Sonoma Botanical Garden leader plans to depart next year

Scot Medbury, who became executive director of the Glen Ellen-based Sonoma Botanical Garden in 2020, will leave the 22-acre attraction in April, it announced.

“Scot Medbury’s leadership and vision for Sonoma Botanical Garden has created the foundation for a stronger institution, with a focus on sustainability and accessibility. His horticultural background and deep interest in design have played a vital role in improving the Garden while strengthening a focus on its future,” stated Jerry Newell, chair of SBG’s Board of Trustees.

The organization stated Medbury, who is the third director to lead the organization since its founding in 1987, will be moving to the Pacific Northwest.

It credited him for tackling deferred-maintenance projects on its 15 buildings, accomplishing multiple wildfire-preparedness measures and an institutional rebrand (SBG opened originally as Quarryhill Botanical Garden) in March 2021.

Medbury took the Sonoma County post after serving as president and CEO of the Brooklyn Botanic Garden where he worked for 14 years. He previously was director of the San Francisco Botanical Garden and Conservatory of Flowers.