Steve Windhager New Botanic Garden CEO

The Santa Barbara Botanic Garden announced that Dr. Steve Windhager has accepted the position as the Garden’s new President and CEO. After months of conducting a nationwide search, the Board unanimously chose Windhager because of his depth of his experience, his passion and his dynamic leadership style.

Windhager comes to the Botanic Garden from the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in Austin, TX where he was Director of Landscape Restoration and Sustainable Sites Initiative.

“We are thrilled to welcome Steve to the Botanic Garden,” said Fife Symington, Chair of the Board of Trustees. “Steve represents a new era for the Garden and brings years of expertise and a fresh outlook to help the Garden prepare for the future and ensure its continuing success.”

The next few years promise to be exciting for the Botanic Garden, repairing damages from the fires, the approval and implementation of the Vital Mission Plan and an upcoming capital campaign.

“I am very pleased to accept the position of President and CEO of the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden,” said Windhager. “The opportunities for the Garden in the coming years are incredible. Recovering from a few years of challenging issues, the Garden is now set up to grow in exciting ways. I’m looking forward to great conversations with the staff, volunteers, members, visitors and others about how to make the Garden more accessible and a center piece to the Santa Barbara community.”

Windhager is scheduled to start at the Botanic Garden on December 1, 2010.

The Botanic Garden is an educational and scientific institution. We foster stewardship of the natural world through inspired learning, rigorous scholarship, and premier displays.

Through an emphasis on plants native to California, we advance the knowledge and understanding of plant life and provide a rewarding experience for our visitors.