Pam Allenstein currently manages the national program that fosters a continent-wide approach to plant collections preservation at Public Gardens and promotes high curatorial standards for these collections. She plans strategic development of consortium, recruits new members, administers application and peer review process, facilitates curatorial groups, and runs reviewer training workshops. She also works with the United States Department of Agriculture to complement its national plant preservation system and has begun coordinating activities with national collections programs in other countries.
Pam was raised in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and earned Honors Bachelor of Science in Horticulture at Michigan State University. She interned at the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden, Longwood Gardens, and a container production nursery in Switzerland. After graduation, Pam designed and built a display garden complex for a garden center in England. Pam moved to Auckland, New Zealand and worked as marketing manager at a large tree nursery. She returned to the States to earn Masters of Science in Public Horticulture Administration at University of Delaware through the Longwood Graduate Program in 1990. Shortly afterwards, she joined Longwood’s staff, later directing horticultural operations as Curator of Living Collections at Historic Bartram’s Garden. Pam served as Associate Curator in the Landscape Division of Winterthur Museum and Country Estate before joining the staff of American Public Gardens Association in 2000.
Pam has resided in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, since 1990 with her husband and two sons. She serves on board of local watershed association. Pam is also an accomplished pianist, enjoys singing in choirs and plays keyboard for a local big band.
