In the News

A Thank You to Rolling Off Board Members

As a non-profit organization, we rely heavily on the expertise of our Board of Trustees. We’re so fortunate to have had some of Richmond’s best on our Board, and it’s bittersweet to bid them farewell as they roll of the Board at the end of June 2020.

Madge Bemiss

As an architect, Madge is a leader in planning and design for public places. She works with communities to weave their voices into the surrounding architecture. She has represented Capital Trees on James River’s Invasive Task Force and has used her strategic experience to help the Task Force develop. Madge looks at the world through an architectural lens, and her thoughtful approach to public landscapes has taught us so much. We are thrilled that even as Madge steps down from the board she will continue to help us create and maintain public spaces.

Hylah Boyd

One of the “founding members” of Capital Trees, Hylah has been with us since the beginning. Hylah is known for her tenacity, whether it be fighting against a particularly thorny vine or against the red tape standing in the way of greening a space. She helped found Scenic Virginia, a non-profit dedicated to preserving and enhancing scenic beauty in the state. She has generously shared her knowledge about the non-profit world, and we are forever grateful for her guidance.

Aurelia Lewis

Aurelia built Lewis Media Partners into a leader in the media space, and her prowess for outreach has helped shape our outreach approach at Capital Trees. If you know Aurelia, you know that she knows just about everyone in town. She has helped leverage her contacts to benefit our mission at Capital Trees, and we appreciate the strong bonds and connections that she’s helped us create.

Frank Robinson

Frank has been walking the gardening talk longer than most as the long time Executive Director of Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens. He helped put Lewis Ginter on the map as one of the premier botanical gardens in the country. Frank has loaned us his wisdom, his skill at strategic planning, and has served as our north star for years. His counsel has helped shape where we’ve been and will continue to guide us going forward.

Susan Robertson

Capital Trees benefited immensely from having Susan Robertson as the Chair of the Board for two years. Unafraid of hard work, and unwavering in her commitment, Susan wore just about every hat Capital Trees threw at her with grace. Susan used her philanthropic experience and passion for urban greening to create and shape Capital Trees into a thriving non-profit organization. We will continue to embody the vision she had for the organization, and we are better off for the running head start she helped give our mission.

A final word.

It’s impossible to fully encapsulate the impact these board members have had on our organization. But we hope these small tributes serve as a heartfelt thank you to the men and women of the Board who have been invaluable in helping Capital Trees get to where we are today.

We look forward to the next chapter for our Board of Trustees as we welcome on four new Board Members on July 1, 2020.

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