Chris van de Velde has been a tireless, visionary volunteer executive leader, committee member and advocate for the Arboretum since 2010.  Diving into the herculean job of renewal, Chris rebuilt and stabilized operations, programming and infrastructure at Awbury and set the Arboretum on a course of long-term growth previously imagined impossible. He has often said that he knew nothing about running an arboretum but got “lucky” with the creativity and talent of the people he was fortunate to recruit and work beside. Without a doubt, the results have been dramatic. The past fifteen years have borne witness to a true renaissance at Awbury.

A municipal manager until he retired,  Chris has said he started to volunteer at Awbury because he “flunked retirement.”  His ability to untangle complex situations helped turn Awbury into the vibrant public garden it is today and demonstrates a degree of talent, tenacity and generosity of spirit comparable only to our award’s namesake, the legendary Gay Gilpin Johnson herself.