Barratt Will Officially Take Office on July 1,2018
Press Release – Bronx, NY, February 15, 2018—The Board of Trustees of The New York Botanical Garden (NYBG) announced today that it has elected Carrie Rebora Barratt as the institution’s next Chief Executive Officer and The William C. Steere Sr. President, effective July 1,2018. A highly accomplished leader and art scholar, Dr. Barratt will join the Botanical Garden from The Metropolitan Museum of Art, where she has served since 1984.
Carrie Barratt will succeed Gregory Long, who announced last spring that he would be stepping down as the Botanical Garden’s CEO in June 2018, after a transformational 29-year tenure. Dr. Barratt will become the ninth leader of the Garden. She will also be the first woman to head NYBG—one of the greatest botanical gardens in the world and the largest in any city in the United States, distinguished by the beauty of its diverse landscape and extensive collections and gardens, world leadership in plant research and conservation, as well as by the scope and excellence of its programs.
As Deputy Director for Collections and Administration, Dr. Barratt leads and manages mission-aligned initiatives for 27 departments of the Met, which is the largest and most comprehensive art museum in the Western Hemisphere.
“It is my distinct pleasure to announce the election of Carrie Rebora Barratt as the next President and CEO of NYBG,” said Maureen K. Chilton, Chairman of the Board of The New York Botanical Garden. “After an extensive international search, Carrie’s qualifications in executive leadership and museum management revealed her as uniquely qualified to assume the reins of this globally important museum of plants as it continues its vital mission into the future. I would like to express my sincere appreciation to my colleagues on the search committee of the Board of Trustees and to J.V. Cossaboom, who continues his role as Director of the Garden, for their diligence and dedication during this process, and for their commitment to providing for a smooth transition between administrations.”
Commented Dr. Barratt: “It is a privilege to be joining NYBG, a green urban oasis and living museum that enhances cultural life in New York City while raising global awareness of the importance of saving and enjoying the plants of the world. I look forward to partnering with my new colleagues in caring for and promoting the Garden’s beautiful collections through vibrant and immersive programs for the broadest possible audience. Together, we will carry forward Gregory Long’s exceptional project to connect gardening to the arts and humanities, starting this summer with the exhibition Georgia O’Keeffe: Visions of Hawaii and the opening of the Edible Academy.”
Carrie Barratt is taking the helm of a 127-year-old institution that over the last 28 years has: completed three seven-year strategic plans; raised $1.1 billion to fund their initiatives, as well as ongoing operations; funded 43 major capital projects, including 15 new gardens and landscape renovations; increased endowment twentyfold; flourished as a scientific research institution and center for education; pioneered an acclaimed exhibitions program that marries gardening and horticulture to the humanities; increased annual visitation to 1.3 million; and delivered a balanced budget every year.
The Botanical Garden’s current CEO and The William C. Steere Sr. President Gregory Long said, “The senior staff and I are all delighted that such a respected New York museum professional will be guiding this magnificent institution into the future. We all believe that NYBG is positioned for a thrilling trajectory and will be making an even greater impact on New York City and the world in years to come.” Mr. Long continued, “I am honored to hand the institution over to Carrie, and I have a tremendous sense of confidence in her ability to lead the charge.”
Dr. Barratt’s ascension to leadership at the Met includes a start as a Research Assistant, advancement to Coordinator of American Wing Documentation, and then to Curator, American Paintings and Sculpture and Manager of The Henry R. Luce Center for the Study of American Art. In her role as Deputy Director for Collections and Administration, she heads a staff of nearly 400 in directly reporting departments that steward the collections—curatorial, conservation and science, libraries, publications, educational programming, digital media, and advanced imaging. During a transformational period in the Met’s history, Dr. Barratt re¬engaged visitors with collections, delivered on a five-year strategy that included architectural feasibility, visitor engagement, global partnerships, growth in conservation and science, and executed artistic vision from ancient to modern culture across the museum, while setting commensurate operational priorities in a multi-layered, multi-stakeholder organization.
Dr. Barratt received her Ph.D. in the History of Art from the Graduate Center of the City University of New York and has also had a distinguished teaching career. She has been an instructor at the Institute of Fine Arts Curatorial Studies Program and in Museology and Collections Management with Cooper-Hewitt/Parsons School of Design, a Visiting Associate Professor in Art History with the CUNY Graduate Center, and a Director and Professor of Sotheby’s American Arts Course.
In addition to her professional positions, Carrie Barratt is an Archives of American Art Board Member, serves on the Stewardship Council of the Omega Institute for Holistic Studies, and volunteers in the garden at the Park Slope Women’s Shelter. She lives in New York City.
About NYBG
The New York Botanical Garden is an iconic living museum that has served as an oasis in this busy metropolis since its founding in 1891. A National Historic Landmark, this 250-acre site’s verdant landscape supports over one million living plants in extensive collections. Each year more than one million visitors enjoy the Garden not only for its remarkable diversity of tropical, temperate, and desert flora, but also for programming that ranges from renowned exhibitions in the Haupt Conservatory to celebrations on Daffodil Hill.
The Garden is also a major educational institution. Of its 1.3 million visitors last year, nearly 300,000 people—among them Bronx families, schoolchildren, and teachers—learned about plant science, ecology, and healthful eating through NYBG’s hands-on curriculum-based programming. Over 85,000 of those visitors were children from underserved neighboring communities, while more than 3,200 were teachers from New York City’s public school system participating in professional development programs that train them to teach science courses at all grade levels.
NYBG operates one of the world’s largest plant research and conservation program, with nearly 200 staff members—including 80 Ph.D. scientists—working in the Garden’s state-of- the-art molecular labs as well as in the field, where they lead programs in 49 countries.
