Rick Daley is one of the founding partners of EMD Consulting Group where he has worked with dozens of nonprofit organizations with a specialty in botanical gardens and conservation organizations. His work includes executive searches, planning (strategic plans, business plans, operational plans, economic sustainability plans), organizational structures, benchmarking, governance, and fundraising.
Montgomery Botanical Gardens retained the services of EMD to assist with Phase 1 implementation and further projects.
Rick’s clients have included: Directors of Large Gardens; Brooklyn Botanic Garden; National Tropical Botanical Garden; San Antonio Botanic Garden; Botanic Gardens Conservation International; Houston Botanic Garden; Holden Arboretum; Lauritzen Gardens; Greater Des Moines Botanical Center; North Carolina Botanical Garden; U.S. National Arboretum Friends; Cleveland Botanic Garden; Clark Gardens; Tulsa Botanic Garden; Louisville Botanical Garden & Conservatory; Cape Fear Botanical Garden; Santa Barbara Botanic Garden; San Francisco Botanical Society; the Arboretum at Flagstaff; Discover Life in the Smokies; Center for Creative Education; Lowry Park Zoo; Grand Canyon Association; and other institutions.
Prior to his involvement with EMD, Rick had a long career as the CEO of several major botanical gardens and conservation institutions. He was the CEO/ Executive Director of the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum in Tucson, of Denver Botanic Gardens, of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society in Boston, and held several management positions at the Missouri Botanical Garden, including Director of Programs, Director of Ecological Services, and Special Assistant to the Director.
He has served on the boards of Botanical Gardens Conservation International – U.S.; the Trust for Public Land; the American Public Garden Association; the Center for Plant Conservation, and others.
Rick is an accreditor for botanical gardens for the American Association of Museums and has participated in and led the accreditation teams for many of the largest botanical gardens. He was on the first ever international accreditation team for AAM for the Adelaide, Australia, Botanic Garden.
He holds a BA in Biology and an MA in Botany/Ecology, both from Colorado State University. Continuing education has included work at the Wharton School, Harvard, and the Center for Creative Leadership.