Garden Club of America Inducts Winterthur CEO Chris Strand as 2025 Honorary Member

WINTERTHUR, DE – May 20, 2025—The Garden Club of America (GCA) recently inducted Chris Strand, Charles F. Montgomery Director and CEO of Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library, as one of its four new honorary members for 2025.

Since 1916, the GCA has recognized the extraordinary achievements of more than 400 honorary members who have made significant contributions in the fields of horticulture, conservation, or whose knowledge and interests align with and help achieve the GCA’s purpose.

Kim Cory, GCA awards committee chair and president of the Albemarle Garden Club in Virgina, formally introduced Strand as an honorary member at the GCA’s Annual Meeting on April 28 in Ponte Vedra, Fla.

The GCA selects a small number of individuals each year for the honor from among 12 geographic zones. Candidates are nominated by GCA member clubs nationwide and undergo a thorough review by the Awards Committee and Executive Board.

The Garden Club of Wilmington in Wilmington, Del., proposed Strand for induction as a national honorary member and President Wendy Mahoney Russell endorsed him. The nomination was seconded by The Gardeners in Villanova, Pa., and endorsed by its President Michele Jameson.

One nomination letter for Strand noted that he combines “horticulture knowledge with vision and determination” and “is an ideal ambassador for horticulture at Winterthur and beyond.” 

Throughout his career, Strand has demonstrated a unique ability to connect people with gardens. His work has included initiatives that supported community gardeners and farmers markets in Virginia; guiding summer interns and educational programs at Callaway Gardens in Georgia; and creating meaningful experiences for visitors of all ages at Winterthur.

“I am very grateful and humbled for this extraordinary honor. My journey through gardens has been an exceptional privilege. From the historic landscapes of the Arnold Arboretum to the breathtaking grounds of Winterthur, each step has been an opportunity to connect people with wonder-inspiring narratives written in leaves, branches, and blooming landscapes,” said Strand upon being inducted.

“Whether working with community gardeners, guiding summer interns, or coordinating volunteer programs, I have always believed that gardens are more than collections of plants,” he added. “They are living classrooms, sources of inspiration, and bridges between human experience and the natural environment.”

In 2021, Strand became the first Winterthur director and CEO to rise through the organization’s ranks—an achievement reflecting his dedication, leadership, and deep understanding of its mission.

Prior to becoming CEO, he served as the Brown Harrington Director of Garden and Estate at Winterthur for almost 16 years. In that role, Strand managed Winterthur’s 60-acre wild garden and nearly 1,000 acres of woodlands, meadows and waterways, working with the horticulture, natural lands, facilities, and security teams.

Significant contributions include working with the garden team to maintain and preserve what founder Henry Francis du Pont created throughout Winterthur’s naturalistic garden, which was inspired by William Robinson’s wild garden style. The garden team also began planting trees again in the early 2000s, ending a hiatus of several decades following du Pont’s death in 1969. For example, the team propagated two new trees from the pair of Sargent cherry trees that have graced Garden Lane since Charles Sargent gifted them to du Pont in 1918. Doing so ensures future generations can enjoy these specimens once the original trees meet the end of their lifecycle.

“Gardens are fragile,” said Strand. “We’re trying to hold onto the way this was designed even as climate is changing, life cycles of plants are changing, and even as fashion changes. We’ve been pretty good at navigating. There’s always that pressure for us to make sure the garden is recognized as the garden he created.”

Before joining Winterthur, Strand was director of Green Spring Gardens in Fairfax County, Va., from 1998 to 2005, where he managed the garden’s continuing evolution from a private property to a public garden and historic site. He was an outreach horticulturalist at the Arnold Arboretum at Harvard University from 1993 to 1998, where he oversaw a 265-member volunteer corps.

Strand earned a bachelor’s degree in Environmental, Population, and Organismic Biology from the University of Colorado in 1989. He also earned a master’s degree in Public Horticulture Administration with a certificate in Museum Studies through the Longwood Graduate Program Fellowship of the University of Delaware in 1992.

In 1956, the GCA awarded du Pont with a Medal of Honor for outstanding service to horticulture. The awards committee lauded his knowledge of plants, placement, and use of rare specimens planted with taste and discrimination throughout Winterthur, “where he established a botanical garden of dramatic beauty” that’s regarded as “one of the world’s great gardens.”

In accepting the award, du Pont highlighted his horticultural beginnings, how the garden progressed over six-plus decades, and his more recent work. He closed with an invitation: “I’m counting on your visiting Winterthur many times to see what I am trying to do.”

After Strand’s induction as an honorary member, he echoed that sentiment to 600 members in attendance at the GCA 2025 annual meeting. “I am fortunate to be a steward of Winterthur,” said Strand. “Let me repeat Mr. du Pont’s invitation. We hope that you will visit us and see what Henry Francis du Pont was trying to do. Thank you for this. This honor is not just a recognition of my work, but a celebration of every gardener, volunteer, and passionate individual who understands and promotes the transformative power of gardens.”

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About the Garden Club of America
Founded in 1913, the GCA is a nonpartisan, issue-oriented advocate for a beautiful, healthy planet. It is a nonprofit national organization recognized for leadership in horticulture, conservation, creative arts, historic preservation, and environmental protection. Its mission is to bring its 200 member clubs together to cultivate a bond among people, plants, and the environment. The GCA member clubs consist of 18,000 club members who devote energy and expertise to projects in their communities and across the country. For more information about The Garden Club of America and its honorary members, visit www.gcamerica.org.

About Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library
Winterthur—known worldwide for its preeminent collection of American decorative arts, naturalistic garden, and research library for the study of American art and material culture—offers a variety of tours, exhibitions, programs, and activities throughout the year. Admission includes a self-paced house tour, exhibitions, a narrated tram ride (weather and space permitting), and the Winterthur Garden.

Winterthur is located on Route 52, six miles northwest of Wilmington, Delaware, and five miles south of U.S. Route 1. Winterthur is committed to accessible programming for all. For information, including special services, call 800.448.3883 or visit winterthur.org. Winterthur is closed seasonally from early January through late February.