Around Town: Jennifer Rominiecki

By Julie Milton | Photos by Nancy Guth | March 2024

There are not just plants growing at Marie Selby Botanical Gardens these days. Also growing are the hearts and minds of the many who visit each day making our beloved nature retreat so much more than it used to be. 

Selby Gardens is an oasis of serenity and beauty where art now intersects with nature.  It is a model of climate efficiency, and a sanctuary for contemplation and peace.  It is a haven to escape the stress of daily living where you can learn, marvel, and relax. It is a place where you can enjoy garden-to-plate dining in the world’s first net positive energy botanical gardens complex. It is setting a new standard for botanical gardens, and it is quickly becoming nationally and globally known for its innovative offerings. 

Much of the credit for the evolution of Selby Gardens, its well-deserved accolades, and its many recognitions are attributable to its dynamic and visionary CEO Jennifer Rominiecki.

This tireless champion of nature graciously answered our questions about the “new” Selby Gardens and her non-stop plans for its future.

Since your arrival to Selby Gardens in 2015, you enacted a new operating model and rebranded the Gardens as The Living MuseumÒ. How did the success of that repositioning help you in your creation of your three-phase Master Plan, for which more than $57 million has been raised?The success of our new operating model was critical to creating a solid foundation for the institution before embarking on our critical capital needs. Implementing this model – which features rotating exhibitions and programs similar to the operation of art museums – has yielded increases of 128% in membership and 135% in overall earned revenues since 2015.  Engaging this wider constituency and diversifying the institution’s revenue streams was vital to building the community’s confidence in Selby Gardens’ exciting vision for the future.

With the opening on January 11 of phase one of Selby Gardens’ three-phase Master Plan, there are now new facilities and amenities added to the complex.  Please tell our readers what they will experience with the additions now completed in Phase One. Phase One of Selby Gardens’ three-phase Master Plan is very exciting for visitors as it adds 188,030 square feet of new state-of-the art facilities and amenities to our Downtown Sarasota campus. 

• The Morganroth Family Living Energy Access Facility (LEAF): Upon arrival, visitors will encounter The Morganroth Family Living Energy Access Facility (LEAF), which houses parking, a garden to plate restaurant entitled The Green Orchid, and a garden and gift shop. The LEAF also houses a nearly 50,000 square-foot rooftop solar array, which will make Selby Gardens the first net positive energy botanical garden complex in the world. 
• Steinwachs Family Plant Research Center: The state-of-the-art Steinwachs Family Plant Research Center, which secures irreplaceable scientific resources in a hurricane-resilient structure and provides a window into once behind-the-scenes world-class research is a treasure trove. The facility contains the Elaine Nicpon Marieb Herbarium and Laboratory (housing preserved collections of more than 125,000 dried and pressed plant specimens and molecular scientific work), as well as a research library (with priceless volumes dating to the 1700s), spirit laboratory (with more than 35,000 specimens preserved in fluid—the second largest collection of its kind in the world), conference rooms and administrative offices. Weekly tours of the Steinwachs Family Plant Research Center will be offered to the public beginning this spring. 
• Jean Goldstein Welcome Center: The open-air Jean Goldstein Welcome Center is the new starting point for a visit. It consists of an expansive courtyard with beautiful heritage trees – original from the property, a ticketing pavilion, a welcome gallery where guests have a chance to stop in a permanent exhibit about Selby Gardens’ behind-the-scenes, mission-driven work, and a welcome theater for a short orientation film voiced by global icon Patti Smith, Selby Gardens’ Artist in Residence. 
• Multiuse Recreational Trail: A key contribution to the community is the new Multiuse Recreational Trail, or MURT, along the perimeter of our Downtown Sarasota campus. The 800-linear-foot MURT gives pedestrians, joggers, cyclists, and others safe access to the campus as well as to the Sarasota Bayfront from neighborhoods south and east of the Gardens. The trail runs the length of the northern and eastern borders of Selby Gardens’ property, along Mound Street/US Highway 41 to the north and South Orange Avenue to the east. The MURT is open for all to use and provides guests with safe and convenient access to our campus and the Sarasota bayfront on foot or by bicycle. 
• Other Features:Some other important additions include a cutting-edge stormwater management system to divert and clean millions of gallons of water each year before it is returned to Sarasota Bay; off-site road improvements making access easier and safer; and numerous new garden features with more open space such as the beautiful glades garden, a lily pond garden, and a pedestrian-only promenade through the heart of the Gardens comprised of the historic Augusta block that had originally lined Palm Avenue.

The recent capital campaign for the Master Plan raised $57 million and was supported by high-profile philanthropists in our community as well as by many smaller donations. More than 98% of the funds raised came from private donations. This is a great accomplishment undoubtedly achieved by a dedicated and passionate team. Tell us more about this. On behalf of our Phase One Campaign Chairs and Trustees Jean Weidner Goldstein, Cornelia Matson, and Pauline Wamsler, we are so proud of our successful campaign effort.  This community came together to make this project possible – which is truly a gift to our city and beyond.  More than 3,500 private gifts were received – ranging from $5 million to one dollar.

When can we expect phases two and three of the Master Plan and what will they include?A timeline for the second and third phases of the Master Plan will be announced soon.  The second phase will include a hurricane-resilient greenhouse complex to house Selby Gardens’ world-renowned living collections, and a learning pavilion offering expanded capacity for school programs and enhanced indoor and outdoor classroom space for children and adults. The third phase consists of restoration of the landmark Payne Mansion, which serves as the Museum of Botany & the Arts, unification of all walking paths throughout the campus, and bolstering of sea walls surrounding the property and renovation of docks.

As you celebrate Selby Gardens’ 50th anniversary this year, how do you envision Selby Gardens 50 years from now?All of Selby Gardens’ infrastructure throughout the entire campus will be at the highest level of environmental sustainability and resiliency possible. The institution will also be highly endowed for longterm fiscal sustainability and resiliency.

Being a green champion has been central to your vision for the new Selby Gardens. Your efforts and successes have earned you recognition and awards including receiving a “Climate Champion Award” by the Climate Adaption Center of Southwest Florida. What does this mean to you?I share this recognition with Selby Gardens’ entire team­—and it is deeply meaningful to me.  We set out to solve some key infrastructure challenges for our institution—and ended up doing so while also becoming an international leader for sustainability and resiliency.

You are setting your sights on achieving “Petal” certification through The Living Building Challenge of the International Living Future Institute. Where do things stand with that and why is it so important?
Employing the latest green technology, Phase One is powered by Barancik Foundation and embodies many of the latest sustainability concepts. Going above and beyond LEED certification, Selby Gardens is seeking “Petal” certification through The Living Building Challenge of the International Living Future Institute, meaning Selby Gardens will be the world’s first net positive energy botanical garden complex, creating more energy than we use. With this project, the opportunity presented itself to be innovative and lead the way.  The certification takes about one year to complete, and we look forward to sharing our progress.

In 2020, under your leadership, Selby Gardens adopted Historic Spanish Point in Osprey as a companion campus. What do you want our readers to know about HSP and why should a visit to HSP be on their radar? The Historic Spanish Point campus is so special, and encapsulates more than 5,000 years of Florida history. From archaeology to native nature, this bayfront sanctuary is truly a unique experience.  We have also implemented our trademarked Living Museum Operating Model there—such as with our current exhibition Clyde Butcher: Nature Through the Lens. And, we now have boat connectivity between our two campuses with our “Set Sail with Selby Gardens” program.  So much to see and do!

Selby Gardens offers many educational programs, classes and lectures for both adults and children.  Please tell us more about these offerings. Selby Gardens has a wide array of adult classes and programs covering topics like conservation, horticulture, art, botany, and more. We also offer yoga in the Gardens and guided tours of both our Downtown Sarasota and Historic Spanish Point campuses.  

Selby Gardens engages more than 10,000 school children and families annually in hands-on learning activities in nature. We offer school tours, as well as welcome local underserved families to our two bayfront sanctuaries through our Family Togetherness and My Garden programs. 

What are some of your favorite things to do in town when you are not at the Gardens? The beach is my escape – we do live in paradise!

What’s on your bucket list? To travel to the Maldives!

To learn more about Selby Gardens or how to donate to the next two phases of its Master Plan, please call 941.366.5731 or visit selby.org.