The Fairchild Garden unrest has taken up much of Eyeonmiami this week. The story made it to the front page of The Miami Herald today, "Inside tranquil Fairchild Tropical garden, turmoil grows". We've had a raft of comments from readers about the untamed controversy involving the former Director of Education Caroline Lewis. There are a lot of people who feel passionately about Ms. Lewis' achievements and for good reason: name another environmental program in the nation that grew from virtually nothing to serve over 50,000 public and private school students in only a few years, with a curriculum that doesn't exist in their home schools? And, for added emphasis, in one of the poorest counties in the nation.
What emerges is a picture of a non-profit whose board seems to have been herded either away from accountability by executive managers, or, taken for granted that all was well in the Garden. Non profit organizations and their boards can be notoriously inefficient on both counts. Fairchild is one of the region's larger non-profits with a multi-million dollar budget and many employees.
There are different reasons that individuals choose to serve as a board member of a non-profit. Many are nominated by a committee close to the president as a function of their capacity to raise money for the organization. Long-time board members, of whom little is required by way of supervision or committee involvement, are sometimes social fixtures or hang on from inertia. The wheels of decision-making and responsibility at the board level can and do get very, very rusty. When a crisis emerges, things can and do go very wrong. Most boards reflect the direction of a few dedicated volunteers on an executive committee. But accountability should never be rubber-stamped by the whole board though, more often than not, it is. It is no surprise that morale among employees at Fairchild is bumping along the bottom; how could any employee feel motivated, or safe, when top managers like Caroline Lewis are not only dismissed but when the Garden management-- lacking experience and intimidated by a few board members reaching around the executive director and standard management practices-- falls back on innuendo to advance its goals.
15 comments:
A point to note is that the (supposedly} chief administrator of the Garden is no longer called an Executive Director, merely Director. This is in line with current reality. The Garden's Director is no longer responsible for any significant decisions. Decision making is done by the Board officers either via the Director, or the COO, Nannette Zapata, who is a dedicated tool of the Board officers.
The overall strategy seems to be daily micromanagement of Garden operations and policies coming from the highest Board level. First the entire Curatorial staff was eliminated. That should be a profound embarrassment to an institution whose history and mission are based on having significant, scientifically important plant collections. This is like an living art collection not having any dedicated, knowledgeable professionals to maintain and develop it.
This mission creep has been done without any public notification or discussion.
The further Board strategy has been to eliminate department directors. There is no one with any administrative or supervisory powers within the Horticulture, the department most responsible for maintenance and development of Fairchild's reason for existence. There is no Research Center Director, and there has been a reduction of research staff.
Now Fairchild is searching for an Associate Director, not Director, of Education. The trend is to bring all staff directly under the Board's control, regardless of how successful the Departments have been functioning. This has been done without public explanation.
These Board officers and their cozy friends need to go. I believe that there are Board Members who want better for the Garden. They need to be allowed the opportunity to do something positive. The current officers should not only step down, but should resign from the Board.
Very well said Anom(above). Bruce Greer has been the president of the Board of Trustees for over 10 years, way too long for a non-profit. I have never seen or heard of a non-profit organization that does not have term limits for their executive board. What your seeing now is an example of the kind of trouble this brings to an institution when people get too cozy at the top and there is no way get them out. The Garden needs term limits for their officers and they must not be allowed to stay on as a trustee once their time is up. I've read your by-laws and you must vote for a change in order for this wonderful Garden to survive.
TERM LIMITS, TERM LIMITS, TERM LIMITS. So we now have a situation where South Florida politicos have jettisoned yet another world-class educator. Honestly, I never considered that Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden would become embroiled in ugly politics, but indeed that is where we are. Caroline Lewis is a victim of an ugly powerplay--students and teachers across this county will feel her absence for a long time. Caroline did not want to leave the Garden. BG belongs in the City of Miami where his tactics will hardly be noticed.
From the looks of things as long as you are not a Director at this garden I don't think you have anything to worry about. Apparently they have run off, terminated or attempted to transfer and reclassify just about every Director they have or had. Directors usually control their own dept. budgets. When you have a power hungry, self serving executive from above they usually try to get rid of these people or reclassify them as a manager or supervisor. Trust me, I've been there, I've seen this happen more than once.
You've got to be kidding me! The entire Curatorial staff has been eliminated. Was that not why the Garden was founded to begin with? Is that not why the Garden is here today because someone(David Fairchild) collected plants and promoted research and conservation. I have heard the Director of Horticulture, Director of Development, Director of Research and now the Director of Education have all been vacated with no intent to replace. What on heavens green earth is going on with this place?
Gimleteye, Thank-you for your coverage of this tragic event. I hope the Garden can recover, re-tool and get back to conservation, education and research.
Funders should look at a non-profit's by-laws before they give out money. If there are no board term-limits in the by-laws or if the organization is in violation of their term limit by-laws then they shouldn't become a member of or give funding to that non-profit.
Don't just look at a non-profit's expense ratio and programs but also the board: check to make sure the non-profit holds yearly board elections and has a change in board officers at least every five years. If they don't, it's a bad sign.
Many of the local environmental non-profits have what seem to be "board presidents/chairs for life". Perhaps this explains why our local non-profits aren't particularly successful.
Unless local funders start requiring an improvement in management structures of local non-profits there will never be any changes.
One of the few funders that does look at the management structure of non-profits they fund is the Children's Trust, although even they are not looking at board term limits.
Is their Event Planner still there?
They just want to have a party center.
Next thing you know, they will be planting exotics and ripping out the specimens, because the exotics will not require an experienced landscaper.
If the place is green looking, the parties will still be great! No one knows one plant from another, correct?
Someone better warn Chihuly that the next exhibition will not have guards... they probably will be gone, as well.
Blah... what a fine kettle of fish.
Okay - so now we know what happened and what was said. Our hearts go out to Caroline and her family. Most are angry to find that this all stems from a complacent and negligent Board that have been seated at the right hand of Bruce Almighty for too long. Their actions in some areas and lack thereof in others, have a giant Bigfoot in the rainforest and a lochness monster in our lowland lake...while Directors of every major department have been shown the door and not replaced! Let's take this opportunity to DO SOMETHING. First, feel free to show your appreciation for Caroline at a rally being held on Jan 16th from 10am to 12pm in front of Fairchild. Then, let's join forces - employees are demoralized, the public needs their garden (not amusement park and party village) back. Let's use our voices to be heard and our membership to VOTE to make a CHANGE, starting at the top.
The Event planner is still there because she is not a Director. I believe there are only 2 maybe 3 Directors left. I'm sure he won't oust the Director of Volunteer Services. She and her team of staff and volunteers are the only ones holding his garden together now. Imagine the spike in personnel cost if over 600 Friends of Fairchild volunteers walked off the job.
Caroline's inspiring words ring in my head "Welcome to Fairchild, where teachers are golden and the teaching profession is revered".
Well, Fairchild management may not be demonstrating this, but the words will always to ring true for Caroline and those in the teaching profession who have been fortunate enough to be a part of her amazing programs.
Looking forward to seeing all the teachers with signs and banners at the rally on Saturday January 16th from 10am-12pm, expressing their thanks for a true visionary and educational leader of our community. I also love reading all the comments here, on the MiamiHeral.com and at: www.carolinelewiseducation.com
I stand corrected, she(Dir. of Special Events), is a Director. There are 5 Directors left.
1-Director of Program Development
2-Director of Admissions and Guest Realations.
3-Director of Special Events
4-Director of Volunteer Services
5-Director of Finance,Human Resources and Computer System.
Sounds like just what you need to manage an amusement park, not a Botanical Garden.
The event planner does a wonderful job creating relevant and popular events (Edible Garden Fest, Chocolate, Mango, and so on) that have reinforced Fairchild's horticultural strengths while attracting new visitors. So does the volunteer head in corralling workers for this beloved institution. In fact, many longtime Fairchild employees are there because they love the garden and steer clear of the noxious politics. Tragically, top management, blinded by their own ego-driven myopia, does not share this understanding. As a result, there are gaping holes in many aspects of Fairchild's management--a clear-cut marketing strategy and execution, for example--that prevent it from being the world-class botanical garden it claims to be.
I agree, Arlene Ferris and Ann Schmidt are both incredible people. Fortunately they have some great co-workers and volunteers too. It's too bad they are given so much work accomodating Bruce Greer's social events, black tie gala's, weddings, concerts and art shows. Not what you would expect from a world class botanical garden.
Hack again?!
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