York. Her prior experience includes management and fundraising consultation with numerous non-profit groups and a stint as Director of Development at Wave Hill, a public garden in Riverdale, New York, where she first discovered gardens.
Elaine Becker has been a leader in the Millburn and Short Hills communities for many years. Elaine was the mayor of Millburn Township from 1996 to 2000 and was an active member of the Township Committee from 1991 to 2003. Elaine and her husband Karl were the recipients of the township's Community Service Award in 2004 for their volunteer service to the community. She is a graduate of Rosemont College.
Peter P. Blanchard III was born in New York City on November 10, 1951 and almost immediately joined his parents at 274 Old Short Hills Road-now Greenwood Gardens. He graduated from Princeton University in 1974 with a Bachelor's degree in Art History. Additionally, Peter holds Master's degrees in Science Education from Columbia University's Teacher's College (1979) and Forestry Science from Yale University's School of Forestry and Environmental Sciences (1984). His lifelong interests in landscape art and in the natural sciences, however, have their primary origin in the formative years spent in the Gardens and in the adjacent South Mountain Reservation. Peter taught biology at the secondary level for nine years and has been actively involved with several land conservation organizations. He is currently on the boards of the Orion Society and the Frick Collection (NYC).
Sofia Blanchard received a Bachelor's degree from Smith College in 1986 and a Master's degree in International Affairs from Columbia University in 1990. From 1990 to 1993 she was the Executive Director of the Children's Hope Foundation, a pediatric AIDS service organization. From 1994 to 2000 she was the Executive Director of Girls Incorporated of New York City, a national youth organization that empowers girls to be strong, smart and bold. Sofia has brought her expertise in nonprofit management to Greenwood, working to establish the nonprofit and build support for it.
Richard H. Francis joined the board of Greenwood Gardens in 2008. Mr. Francis was Executive Vice President-Office of the Chairman and Chief Financial Officer of Pan Am Corporation until October 1991. Mr. Francis joined Pan Am in March 1988 after a twenty-seven year career in finance at American Standard, Inc. Mr. Francis formerly served as a director of Credit Suisse Funds and as a member of the Investment Committee of Lehigh University Endowment Fund.
Francis is a native of Allentown, Pennsylvania. He earned his Bachelor of Science from Lehigh University and attended Harvard's Advanced Management program. He lives in Short Hills, New Jersey, with his wife Gislina. He is a member of the Short Hills Club and Community Congregational Church where he has served as Treasurer, Church Chair, and Chairman of the Building and Grounds Committee. He has also served on the Board of The Christopher Reeve Foundation.
Tim Hartman is a Senior Associate with John Trask & Associates in Pennington, New Jersey, a family office services company, where he is responsible for the administration of the firm and client services. His firm specializes in helping families define and achieve their personal and financial goals by providing management services for investment and integrated planning, financial accounting and reporting, family continuity, philanthropy and administration. Prior to joining John Trask & Associates, Tim worked as the Director of Finance and Operations for the Hun School of Princeton, in Princeton, New Jersey. Tim received a Bachelor's degree in Theology from Denison University in Granville, Ohio.
Louise Moos has lived in Short Hills for thirty years. Raised in England and educated at the Teachers Training College of London University, Louise taught preschool in London and then in New York for several years.
After raising a family she went back to school and then for seventeen years, along with two friends, ran a small landscape design company. Louise has sat on several boards including those of the Cora Hartshorn Arboretum, the Short Hills Club and the Short Hills Garden Club.
Lezette Proud has been a resident of Short Hills, New Jersey for more than 35 years and is a leader in environmental and community causes. She was a founder of the Township Beautification League and the former President of CLEAN-Citizens League for Environmental Action Now. She is a board member of the Short Hills Home Garden Club and has received the Garden Club of America Service Award and the Millburn Township Community Service Award. Lezette attended Michigan State University.
Marco Polo Stufano graduated from Brown University with a degree in Art History and later studied at the New York Botanical Garden School of Horticulture. In 1967, he became the first Director of Horticulture for Wave Hill, located in the Bronx, New York. Marco's keen plantsmanship and aesthetic eye led the development of Wave Hill's gardens until his retirement in 2002, transforming them into a preeminent horticultural attraction. He now lectures extensively around the country and has been the recipient of awards given by the Garden Club of America, the American Horticultural Society, the Massachusetts Horticultural Society, and the Scott Arboretum of Swarthmore College. Marco is also the Chairman of the Garden Conservancy's Projects Department Screening Committee, helping to identify and preserve gardens throughout the country.
Arthur Vanderbilt, a lifelong resident of New Jersey, lives and gardens in Summit. A partner in the law firm of Carella, Byrne, Bain, Gilfillan, Cecchi, Stewart & Olstein, Arthur specializes in public finance law, public utility law, and administrative law. He received his J.D. degree from the University of Virginia. He has served as the chairman of the New Jersey Supreme Court Ethics Committee, and is a fellow of the American Bar Association. Arthur is also a distinguished author. A few of his many publications are Fortune's Children: The Fall of the House of Vanderbilt, nominated for the Pulitzer Prize in American History, Jersey Justice: Three Hundred Years of New Jersey Judiciary, and his most recent book, Gardening in Eden, a humorous and insightful book chronicling four seasons of gardening in Northern New Jersey.
Staff
Jennifer joined Greenwood Gardens from the Garden Conservancy, a national nonprofit organization that partners with owners of exceptional gardens to preserve the landscapes for the enjoyment and education of the public. While at the Garden Conservancy she assisted nonprofits around the country to build the capacity of their administrations, generate financial support, and plan for and implement appropriate preservation and development measures.
Prior to her work at the Garden Conservancy, Jennifer was employed as a historical landscape architect for the National Park Service in Washington D.C. There she led teams of professionals to analyze Washington D.C.'s monumental landscapes and recommend actions for their long-term protection and care. She has spoken often at national conferences on the preservation of historic properties and on building the capacity of organizations to care for such places and share them with the public. She holds a Master's degree in Historic Preservation Planning from Cornell University and a Bachelor's of Landscape Architecture from Michigan State University.
Prior to joining Greenwood, Louis was employed at Wave Hill, a public garden located in the Bronx, New York. While there he served as Greenhouse Manager of the Tropical House and Curator for the Flower Garden. Louis maintained all aspects of the collections and displays in the Tropical House and Flower Garden and served as host for special events. He also participated in the design and installation of exhibits at Rockefeller Center Flower Shows. Before working at Wave Hill, Louis managed a garden shop where he designed and oversaw the installation of floral decorations for major events at the New York Flower Show, Ellis Island, the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, the American Museum of Natural History and the New York Public Library.
Louis has appeared as a guest on Martha Stewart's television show, offering gardening information on a variety of subjects. He has also has given several presentations on garden topics and was the recipient of the Best Garden Award at the 1996 New York Flower Show for his design of the "Brooklyn Bears." Louis attended Carnegie Mellon University where he majored in architectural studies.
