Making the Ordinary Extraordinary: Expert guidance to success pathways
Steven J. Royer Consulting
(561) 676-2948
Sculpture donation from Gert Olsen at Mounts Botanical Garden
Event area and AOS Building
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About Steven Royer Consulting
I have been working in Botanical Gardens for more than 19 years with experience ranging from design and curation of collections to development (including fundraising) and programming. I have a strong background in botany, including plant physiology and taxonomy (especially ferns and orchids) and round out my knowledge with a passion for the sciences and arts. I am currently a Professor at Palm Beach State College, as well as write for Florida Gardening Magazine.
I have studied behavior of animals and humans in my education and have applied it to both my understanding of how the world works and engaged it to continue learning and exploring;
I am currently an adjunct lecturer for Palm Beach State College (where I have imitated critical thinking assignments to enhance learning for students and a published author, rounding out my experiences.
Mounts Botanical Garden - I have successfully solicited and won ten grant proposals to enhance the Garden's design, development and educational programming. While at MBG I prepared and designed materials for fundraising endeavors resulting in increasing Member Appeal donations 40%, as well as coordinated major fundraising benefits and raised more than $150,000 in sponsorships for programs; including cash and in-kind contributions; raising more than $1 million in five yearsl. I organized a charette to design the first garden in the Mounts' Master Plan (Shade and Color Island) as well as wrote plant articles and a regular development column for the Garden's magazine, Leaflet. I taught and lectured on a variety of botanical subjects; on and off campus educating and reaching out toe the community. I also engaged in collaborative efforts with other related organizations and businesses to expand the missions and goals of each and played an active role in Board development and education. I created and left in place a series of procedures and protocols for Development endeavors as well.
American Orchid Society - While at the AOS I developed events for the garden, including a festival focused on the vanilla orchid, several orchid sales and music events. In my tenure I structured the facility rentals, creating procedures to coordinate and track rentals to balance the garden's development and increase revenue. I organized classes to educate the public and created a speaker database as well as, facilitated in the recruitment of potential class instructors. I wrote the guidelines for art exhibitions and networked with high-caliber artists to develop exhibitions at the facility including Vangelis Andriotakis and Tom Kuligowski. I designed the promotional material for group tours, ongoing programming at the AOS and events; and actively marketed them. I also wrote a successful grant proposal to produce a full color guide to the garden.
My Education:
MS Biology, Andrews University. I held a focus on animal and plant behavior completing a thesis on the interactions of Laurus glaucescens. I also was the first graduate student to contract teach an upper level course - in Ornithology. While completing my program I managed and revamped the 2,500 sq. ft. conservatory creating a teaching collection and educational programming offered to local schools.
After my Masters I had the unique opportunity to work on post graduate research focused on ferns with Dr. Warren Herbert Wagner, an experience I treasure.
BS Environmental Science (cognate in Biology and minor in Psychology) University of Michigan – Dearborn. I completed a thesis as part of my coursework dealing with adaptive photosynthetic rates of plants. I also developed educational programming for the University’s 300+ acre Environmental study area and held a side focus in Art History in my studies.
Fernwood Botanical Garden & Nature Preserve - At FW I curated and developed the fern collections; including layouts, collection data and interpretive materials, I also managed the Kay Boydston Fern House, increasing the fern collection 800%. I wrote the collection policy to govern the oversight of all collections in the garden and Initialized participation in the fern hardiness research program. During my time at FW I developed information and the strategy to redesign the web site, Initiated a marketing strategy for the garden and developed programs and managed special events (including marketing) for the Spring Symposium, Blue Lawn Festival, June Picnic, Orchid Show, Herb Festival and Lights Before Christmas. I coordinated educational programming in horticulture related topics, as well as organized and hosted the 2001 American Association of Botanical Gardens and Arboreta (AABGA) Midwest Regional Meeting at FW. I wrote several successful grant proposals for programs, interpretation and garden assessment and facilitated the business appeal efforts and assisted in other aspects of the gardens fundraising endeavors. I facilitated in the production of Fernwood's marketing plan and facilitated the preliminary processes for strategic planning> I also produced the Garden's annual reports. I promoted the Garden in private and professional publications (including the Public Garden.) I also prepared and operated budgets for each aspect of my responsibilities.
American Association of Botanical Gardens & Arboreta (now American Public Garden Association - At the AABGA I spearheaded the revitalization of the North American Plant Collections Consortium (NAPCC) including the promotion, facilitating applications and ensuring the perpetuity of the program. During my tenure I set benchmarks for the standards of curation of collections in gardens and helped to create connections with the American Association of Museums (AAM) to certify gardens as museums with living collections. I planned and executed two greatly successful AABGA Annual Conference programs setting record attendances in Philadelphia and Vancouver and coordinated the programming for the first World Botanic Garden Congress (Asheville 2000). While working at AABGA I disseminated technical information to botanic gardens throughout North American and the World; developed new materials for the organizations Resource Center and aided in its reorganization I also reorganized the AABGA web site priming it for restructuring and served as office information systems specialist ensuring Y2K compliance and instituted a central network server to handle all AABGA data. I developed and left in place procedures and protocols for meeting management as well as Exhibit Hall management at the Annual Conferences. I wrote articles for professional journals, including the Public Garden as well.
My Methodology:
A new strategy for organizations and conservation messages and methodologies:
We are learning that the world is far more connected that we ever realized. Cause and effect has never been so readily observed, whether it is in man-made phenomenon (such as economic systems) or natural phenomenon such as climate and geological processes. All of these can be observed on local and global scales.
Many times the ‘over simplification’ of the message has resulted in problems. The coining of the term ‘Global Warming’ over ‘Climate Change’ is a prime example; giving rise to the misconception that warmer temperatures are the only ramification as opposed to extremes in temperature and weather fluctuations.
The need for a new premise has risen to illustrate everyone has an impact on the
My Experience & Accomplishments:
STRATEGIC ALLIANCES: (collaborations and professionals I work with)
Teri Haggerty has an MBA and Organization Development Leadership (ODL) from University of West Florida. Teri has over twenty years experience as a consultant: senior internal ODL consultant to Walt Disney World Magic Kingdom, external consultant to U.S. Department of Energy, sub-contractor through Westinghouse-Hanford, Project Performance Corporation, Whirlpool, Public and Private School Systems. She is an in-demand professional certified coach (PCC, International Coach Federation) and respected author of Doorknob Books®. One of Teri’s passions is to create an environment that will lead organizations along a successful journey to clarify their individual true mission and vision.
Herb Garden & Event Lawn
world and its thriving. We need to make decisions that will shape physical realty in a positive manner.
Botanical Gardens, Zoos and Museums have a powerful platform to education the connection between people (cultures), plants and animals in a holistic fashion. These are applicable to homes and businesses to enhance our everyday lives.
