Symposium regisrants peruse sponor's table
Symposium Leader, Ms. Jackie Bergquist, greets regisrants
Dr. Bob Randall, Executive Director of Urban Harvest in Houston, Texas
Registrants enjoy refreshments under one of many orchid displays
First year Fellows, Ms. Shari Edelson & Mr. Dan Stern 
Mr. Shane Smith, Founding Director of the Cheyenne Botanic Gardens
The Ballroom at Longwood Gardens
Speakers, Mr. John Burns & Dr. Bob Randall
First year Fellow, Ms. Keelin Purcell
Speakers, Ms. Jone Hopkins, Grower for Windy City Harvest & Ms. Angela Mason, Director of Community Gardening, Chicago Botanic Garden
Mr. John Burns, Administrative Coordinator for the Plant Conservation Volunteer Program at the New England Wild Flower Society
Ms. Jackie Burgquist (second year Fellow), Ms. Grace Chapman (former Fellow), & Ms. Keelin Purcell (first year Fellow)
First year Fellows, Ms. Keelin Purcell & Ms. Shari Edelson toast to a great symposium!
Ms. Susie Wilkening, Senior Consultant with Reach Advisors
Attendees greeted at symposium regisration table
Friday, March 6, 2009
The 2009 Longwood Graduate Program Annual Symposium was a tremendous success! Thank you to all of the speakers, attendees, sponsors, LGP staff, and fellows who made the 2009 Annual Symposium possible. We hosted 123 people at our daylong symposium, and the event unfolded perfectly in the Ballroom at Longwood Gardens. Participants included professionals from ten states, including seven students!
Our Symposium, entitled Branching Out: Cultivating Community Engagement, provided practical information for professionals and institutions seeking a connection with their community. Those in attendance learned about using food crops, community gardens, and survey data to incorporate local visitors and volunteers into our organizations. We also discovered some very interesting trends regarding cultural institution visitors and their attendance patterns at our organizations.
This year, 19 organizational sponsors provided significant support for this event, and we would like to express our appreciation for their continued support of the Longwood Graduate Program Annual Symposium. Additionally, we would also like to thank our Former Fellows for their contributions, support, and encouragement.
Please check the Web site again in the fall of 2009 for information on our 2010 symposium!
