2025 Board of Directors
Executive Committee
2025 President - C.L. Fornari
C.L. is a creative gardening expert (aka plant geek) who transitioned from artist to garden communicator in 1995. She is the author of eight books including her latest, Sand and Soil ~ Creating Beautiful Gardens on Cape Cod and the Islands, published by David R. Godine Inc.
2025 Vice President - Kathy Jentz
Kathy Jentz is editor and publisher of Washington Gardener Magazine, based in Washington, DC, and hosts the popular GardenDC Podcast. A life-long gardener, Kathy believes that growing plants should be stress-free and enjoyable. Her philosophy is inspiration over perspiration. She also serves as GardenComm's co-chair on the Education committee.
2025 Past President - Maria Zampini
I’m a 4th generation nurseryman and proud of it! After graduating from Penn State with a BS in Horticulture, I ran the family’s 1000 acre wholesale nursery, destination attraction garden center and new plant research and development division.Directors
2025 Director at Large - Denise Schreiber
Denise Schreiber is a graduate of Community College of Allegheny College and Carlow University, she was the greenhouse manager and horticulturist for Allegheny County Parks in Pittsburgh before retiring, which covers over 12,000 acres of park land. She also serves as GardenComm's co-chair on the Education committee.
2025 Director at Large - Valerie Smith
Valerie Smith is a content strategist with Sod Solutions who writes and manages content on the Sod Solutions website for homeowners and manages a blog, newsletter and YouTube channel called Sod University. Her focus is on SEO, analytics, UX, and website content writing. Valerie has a master’s degree in professional communication and a bachelor’s degree in English publication studies from Clemson University. She also serves as GardenComm's co-chair on the Membership committee.
2025 Director - Derek Haynes
Derek has been a GardenComm member since speaking at the 2023 annual conference in Minneapolis, MN. With a background in Botany, and working in vaccine and therapeutics development using non-traditional plant-based technologies, Derek certainly practices what he preaches. Many know him as the Chocolate Botanist on his various social channels, who helps share accurate horticultural information and dispelling myths from untrained content creators.
2025 Director - Shelley Cramm
Shelley S. Cramm loves to see the ancient words of Scripture come alive in today’s gardens. She has published My Father is the Gardener, Devotions in Botany and Gardening of the Bible and God’s Word for Gardeners Bible, writes the Devotions Blog at, gardenindelight.com, and speaks enthusiastically about plants of the Bible and the connection of garden to table to God and daily life.
2025 Director - Briana Hart
Briana has been a GardenComm member for several year through her current company, as well as a member years ago through her role at Greenleaf Nursery Company and the Garden Debut Plant Collection. She currently serves as the Membership Director for the California Landscape Contractors Association San Diego Chapter, and on the state level Membership Committee. In addition to this, CLCA has hired her agency to promote membership statewide through quarterly direct mail, social advertising, and email marketing campaigns targeting licensed C27 landscape contractors. She also serves as GardenComm's co-chair on the Membership committee.
2025 Director - Erica Brown Grivas
Award-winning lifestyle journalist Erica Browne Grivas explores design, nature, and wellness, seeking to help both humans and the planet be happier and healthier. Her writing is featured in Birds and Blooms, the American Gardener, and the Seattle Times, among others. She has been writing - and gardening - for over 30 years.