By Kelly Welsh
Norfolk Botanical Garden (NBG) announces President & CEO Michael P. Desplaines will step down in late June to accept the CEO position at The Los Angeles County Arboretum in Arcadia, California this July. Mr. Desplaines has been with the Garden since 2014 and during his tenure has increased visitation to exceed 500,000 visitors annually and has doubled the non-profit organization’s operating budget all the while connecting millions of guests to nature through the world of plants. He most recently led The Garden of Tomorrow campaign raising over $38 million to build and plant the future of NBG.
His commitment to equity and inclusion was demonstrated early in his tenure when he elevated the Garden’s diversity committee to a Presidential Council on Inclusion and Diversity and under his leadership the NBG Board of Directors is now the most diverse in its history with over 33% of the Board now from traditionally underrepresented communities.
The Garden of Tomorrow has been many years in the making with Mr. Desplaines leading the way in raising over $33 million in private donations and $5 million from The City of Norfolk. The project, now underway, will be the largest expansion in the Garden’s history. It includes the new Brock Parking Garden, the Brock Entry Pavilion and the Perry Conservatory: a 26,000 square foot, four biome Conservatory that will house and protect the most threatened plants around the world and will feature the Kay and Al Abiouness Sky Walk. Spectacular from every aspect, with the environment at the forefront, there will be nothing like it in Coastal Virginia. This historical transformation will create more educational opportunities, more accessibility, more green space and demonstrate conservation in action.
“It has been incredible to see how the Garden has transformed on every level over these past nine years under Michael’s strategic and inspiring leadership,” said NBG Board of Directors Chair Clenise Platt. “Michael and the NBG staff have done a tremendous job as the organization’s vision and goals have grown and evolved over the years. This is such an exciting time in the Garden’s history and although we hate to lose Michael as CEO, the Board is immensely proud of what we have accomplished together and wish him all the best in his new life and career adventure. We are also very appreciative that Peter Schmidt has agreed to serve as the Interim Chief Executive Officer as the Board works on a leadership plan for the Garden’s next chapter,” she said.
Mr. Schmidt joined NBG in 2019 where he worked alongside Desplaines on a broad range of executive leadership responsibilities including development and ultimate vision of The Garden of Tomorrow. He is a certified public accountant with an extensive background in finance, economics, operations, team development and strategic project execution. He spent 12 years in leadership roles with a $5 billion multinational publicly traded wine company developing and completing large multifaceted projects as well as leading the integration of a $550 million company merger. He made the decision to leave corporate business and use his leadership experience to support Norfolk Botanical Garden as a non-profit organization – helping build a stronger and more vibrant organization. Schmidt begins his new leadership role on July 1, 2023.
