Rich attended  Temple University and interned at Bryn Mawr Rehab Hospital under the supervision of Pam Young HTR.  He attained AHTA professional registration in 2019.  He then began the program at the Overbrook School for the Blind.  Currently, he works with students with visual impairments and special needs age 3 to 22.  With students, volunteers and interns he manages numerous sensory, vegetable and floral gardens as well as the largest orchard in the city of Philadelphia.  He runs an on campus floral shop and provides opportunities for internships.

Emily is a graduate of the Rutgers University’s HT Certificate Program and is working towards AHTA certification. She is a dedicated public school special education teacher, where she leads a Life Skills program with a unique, hands-on approach. She thoughtfully integrates HT/TH into her curriculum, pre-vocational education, and SEL for her students. She strongly believes HT supports student development, engagement, and independence.

She is currently studying Holocaust and Genocide Education through Kean University, deepening her understanding of historical trauma and resilience—important themes that inform her work as an educator and therapist. As a passionate member of MAHTN, she looks forward to fostering community through in-person programming and event planning.

In her teens, Lori combined her passion for gardening with volunteering, starting a TH program at a local rehab hospital. She hadn’t heard of TH yet, but instinctively knew that nature was an important part of healing. After working in business development and marketing, she sought a career change that would encompass gardening and helping others. When she discovered the TH program at NYBG, it was full speed ahead.

Lori interned at the Bronx VA THRIVE program at NYBG’s Edible Academy. She found working with Veterans so rewarding that she continues to volunteer at THRIVE. Currently, Lori is working at several facilities serving people with dementia and other memory challenges and has created her own company, “Floriatrics,” with the goal of serving a variety of populations in both group and private settings.

Betty’s experience as a social worker and interest in exploring nature’s “life lessons” led her to the Certificate program in HT at Delaware Valley University and creation of an HT program, “A New Leaf.” The program works with people who are grieving from loss, to find a way forward through personal growth by working with plants, flowers, and the study of nature. Betty recognizes the value of the HT/TH field which provides people with the benefits of education, creativity, socialization, and personal support.

Bambi was led to HT after witnessing the benefits of exposure to nature while caring for two family members. When searching for a second career she found the description of HT in NYBG’s listing of classes, and it became clear that this is what her loved ones had experienced. She earned her certification in Horticultural Therapy at NYBG and now works with individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities at Heritage Christian Services’ day habilitation sites, residents at the Jewish Home, as well as individuals at Marian’s House, a dementia and memory care day program. Bambi is a true believer in nature’s powers and delights in bringing HT/TH to those she serves.

Collie Turner, THP, is the Founder and Executive Director of the Veteran Service Organization, Heroic Gardens. Since 2018, the nonprofit has been bringing the healing power of plants and nature to Veterans across the Delaware Valley community. This award winning free programming includes in person horticultural therapy and since 2022, the organization has led a virtual program across the United States reaching as far as Alaska and Hawaii. In 2025, Heroic Gardens imagined and created a sunflower farm in Northeast Philadelphia, led by members of the Veteran community and all are welcome. Check it out here: www.heroicgardens.org