ASHEVILLE – A prominent leader in botany has announced his retirement from the North Carolina Arboretum after more than 30 years.
As of August 1, founding director George Briggs will retire from the arboretum, ending a 37-year career.
Briggs, a Reidsville native, is credited with founding the arboretum at 100 Frederick Law Olmsted Way in Asheville, which is reported as one of five affiliated institutions in the 17-campus University of North Carolina system. .
“In the world of arboretum, George Briggs is a pioneer. For 37 years, he has broken new ground at the North Carolina Arboretum, continued to sow the seeds of big ideas, and expand its impact in education, research, and conservation. UNC System President Peter Hans said in an April 13 news release. “George's patient vision has made the Arboretum a true jewel for his UNC system and for the state of North Carolina.”
Briggs was appointed by the late UNC President CD Spangler and has since reported to seven university presidents.
Briggs' retirement announcement was made during the Western North Carolina Orchid Society's 23rd Annual Asheville Orchid Festival, to be held at the North Carolina Arboretum on April 13 and 14.
“A place of beauty that is highly rated around the world”
As executive director, Mr. Briggs oversees a $10 million budget. According to a news release from the arboretum, his credits include “leading several economic development initiatives focused on building Asheville's climate science and business sectors, North Carolina's natural products economy, and managed landscape stewardship. It includes “beginning”.
In 1987, Briggs attended his first public event. There, 429 acres of the Pisgah National Forest's Bent Creek Experimental Forest, established by the North Carolina General Assembly in 1986, were designated as an arboretum in a memorandum of understanding signed by the governor and the governor. U.S. Forest Service personnel.
The Arboretum serves more than 600,000 visitors and 100,000 students annually throughout North Carolina, and serves more than 20,000 households as a major state-supported tourist attraction in Western North Carolina. He reported that he is gaining support from members.
“In founding the North Carolina Arboretum, George Briggs brought Western North Carolina a place internationally recognized for beauty, creativity, learning, and economic opportunity,” said Cheryl McMurray, Arboretum Board Chair. Kaynard said in a news release.
“The deep and inspiring impact of George's leadership skills, extraordinary intellect and personality, and commitment to truly exceptional results are on display every day at the Arboretum, and are shared by all who have worked with him over the years. It is seen, experienced and appreciated by people.”
Mr. Briggs previously served as professor of horticulture at Virginia Tech, executive director of the Nebraska State Arboretum at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and president of the American Public Garden Association.
Briggs founded and chaired the first World Botanic Garden Congress in Asheville, which “ratified the first policy framework for plant protection in public gardens around the world,” the arboretum said. .
Mr. Briggs is dedicated to growing the craft, green industry and tourism economy, and has served on numerous state and national committees, including long tenures on the North Carolina Plant Conservation Board and the North Carolina Biotechnology Center Board.
He was recognized for excellence in the built environment by the North Carolina Department of Construction and was inducted into the Council of Fellows of the American Institute of Landscape Architects.
The nonprofit North Carolina Arboretum Society provides resources for the facility, which is managed by a 19-member board of directors, members appointed by UNC and state leaders with oversight from UNC.
In March, Newsweek magazine recognized the Arboretum as America's best botanical garden, stating that the Arboretum “is proud of the Arboretum's dual vision committee, 150 dedicated staff, and 350 dedicated volunteers. “It's an achievement,” he said.
This story will be updated.
Tiana Kennel is a food and dining reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA Today Network. Email tkennell@citizentimes.com or follow us on Instagram @PrincessOfPage. Please support this kind of journalism.Citizen Times subscription.