Executive Director
“My advice for a career of any kind . . . find what you love and throw yourself into it with all your passion. I have always told students and interns that no matter what field they choose, there are always excellent jobs for smart and passionate people. That's the case whether your passion is farming, gardening, research, finance, horses, or just about anything else.”
Paul Cappiello, Executive Director, Yew Dell Botanical Gardens
Paul Cappiello grew up in a suburban gardening family in New York City. Since he was young, Paul had always been interested in everything from growing vegetables to propagating plants. This curiosity blossomed into a fulfilling future as Paul went on to study Landscape Architecture at Rutgers University. After finishing undergrad, he pursued further education and received his Ph.D. and Master’s at the University of Illinois while working on tree physiology using field and lab-based biotech methods.
Paul has been with Yew Dell for the past twenty years and started as their only paid staff member. Since then, much has changed, and Paul has assisted in building the Yew Dell team to 30 members over time. Before Yew Dell, Paul was a Professor of Horticulture at the University of Maine.
Describe your job and duties. What is the favorite part of your job?
“I oversee an organization with 18 board members, 30 staff, and nearly 600 volunteers. On a daily basis, I work to provide leadership for all three groups, promote the organization to the local community, and represent Yew Dell as a leader in the national horticulture industry. I am responsible for long-range institutional planning, fundraising, budgeting, and setting the tone for our office culture and public corporate profile.”
What would you have done differently if you knew you would have ended up in this career?
That's a hard one. On the one hand, it would have been nice to have more training in business/finance as well as people management, but on the other hand, those efforts would have taken away from my plant/science training that put me in the position to be able to compete for this position.
