Where are they now?
Former Fellows of the Longwood Graduate Program are represented in a diverse array of professions throughout North America. The “Where Are They Now?” section of our Web site highlights some of these unique individuals, making amazing contributions to the field of public horticulture and beyond. Please enjoy reading about the accomplishment of our Alumni below and check back regularly for updates.
Pamela Allenstein - Class of 1990
North American Plant Collections Consortium (NAPCC) Manager
American Public Gardens Association (APGA) Kennett Square, PA
Professional and Academic History:
Pam received her undergraduate degree in Ornamental Horticulture with a minor in Landscape Design from Michigan State University. In college, she did summer internships with Longwood Gardens and as a Zoo Horticulturist at the Cincinnati Zoo in Ohio. She also worked in Switzerland at a container production nursery through an international exchange program. Following graduation, Pam spent a year in England designing display gardens at a garden center, and then went to New Zealand where she served as a marketing manager.
In 1988, Pam returned to the United States and began the Longwood Graduate Program. After her graduation, she worked at Longwood Gardens as an outdoor section gardener. She also has held curatorial positions at Bartram’s Garden and Winterthur. Pam has been serving as NAPCC Manager at APGA for 9 years. NAPCC aims to build a network of botanical gardens and arboreta to coordinate a continent-wide approach to plant preservation, and to promote high standards of plant collections management.
Program Career Benefits:
Pam agrees that the Longwood Graduate Program offers its students practical experience, a customized learning environment, and overall carries with it a good reputation. She also believes that the Program helped her to be immersed in public gardens. The program introduced all types of positions and helped students be well prepared for management roles.
Favorite Longwood Graduate Program Memory:
While in the Longwood Graduate Program, Pam enjoyed her time at Longwood Gardens and being able to work on projects there. The interaction with Longwood staff members in the perennial area within the Idea Garden, and planning committees for their Chrysanthemum Festival and Christmas season showed Pam how willing others were to include the Fellows in their daily tasks. As she began focusing on her thesis work, Pam appreciated the mentorship of Barbara Butler, former Director at Delaware Museum of Natural History. Barbara was instrumental in helping Pam learn about advocacy in museums and how this could be applied to public gardens.
Contact:
Rodney Eason - Class of 2002
Display Division Leader
Longwood Gardens Kennett Square, PA
Professional and Academic History:
Rodney Eason is originally from Raleigh, North Carolina. After being awarded a Bachelor of Landscape Architecture degree from North Carolina State University with a minor in Horticultural Science, he worked for two years as a landscape architect for a firm in Raleigh. In 1998, he became a curator at the gardens of Plant Delights Nursery, which specializes in the mail order sale of rare and unusual perennials. After graduating from the Longwood Graduate Program, Rodney was gardens curator at Airlie Garden in Wilmington, North Carolina for two years. While at Airlie he oversaw the gardening staff and overall garden improvements and design implementation, which included: new irrigation, electrical services and lighting, soil establishment, and plantings.
Rodney and his family moved back to Pennsylvania in 2004 to work at Longwood Gardens in this, his “dream job.” As Display Division Leader, he and his team ensure that Longwood’s display gardens strive towards horticultural excellence year-round.
Program Career Benefits:
The training Rodney received through coursework (in classes like the Fiscal Management for Government and Non-Profits, Human Resource Management for the Public Sector, and Public Policy) were beneficial towards enhancing his professional management skills. These unique courses offered at the University of Delaware helped to better prepare the students for careers in Public Horticulture. He benefitted from the networking with other Longwood fellows, staff at other gardens around the world, and enjoyed the chance to become more involved with the American Public Gardens Association.
Favorite Longwood Graduate Program Memory:
He fondly recalls the experiences his class shared on the tropical internship to Cuba and the fellows’ trip to the Pacific Northwest. Another unforgettable memory from his time in the Program occurred when the other fellows, former coordinator Jim Swasey, and Program assistant Gerry Zuka were more than willing to help Rodney and his wife as they were expecting their first child mid-way through the Program. Rodney recalls how the fellows helped one another as one of the most beneficial experiences personally and professionally.
