May 27, 2013
Shop Talk
Q&A With Katherine Abbott Of Tower Hill Botanic Garden
Katherine F. Abbott,
Executive Director, Tower Hill Botanic Garden
By Rick Saia
She's a leader in conservation at the state and national levels who served as former Gov. Mitt Romney's commissioner of conservation and recreation. That was before being forced out in 2005 after four students were struck by a vehicle near snowy sidewalks and roads that her department was charged with clearing. Now, nearly five months into her role as executive director of the Worcester County Horticultural Society and Tower Hill Botanic Garden in Boylston, Katherine Abbott is working to broaden Tower Hill's appeal beyond Central Massachusetts, increasing awareness of horticulture and its connection with health and wellness.
Now that winter has turned into spring, how's the view out the window?
We had such a snowy winter and I have felt nothing but pent-up excitement about what it was going to be like here to watch the spring unfold. It started with the witch hazel in January and February, and now we've gone into the daffodils, which have been beautiful, and the magnolias, which are out of this world. It's gorgeous.
When your hiring was announced, the horticultural society said it was looking to expand the role of the garden beyond the area. How do you see that happening?
It starts with the ways we serve Worcester and Worcester County. And then we build out … from there. So we think about ourselves as a statewide resource, both in terms of horticulture but also in terms of tourism and as a destination. And then we branch out beyond that to think about all of New England. We are within 50 miles of 6 million people. So … as we define ourselves here at Tower Hill, and what we want to be about, I think we just begin to think about expanding that in larger and larger concentric circles.
You seemed to have a rough experience as part of Mitt Romney's administration. What lessons did you learn from it?
It wasn't rough. It was the best job I ever had. It was a phenomenal experience. I think the lessons learned, probably, had to do with the importance of leading as well as managing, and of really developing a vision that the largest number of people could buy into. And then really getting out there, figuring out some concrete ways to realize that vision, and then selling that vision to, in this case, political supporters (and others).
There is no higher calling than public service, and it was a real honor.
How have the other roles throughout your career prepared you for this one?
My experience that most closely aligns with Tower Hill is probably as the executive director and president and CEO of the Boston Harbor Island Alliance, which was the first nonprofit ever legislated into the creation of a national park to help bring private-sector expertise and resources to the table in the development and management of that national park. And it was all about programming and marketing, and I think that's very much where we are here at Tower Hill.
Do people pay more attention to issues of conservation today? Or does it get short shrift?
If you look at the polls, it gets short shrift. I can't think of a gubernatorial administration that has seen environment and conservation poll very highly. And yet, I think it's one of those issues (that) can touch people very personally, and people do tend to — when it's something that affects them — get very involved very quickly.
You've carved out what appears to be an ambitious agenda, or it's been carved out for you. What do you see as your biggest leadership challenge in this role?
I think the first challenge is to define the vision —a shared vision — between the board, staff, members, supporters, donors, people who aren't engaged yet. … We've built a beautiful place, and it's full of incredibly wonderful people. But I think what we're lacking at this moment in time is really a vision for who we want to be and what's the impact we want to have.
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Shop Talk - Katherine F. Abbott, Tower Hill Botanical Gardens
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