Lisa Philander, Ph.D., is the Deputy Executive Director for U.S. Botanic Garden. Lisa brings over 20 years’ experience in public gardens with a particular focus on the culture, science, and leadership of botanical gardens and conservatories, previously serving as Director of Horticulture at Como Park Zoo and Conservatory. Prior to that, she was the director of the University of Minnesota College of Biological Sciences Conservatory & Botanical Collection where she stewarded the legislative funding, design, and development of a new academic greenhouse. 

Dr. Philander has experience leveraging partnerships and designing and implementing exhibitions and comprehensive public programs to spark botanical interests in multigenerational audiences. Additionally, her research and work has focused on ethnobotany and topics to cultivate the connection between plants and people and the role that gardens play in healing.

Lisa has a strong history of international community-based development work with diverse audiences to create enthusiasm and commitment regarding resource sharing and conservation. She has worked with Seeds for Africa, TreePeople, Trees for a Green LA, Food Dignity on the Wind River Range Wyoming, and Cape Bush Doctors in South Africa.  Her recent work has been with Somali and Hmong communities in the Twin Cities of Minnesota.

She received a doctorate in Emergent Ethnomedicine: Bush Doctors in Cape Town from University of Arizona; a master's degree in Ethnobotany Distribution and Transmission of Medicinal Knowledge from Garden-Based Education from the University of Kent and Kew Garden; a master's in Agriculture Botanical Garden Outreach to Elementary Schools from Cal Poly Pomona; and a bachelor's in Environmental Horticulture from the University of Minnesota.