ACGA appoints interim executive director

**"Betsy Johnson" b*@bgjohnson.com**

The American Community Gardening Association (ACGA) is pleased to
announce that Betsy Johnson of Boston, Massachusetts has come on as
interim Executive Director for the organization.  "After many years of
having no staff or only part-time administrative staff, this is a major
step forward in ACGA's strategic plan to build capacity and support the
expansion of community gardening across the United States and Canada,"
says Gerard Lordahl, ACGA president.  During 2005, Betsy will enable
ACGA to settle on a permanent organizational home and then hire a
permanent director in that location. 

Ms. Johnson has served on the ACGA board of directors for the past five
years, most recently as treasurer.  She was instrumental in the
development of the Growing Communities Curriculum and the USDA-funded
training program.  Betsy Johnson was most recently formerly executive
director of the Chefs Collaborative, a national non-profit organization
of culinary professionals which promotes local and
environmentally-friendly food.  Previously, she was vice president of
Boston Natural Areas Network (BNAN), responsible for community gardening
support services.  She was formerly director of Garden Futures, the
"umbrella" organization for Boston community gardening, which merged
with BNAN in January 2002.  

Betsy has 30 years of community activism experience in air quality,
occupational health, recycling, open space improvement, and neighborhood
development issues.  She is a former teacher and worked for the American
Lung Association, the Massachusetts Audubon Society, Energy Investment,
and Clean Air Action Corporation.  She was a founder and is currently
president of the South End/Lower Roxbury Open Space Land Trust, a
neighborhood-based organization that owns and manages 16 community
gardens.  Betsy Gardner Johnson grows Brussels sprouts, red cabbage,
heritage tomatoes, chard, peas, and beans in her community garden plot.

Betsy can be reached at 877-275-2242 (877-ASK-ACGA) or
betsyjohnson@communitygarden.org.  The mail address for ACGA is still
c/o Council on the Environment of NYC, 51 Chambers St. #228, New York,
NY 10007.

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