Chicago Botanic Garden - Lifelong Gardening Series Press Release

Garden Completes Public Relations Team

Gloria Ciaccio, Julie McCaffrey, Melissa Schuler

GLENCOE, Ill. (April 18, 2007) – Melissa Schuler recently joined the Chicago Botanic Garden as public relations specialist, completing the Garden’s public relations team. Gloria Ciaccio is public relations manager and Julie McCaffrey was promoted to senior media relations specialist. Each member of the team is dedicated to raising the Garden’s profile and spreading the Garden’s mission to promote the enjoyment, understanding and conservation of plants and the natural world.

Prior to coming to the Garden, Schuler was Associate Manager of Public Relations and Marketing at The New York Botanical Garden where she developed and implemented media and marketing strategies for their Adult and Children’s Education Departments, and the School of Professional Horticulture. Schuler, a native New Yorker, received her bachelor’s degree in Communications from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

Ciaccio has been with the Garden since April 2006. She has previously held positions as Marketing Director at Columbia College’s Office of Community Arts Partnerships, public relations director at WBEZ-FM and public relations director at Radio City Music Hall, New York. She graduated from Northern Illinois University with a bachelor’s degree in Journalism.

McCaffrey has been with the Garden since January 2001. Her work at the Garden helped earn a Silver Trumpet (2006) in issues management, a Golden Trumpet Award (2004) in issues management, and a Silver Trumpet Award (2003) in marketing from the Publicity Club of Chicago. McCaffrey, a Chicago native, received her bachelor’s degree in English from Northern Illinois University.

For contact information and the latest news from the Chicago Botanic Garden, visit our online press room at www.chicagobotanic.org/pr .

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Editors, please note: The Chicago Botanic Garden’s newsroom is online at www.chicagobotanic.org/pr. For digital images, contact Julie McCaffrey at (847) 835-8213 or at jmccaffrey@chicagobotanic.org.

The Chicago Botanic Garden is a 385-acre living plant museum featuring 23 distinct display gardens surrounded by lakes, as well as a prairie and woodlands. With events, programs and activities for all ages, the Garden is open every day of the year, except Dec. 25. Admission is free; select event fees apply. Parking is $15; free for members. On Tuesdays, senior citizens age 62 and older pay just $7 for parking. The Garden is located at 1000 Lake Cook Road in Glencoe, Ill. Visit www.chicagobotanic.org, or call (847) 835-5440 for seasonal hours, images of the Garden and commuter transportation information.

The Chicago Botanic Garden is owned by the Forest Preserve District of Cook County and managed by the Chicago Horticultural Society. It opened to the public in 1972 and is home to the Joseph Regenstein, Jr. School of the Chicago Botanic Garden, offering a broad array of adult classes in plant science, landscape design and gardening arts. The Center for Teaching and Learning brings the wonder of nature and plants to children, teens and teachers. Horticultural Therapy and Community Gardening provide nationally recognized community outreach and service programs. Through the Institutes of Plant Conservation and Ornamental Plant Research, Garden scientists work on plant conservation, research and environmental initiatives that have global impact. The Chicago Botanic Garden is accredited by the American Association of Museums and is a member of the American Public Gardens Association (APGA). In 2006, the Chicago Botanic Garden received the Award for Garden Excellence, given yearly by the APGA and Horticulture magazine to a public garden that exemplifies the highest standards of horticultural practices and has shown a commitment to supporting and demonstrating best gardening practices.