Naples Botanical Garden CEO leaving for Denver role

Naples Botanical Garden President and CEO Donna McGinnis is leaving the organization Jan. 16 for the same position at Denver Botanic Gardens in Colorado. 

The announcement was made Nov. 19 in a press release from Naples Botanical Garden, which said a formal search for a successor will begin shortly “to ensure the Garden continues to benefit from best-in-class leadership.” 

According to an announcement from Denver Botanic Gardens posted on Instagram, McGinnis will start her new role Feb. 2, 2026. She succeeds Brian Vogt, the Denver Gardens’ CEO of 18 years who died in March. 

McGinnis has served as CEO of Naples Botanical Garden since 2017 and has overseen enhancements to the garden’s campus, programming and botanical collections, the organization said. 

Under McGinnis’ leadership, garden officials said the number of visitors steadily increased, and the organization further cemented its position “as a globally recognized collection, community treasure and botanical oasis.” 

McGinnis said she has enjoyed the “extraordinary journey” of getting a chance to work with a young garden and help create programs including education and conservation.

Of her time in Naples, McGinnis said she is proudest of the garden staff team that was built and of the way they have met major challenges.

“We have weathered two major hurricanes together, Irma in 2017 and Ian in 2022 that decimated the garden and had huge impacts on our community,” she said. “And not only did we get the garden back up and running, but we were really dedicated to being a good community partner as well, which meant getting the doors open so that people could come back to the garden when the parks and beaches were still not safe.

“This team is very passionate about the work that they do at the garden, but they are doing it with a sense of being part of the community and responsible for it as well.”

She said she will miss the Naples community and that the opportunity at Denver Botanic Gardens was “honestly, the only thing that could have pulled me away, just as a professional opportunity.”

“Denver is one of the biggest gardens in the U.S. and it’s a cultural anchor in that city, but is also very well respected for its science and conservation work internationally,” McGinnis said.  

Cathy Funderburg, chair of the board of directors at Naples Botanical Garden, expressed appreciation for McGinnis’ service and commitment.  

“We will miss Donna’s capable leadership, but I am confident that the garden will continue its development as both a world-class cultural institution and a leader in environmental education,” Funderburg said. 

In its Instagram announcement, Denver Botanic Gardens said that under McGinnis’ leadership, Naples Botanical Garden “more than doubled its budget, visitation, membership and staff” and noted a $20 million campaign for a new horticultural facility in Naples.