Dr. M. Patrick Griffith was selected by MBC as its new executive director. Patrick has a Ph.D. from Claremont GraduateUniversity and Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden, an M.S. degree in biology from Sul Ross State University, and a B.A. in botany from the University of Texas at Austin. Patrick is the author or co-author of numerous peer-reviewed articles and other publications, and has received a number of grants and awards for his work in plant evolution and systematics.

Patrick will join MBC in May 2005. Under his leadership, Montgomery will continue to expand its scientific collections of tropical plants (emphasizing palms and cycads) in its botanical garden, further exemplify outstanding landscape design, and will continue to make its plant collections and related scientific data available to scientists and botanical institutions around the world.