Team Members
Julie Christina
Executive Director
Julie Christina is the inaugural Executive Director of Kinney Azalea Gardens, where she provides strategic leadership guiding the organization’s growth, conservation priorities, educational mission, and community impact as a nonprofit public garden.
A horticulture graduate of The Ohio State University, she brings more than 17 years of public garden experience, including 13 years at Blithewold Mansion, Gardens & Arboretum and at Heritage Museums & Gardens.
Jonathan George
Interperative Horticulturist
Jonathan George is a horticulturist and certified arborist at Kinney Azalea Gardens. He is currently studying Plant Science and Sustainable Horticulture at the University of Rhode Island. Jonathan is also a URI Master Gardener and is actively involved with several horticultural, arboricultural, and conservation organizations throughout Rhode Island.
At Kinney, Jonathan works with the garden’s diverse collection of azaleas, rhododendrons, native plants, and mature trees. With a particular interest in plant propagation, ecological gardening, plant identification, and sustainable landscape management, he enjoys exploring the relationships between plants and the larger ecosystems they support and incorporating those principles into the care and development of the gardens.
Jonathan is especially passionate about public horticulture and education. He enjoys sharing his knowledge through workshops, garden walks, and hands-on learning experiences that encourage people to better understand the plants and natural communities around them. His broader interests include native plants, fungi, arboriculture, food systems, and finding practical ways to create landscapes that are both beautiful and ecologically valuable.
"Never let a question go unanswered".
Matthew Cipriano
Crew Member
Matthew Cipriano is a recent graduate of the University of Rhode Island’s Landscape Architecture program. He first joined Kinney Azalea Gardens as an intern, spending more than six months gaining hands-on experience in public garden horticulture before joining the garden’s grounds crew.
At Kinney, Matthew helps care for the grounds and plant collections while also applying his landscape architecture background to projects throughout the gardens. He is involved in the development of garden maps, wayfinding systems, and interpretive signage designed to help visitors better navigate, understand, and connect with the landscape.
Matthew’s interests bring together horticulture, landscape design, and environmental interpretation, with a particular focus on creating thoughtful and engaging outdoor spaces that connect people with plants and the natural environment.
Executive Board
Board Member
Helen Faella Northup
Helen Faella Northup is the granddaughter of Lorenzo and Elizabeth Kinney Jr. and daughter of Tony and Betty (Kinney) Faella.
She has been roaming the gardens since she could walk and has many fond memories of flowers, garden romps, and Azalea Teas!
Helen and her husband Jim took over the gardens in 2022. She started the Friends of the Kinney Faella Gardens to support the gardens and keep them open as public gardens in perpetuity.
"With the support of our local and philanthropic communities, we aim to keep the gardens open and accessible, so everyone can experience this lovely place for generations to come!"
Board Member
Anne Holland
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Board Member
Suzanne Pleskunas
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GROUNDS COMMITTEE
Dr. Sue Gordon
Dr. Susan "Sue" Gordon is a distinguished plant scientist, educator, and leader in New England horticulture. With over four decades of expertise, she has dedicated her career to plant conservation, ecosystem biodiversity, and community education.
Dr. Gordon spent nearly 50 years stewarding the historic 16-acre Kinney Azalea Gardens in South Kingstown, Rhode Island, where she specialized in the propagation and care of unique azaleas and rhododendrons. A committed educator, she taught in the University of Rhode Island’s Department of Plant Sciences for 35 years as an adjunct professor, mentoring generations of students.
She holds both a Master’s and a Ph.D. in Plant Sciences from the University of Rhode Island and is a past president of the Rhode Island Nursery & Landscape Association (RINLA). Today, Dr. Gordon continues to share her deep knowledge of local ecology, sustainable landscaping, and native plant preservation through consulting, educational walks, and community lectures.
Nathan Lambstrom
Nathan Lambstrom is a plant ecologist, horticulturist, and plant science educator living in Southern Rhode Island. He has a BA in Environmental Studies from the University of North Carolina and an MS in Plant Biology and Conservation from Northwestern University.
In addition to teaching landscape professionals, members of the public, and undergraduate students, he is the owner of an ecological landcare company, Lambstrom Garden Ecology.
His favorite plant today is spotted beebalm.
David Vissoe
David Vissoe has been a URI Master Gardener since 2017 and has served as project leader of the Kettle Pond Rhode Island Native Plant Garden since that time. Under his leadership, the garden was recognized as the URI Master Gardener Project of the Year in 2019.
Dave was named URI Master Gardener Rookie of the Year in 2017, inducted into the Master Gardener Hall of Fame in 2019, and recognized as a Distinguished Educator in 2021. He has also served as a mentor for every URI Master Gardener class from 2018 through 2026. Since 2020, he has been a member of the Rhode Island Wild Plant Society Board of Trustees.
Native plants have become a passion for Dave. He has taken more than 7,000 photographs documenting the Kettle Pond garden’s evolution—from small plugs to mature plants—and the beautiful tapestry it creates throughout the seasons. He has had the pleasure of sharing his knowledge and enthusiasm with a wide variety of audiences, helping others understand the importance of native plants in creating a healthy environment that supports the biodiversity of coastal Rhode Island.
Although Dave draws guidance and inspiration from many respected resources and authors, he firmly believes the garden itself is the best teacher: “Just be present, observe, and experience the joy in the journey.”
Steven Pilz
Landscape Architect
Eric Anderson
Master Gardener & Member of RI Wild Plant Society
Dan Weiss
Arborist