RICHARD SCHULHOF has served as CEO of the Los Angeles County Arboretum since October, 2009. He previously served as deputy director of Harvard University’s Arnold Arboretum in Boston, and as executive director of Descanso Gardens in La Canada Flintridge. A Southern California native, Schulhof worked in Los Angeles area nurseries and completed internships at the Huntington Botanical Gardens and the Mildred Mathias Botanical Gardens at U.C.L.A.
With a special interest in science education, Schulhof collaborated with public schools in Boston and Los Angeles to develop teacher training programs and life science curricula. Working with the National Endowment for the Humanities, National Endowment for the Arts, and the National Park Service, he has launched programs preserving and interpreting public historic sites. He holds degrees in landscape architecture from U.C. Berkeley, in botanic garden administration from the University of Delaware, and in Forestry from Harvard University.
At the Los Angeles County Arboretum, Schulhof focuses on new programs that promote sustainability and water conservation, preserve the Arboretum’s rich history, and make known the essential role of plants in sustaining life on Earth.