Megan Haidet is the Partnerships Manager for the U.S. Botanic Garden. Over the past 20 years, she has been an active participant in the field of plant conservation, serving as the Communications Coordinator for the Plant Conservation Alliance, contributing to the National Seed Strategy, and working for the Center for Plant Conservation. Megan most recently hails from the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) Grants Division where she led a $2 billion portfolio supporting local and regional food systems, farmers markets, and specialty crop research and marketing. She also worked for the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA)’s Institute for Food Production and Sustainability, implementing grant programs focused on pollinator health, plant pests, and diseases.

 

Prior to her tenure at the USDA, Megan worked at the Chicago Botanic Garden as the National Collection Curator for Seeds of Success, the national native seed collection program in partnership with the Bureau of Land Management and a network of botanic gardens. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science from Allegheny College and a master’s degree in Environmental Policy from Bard College.