- |
- |
- |
About Us Picture
2010 Board of Directors
- Judith Granbois, President and Secretary
- Beth Hollingsworth, Co-Vice President
- Al Ruesink, Co-Vice President
- Arthur Jacques, Chief Financial Officer
- Diane Ballard, Director
- Anita Bracalente, Director
- Tom Coleman, Director
- George Hegeman, Director
- Nancy Martin, Director
- Jeanne Speakman, Director
Judith Granbois, President and Secretary
Ms. Granbois is a writer and editor who retired as Program Associate at the Poynter Center for the Study of Ethics and American Institutions at Indiana University. A lifelong student of natural history, she is a backyard birder and wildflower enthusiast. She currently focuses on native plants, rock gardens and shade plants, and is an active member of Bloomington Garden Club.
Beth Hollingsworth, Co-Vice President
Also serving on the board of the Bloomington Community Farmers’ Market, Ms. Hollingsworth is a retired teacher of community health nursing at Ball State University. For ten years, she owned and operated Goods for Cooks, a kitchen emporium in Bloomington. Her gardening year is divided between Zones 5 and 10.
Raised on a farm with a big family garden, Al Ruesink has taught biology at Indiana University for many years. His two daughters attended the Hilltop Youth Gardening program at IU and both now maintain family gardens. He and his wife Kathy still garden together--as well as dance, sing and bicycle.
Arthur Jacques, Chief Financial Officer
After retiring from a career in corporate finance and marketing for a Fortune 50 firm, Mr. Jacques began researching and growing a wide range of organic heirloom vegetables. As an Eagle Scout he learned early the value of living in harmony with nature. He has built and maintains over 100 birdhouses on his property, for a variety of species, including the beloved Eastern bluebird. Other passions include reading, traveling and attempting to master stock market timing.
Ms. Ballard is currently the Director of the Monroe County History Center. In previous roles she served as Director of Development and Major Gifts Officer for the Bloomington Hospital Foundation as well as Executive Director of the Floyd Memorial Foundation in New Albany, Indiana. She is a member of the Association of Healthcare Philanthropy, the Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerce, and Business Women Connect. Her hobbies include flower gardening, travel and reading.
Currently co-proprietor of Jackson & Fourth Garden Design, Ms, Bracalente is a garden designer, garden writer, photographer and lecturer with a special interest in landscape design and the history of landscape design. She is also a practicing/exhibiting visual artist, and has served as Registrar at the Indiana University Art Museum for 25 years.
An award-winning graphic designer, Mr. Coleman is a former chairman and retired faculty member of the Indiana University School of Fine Arts. He has served for years on the Bloomington Tree Commission as well as the Monroe County Tree Board. He is also a former board member of the Indiana State Urban Forest Council. He is the proud recipient of the Indiana Tree Steward of the Year Award.
A retired Professor of Microbiology at Indiana University, Mr Hegeman is an enthusiastic gardener, beekeeper, orchardist and tree farmer. He is a member of the Monroe County Health Board, the Bloomington Tree Commission and the League of Women Voters.
Following a career as a Project Manager for Systems Development at various Fortune 100 firms, Ms. Martin currently teaches seventh and eighth grade science at Jackson Creek Middle School in Bloomington. She is an active member of Sassafras Audubon Society and the Bloomington Photography Club, and her interest in nature photography has inspired wildlife trips around the world. Her passion for gardening was inspired by her childhood years attending the Hilltop Youth Gardening program. She now specializes in growing double daffodils.
Retired from a career of public school teaching, Ms. Speakman now enjoys volunteer work, gardening and cooking. Her gardening efforts are concentrated on her small shade garden, primarily composed of mini-hostas and ferns. As a member of Bloomington Garden Club, she has acquired many plants made more meaningful through plant exchanges with fellow members.