Bellingrath Hires New Executive Director

The trustees of the Bellingrath Morse Foundation recently hired Dr. F. Todd Lasseigne as executive director of Bellingrath Gardens and Home, the American Public Gardens Association announced. Currently president and CEO of Tulsa Botanic Garden in Osage County, Oklahoma, until he begins at Bellingrath on September 1, Lasseigne helped grow the Tulsa garden into a nationally recognized botanical garden since beginning there in 2011. He holds horticultural degrees from three universities and has done plant expeditionary work in China, the Republic of Georgia, Mexico and throughout the U.S. He has visited more than 450 gardens during his career. He has spoken to nursery and public garden professionals in the U. S., Japan and South Korea. He served as the chair of the Plant Collections Professional Section for the American Public Gardens Association in 2008-2011, is active in numerous plant societies and has helped organize professional meetings for the Maple Society and American Public Gardens Association. Lasseigne will replace Dr. William E. Barrick, who retired on July 19, 2019, after 20 years at Bellingrath and is now executive director emeritus.