Chief Development Officer - Chicago Botanic Garden

Organizational Overview:
Chicago Botanic Garden

The Chicago Botanic Garden (the Garden) is a world-renowned living museum, inspiring people to connect with plants through science, urban agriculture, learning opportunities and the beauty of horticulture.

The mission of the Garden is to cultivate the power of plants to sustain and enrich life.

Through its work, the Garden helps shape how people experience, value, and care for the planet. The Garden is a nonprofit organization run as a public/private partnership with the Forest Preserves of Cook County.

The Chicago Botanic Garden traces its origins back to the Chicago Horticultural Society, founded in 1890. Using the motto Urbs in Horto (meaning "City in a Garden"), the Society's modern history began in 1962 when it agreed to help create and manage a new public garden. With the groundbreaking in 1965 and its opening in 1972, the Society established a permanent site on which to carry out its mission.

• Global Conservation Leadership: Through the Negaunee Institute for Plant Conservation Science
  , the Garden spearheads international efforts in environmental restoration and plant science research, driven by a dedicated team of scientists and graduate researchers.
• Urban Agriculture & Community Health: The Windy City Harvest initiative serves as a gold standard for city farming. With 12 sites—including the flagship Farm on Ogden in North Lawndale—the program prioritizes local nutrition and workforce development.
• Comprehensive Academic Partnerships: From the Regenstein School to advanced degree tracks, educational offerings span from pre‑K to the professional level. This includes prestigious M.S. and Ph.D. programs in Plant Biology and Conservation held in partnership with Northwestern University.
• World‑Class Botanical Resources: The Lenhardt Library houses an impressive 110,000 volumes, featuring a premier collection of rare botanical texts that serve as a vital resource for history and science.

Today, the Garden operates a $65 million annual budget supported by 270 full- and part‑time staff, 430 seasonal employees, and more than 800 volunteers.

The Garden’s ambition is to earn global recognition for the positive impact its nature‑based initiatives have in shaping how people experience, value, and care for the planet. Its Strategic Plan is widely embraced across the Garden and guides its work through 2028. The plan is based on five main strategic imperatives:

• Global Reach
  :
  Expand and deepen the Garden’s local, national, and global reach through the full breadth of its work.
• Main Campus Development: Develop and adapt the main campus for greater relevance, resilience, and guest experience.
• Chicagoland Presence: Grow the Garden’s local presence through expanded platforms for partnerships and urban agriculture.
• Plant Conservation Science: Establish the Garden as a global leader for plant conservation science and restoration.
• Sustainability & Culture: Establish long-term financial and operational sustainability and a thriving organizational culture.

A key goal in accomplishing the plan is to build visibility, awareness, and access, increasing the number of visitors and participants across all of the Garden’s programming and locations. The plan emphasizes specific aspirations for the main campus, increasing its Chicagoland presence and partnerships, and growing contributions to global plant science.

The ambition described in the  Strategic Plan is anticipated to necessitate a major fundraising campaign for the Garden. Previous campaigns have been highly successful, with the last one ending in 2020 having raised nearly $140 million. This next campaign will be in addition to the Garden’s annual and very successful ongoing fundraising operation.

In March 2026, the Garden is welcoming Gretchen Baker as its next President & CEO. Baker brings deep leadership experience across major cultural and scientific institutions, including senior roles at natural history museums in Chicago, Los Angeles, and Pittsburgh. Her appointment reflects a thoughtful leadership transition and positions the Garden to advance its mission at the…