"I HAVEN'T BEEN
EVERYWHERE, BUT IT'S ON MY LIST."
Susan Sontag
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Dan Camenga
Dan Camenga is the founder of the CT Garden Collaborative and Executive Director of Interfaith Volunteer Care Givers. An alumnus of the Longwood Fellows program (M.S. Public Horticulture Administration, University of Delaware), Dan has a lifelong passion for public horticulture and has contributed extensively to new and existing gardens in several states including New York, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Detroit, and Connecticut. He is proud to be supporting the work of the CT Garden Collaborative and is passionate about the general community value that stems from our support of local seniors.
On a personal note, Dan enjoys having time with family, being involved with his community, exploring public gardens, hiking in the woods, and floating around on Candlewood Lake. In addition to other family connections, he’s thankful for his beloved wife (Dr. Deepa Camenga), his inspirational two boys (Ketan and Ravi), and his loving parents (Bob & Dotty along with in-laws Chan & Padmini). Special thanks to his mentor and friend, Dr. James Swasey for never giving up on the value of advancing public horticulture for human wellness.
Alva Hanson Jr.
Alva Hanson is a professor at Tunxis Community College, where he currently teaches College Careers and Success, as well as Introduction to Environmental Science. Prior to joining Tunxis, Alva dedicated over 20 years of his career to being a public school teacher, educating students in Biology, Environmental Science, and various other STEM subjects across different school districts from Rochester, New York, to Waipahu, Hawaii.
Alva holds a Bachelor's Degree in Biology and a Master's Degree in Environmental Education, both earned from Southern Connecticut State University. For his master's degree project, he successfully completed a photojournal entitled "Boys in the Woods," which documented his hiking experiences with men of color from the New Haven area in state and local parks.
During his leisure time, Alva enjoys hiking, birdwatching, and gardening alongside his wife and two children. He also nurtures a profound love for exploring national, state, and local parks, indulging in reading, and enjoying music.
The CT Garden Collaborative serves as a platform that actively promotes community engagement, sustainable gardening practices, and environmental awareness. This collaborative endeavor unites individuals and organizations with the common goal of creating and maintaining community gardens, and fostering a strong sense of connection and shared responsibility within communities.
Alva's involvement with the CT Garden Collaborative stems from a genuine passion for gardening, environmental stewardship, and a deep-rooted desire to make a positive impact in his local community. By actively participating in this collaborative effort, he has embraced an active role in championing sustainable living, educating others about the numerous benefits of gardening, and contributing to the overall well-being of our community.
Doug Jones
Doug Jones is an interdisciplinary, Detroit-based artist, student, and educator specializing in all-inclusive, collaborative design. Prior to his ongoing full-time work as a professional artist, Jones led a decade long career in clinical psychology, education, and non-profit administration throughout the U.S. and Brazil. 2018, the American Institute of Architects named Jones 1 of 25 National Champions for his development of a new approach to cartography. He was the only non-architect chosen. 2020, Cranbrook Academy of Art recruited Jones for its Master of Fine Arts program. He graduated from the Print Media and Architecture departments, 2022. 2022-2023, Jones served as Interfaith Volunteers and Care Givers of Greater New Haven’s first Artist-in-Residence. May, 2023, Jones unveiled his first monument. June, 2023, Jones will unveil his first and second public garden designs, commissioned by the City of Detroit and Design Core Detroit in collaboration with Flint-based artist, Errin Whitaker, and the Virginia Park communities, respectively (The Ancestor | Posterity Native Plant Butterfly Garden; The 1967 Rebellion Memorial Roses Garden, 2020-2023), and his first public sculpture, a collaborative project with Detroit-based painter and sculptor, Chris Turner. In the last 5 years, Jones has used his innovative techniques to work with more than 4,000 people to develop 52 works on public display. This fall, Jones will return to Cranbrook Academy of Art as a Post Graduate Teaching Fellow with the Photography Department. Jones' work includes workshops, exhibitions, and projects this year in Michigan, Gatlinburg, Tennessee, and New Haven, Connecticut
Mike Croweak
Mike Croweak is a small business lawyer in Texas with a keen interest in gardening and public space. He believes that nature and its stewardship can be a powerful way for people to forge connections in our increasingly isolated communities, and this belief informs his work with the CT Garden Collaborative.
Mike received a B.A. in Philosophy from the University of Connecticut and a Juris Doctorate from Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University. He has always aimed his legal practice at helping normal people to navigate challenging and often intimidating issues they face in life, whether in the representation of plaintiffs in personal injury cases or by helping people to realize their dreams as small business owners.
When not at a desk or in the garden, Mike can be found cycling, playing music, hiking, and enjoying time with his family.
Tracy Kay
Tracy Kay is the CEO of the 93-acre Bartlett Arboretum & Gardens in Stamford, CT. Prior to his current post, Tracy served as Executive Director of the Westchester Children’s Museum located in the National Historic Landmark bathhouses at Rye Playland in Westchester County, NY.
Tracy is a graduate of St. Lawrence University and received his master’s degree from Yale University’s School of the Environment. He began his museum career as Director of the Rye Nature Center and later was Executive Director of the Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education in Philadelphia, PA. In 2005 he was appointed as Deputy Commissioner for the Nassau County Department of Parks, Recreation and Museums, directing the operation of the County’s extensive museum system, and coordinating its partnerships with other Long Island Museum institutions.
Tracy has served on the adjunct faculties at Swarthmore College and Arcadia and Temple Universities. He has been a field reviewer for the American Alliance of Museums, a grant panelist for the Institute of Museum and Library Services, and served on the Board of the Museum Association of New York. He currently serves as a board member of the Connecticut League of Museums
Marlene Pratt
Marlene Miller Pratt is a native of New Haven, Connecticut. She received her Bachelor of Science degree in Education from Southern Connecticut State University and a Master’s of Science from the University of North Carolina at Pembroke, certifying her as a Reading Specialist. Marlene is a National Board Certified Teacher and has been a science educator for 38 years. Marlene is married to the late legendary Richard Pratt of the Rhythm and Blues group “Blue Magic”. And is the mother of three children; Darah Smith, Ricquel Pratt and Gary Kyshon Miller who was her oldest child lost to a senseless act of gun violence in New Haven, Connecticut.. She is an advocate for children and believes all children can learn but in diverse ways. Therefore, she has made it a priority to instruct children to meet their learning style and personality. Marlene worked with various after school programs before co-founding the Young Men Young Women Transitional Program with her husband. The program tracked struggling students transitioning from middle to high schools. It served as a “safe haven for children after school. Students were exposed to cultural experience college tours, job shadowing and out of state enrichment trips to broaden their horizon on life. 93% of the students attending the program were on track in attaining higher academic and vocational careers. “Transitioning Minds with Cultural Awareness Motivates the Young Learner to Broaden their Inquisitive Minds to Achieve” Pratt” After moving back to New Haven, Connecticut from North Carolina, Marlene saw a need to conquer her loss for the tragic death of her son Gary Kyshon Miller. She started advocating for social justice and wants strong consequences for the misuse of guns in America. She has been invited to conferences to speak on the trauma related to gun violence and healing. Marlene is the founder of the “New Haven Botanical Garden of Healing for Victims of Gun Violence” and has worked with a nucleus group of three mothers to establish its existence. The garden is known to be the first of its kind in the nation. It serves as a permanent, serene, tranquil place for healing. “Our children will never be forgotten” The garden will become a historical monument that will serve as a reminder of the violence that existed in the past ushering peace into the future. “For Every Life Lost to Gun Violence, Generations Cease to Exist” Pratt. In Marlene’s words “ When we felt hopeless, God gave us hope” “Enough is Enough! We have to take our city back, our state, and our nation one day at a time” It takes a Village to raise a child” and the children need that village now more than ever
Paul Begemann
Paul Begemann is an attorney with a practice based in Hamden, primarily focusing on real estate and business law. Paul grew up in Hamden, and fondly remembers time spent in the woods with his family, hiking at Sleeping Giant State Park, walking the Blue Trail, visiting Connecticut’s State Parks or camping and canoeing in the Adirondacks. Paul also came from a family of gardeners, learning vegetable and flower gardening from his father. It is those memories that helped make it easy for Paul to find time to help with the Connecticut Garden Collaborative. Paul is excited to be able to assist Dan and the other CTCG Advisors in spreading the mission of CTGC to as many people as possible. In addition to CTCG, Paul is also involved with the Hamden Rotary Club and is the Vice President of the Hamden Land Conservation Trust, among other local volunteer efforts.
Nate Bixby
Nate Bixby is an active director on the board of IVCG. He advocates for a cultural paradigm shift that reprioritizes deep resilience within human communities and the larger living communities of lives in soil, forest and waters. “Let’s spend lots more time with each other and in Nature. We will all be happier that way.” His dedication to the CTGC and IVCG is an expression of this advocacy.
Nate cultivates Havens for Thriving Futures. At an early age he recognized that too much of what humans do, individually and more importantly collectively, undermines the exuberant abundance of life itself. Inspired by generations of his ancestors’ faith in the power of love to transform the world and its people, Nate set out on a life-long journey to empower his fellow humans to live into a vision described by R. Buckminster Fuller, “To make the world work for 100% of humanity in the shortest possible time through spontaneous cooperation without ecological offense or the disadvantage of anyone.” A “haven for thriving futures” is an identifiable living system that, when cared for, creates conditions for all beings within it to thrive and for that thriving in turn to support the thriving of many future living systems.
Nate’s own experience of thriving includes being a husband of 39 years, father, composer/musician, gardener, camper, naturalist, writer, artist, teacher, home improvement contractor, environmental activist, and movement weaver. He served 9 years as Membership Coordinator at the Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History, on several non-profit on boards over the years, and has conceived, produced, and collaborated on numerous public events.
Sandy Stein
Sandy Stein is an Advisory Council member of the CT Garden Collaborative. As an avid gardener on a personal level, she is also a board member of the Massaro Community Farm and the Area Agency on Aging for South Central Connecticut. The role that the CT Garden Collaborative can play in bringing awareness to the residents of CT and beyond, of the scope and beauty of public garden spaces resonates with her personal beliefs about the role of nature and the outdoors in the well being of humankind. Seniors can directly benefit by being able to connect with the outdoors, nature and art through activities planned for them by the CT Garden Collaborative. Getting outdoors and interacting with others addresses the social isolation that many seniors experience. She looks forward to active participation in the CT Garden Collaborative and creating knowledge and experiences for seniors and others.
Kyle Zukauskas
Kyle Zukauskas is a lifelong Connecticut resident. He earned a BS in Chemical Engineering from the University of Connecticut and an MS in Environmental Engineering from the University of New Haven. His role as a leader in environmental non-profit organizations began when he was chosen as the Chair of the Volunteer Board at Gather New Haven. There, as a volunteer ambassador to the Pond Lily preserve, he gained appreciation for the many benefits (and challenges!) that can arise when people interact with nature.
In 2022, Kyle helped to found Eli's Garden of Healing following the murder of his nephew Elijah Gomez. Determined to reduce the impact of violence in the community, Kyle and his partner Crystal decided to channel the therapeutic power of nature to help heal survivors' suffering. Eli's Garden of Healing also emphasizes violence prevention through programming, focusing on activities that encourage people to connect with the outdoors.