Thomas Hecker Email & Phone Number

Bonita Springs, Florida, United States

Provide leadership and administrative support for the Board;Ensure implementation of the organization’s policies and procedures and ensurecompliance with federal, state and local regulations;Be responsible for developing an annual budget and operating plan and for maintainingsound financial practices;Manage use of the organization’s properties and facilities; manage maintenance, repairsand upgrades to the properties and oversee leasing and rent collection on the… Show more Provide leadership and administrative support for the Board;Ensure implementation of the organization’s policies and procedures and ensurecompliance with federal, state and local regulations;Be responsible for developing an annual budget and operating plan and for maintainingsound financial practices;Manage use of the organization’s properties and facilities; manage maintenance, repairsand upgrades to the properties and oversee leasing and rent collection on the rentalproperties;Ensure that the organization has a long-range strategy which achieves its mission, andtoward which it makes consistent and timely progress;Hire, supervise and terminate staff as necessary and ensure that sound human resourcepractices are in place;Promote active and broad participation by volunteers in the organization’s work;Prepare and submit grant applications and funding proposals;Ensure effective management of data on the organization’s supporters;Meet with individual donors and prospects, and maintain regular personal contact with the organization’s top donors and funding organizations;Publicize the activities of the organization, its programs and goals;Establish sound working relationships and cooperative arrangements with communitygroups and organizations;Update existing programs and develop new programming to meet the needs of thecommunities served;Ensure that the efficiency of the programs is evaluated and that outcomes are measured Show less

Naples, Florida

EcoBotanic Designs, Inc. is a full-service botanical and environmental consulting firm offering a wide variety of services. Whether a specialty boutique garden at a private residence or a large-scale botanical garden project, EcoBotanic Designs offers the knowledge and experience to ensure excellent results every time. With expertise in tropical greenscaping, green roofs and xeriscaping techniques, plant brokering and interpretive exhibits, EcoBotanic Designs is the firm of choice to… Show more EcoBotanic Designs, Inc. is a full-service botanical and environmental consulting firm offering a wide variety of services. Whether a specialty boutique garden at a private residence or a large-scale botanical garden project, EcoBotanic Designs offers the knowledge and experience to ensure excellent results every time. With expertise in tropical greenscaping, green roofs and xeriscaping techniques, plant brokering and interpretive exhibits, EcoBotanic Designs is the firm of choice to provide quality horticulture consulting services for conservatories, as well as for USDA zones 7-11 and the Caribbean. Conveniently located next to the largest subtropical horticultural nursery area in the continental Unites States, we are able to locate and personally select exceptional plant specimens that exceed your expectations and allow us to create a truly superior display. Our satisfied clientele includes the Cleveland Botanical Garden, Como Zoo, Cape Fear Botanical Garden, and David Copperfield's Bahamas resort. Show less

10941 Burnt Store , Punta Gorda, Fl

Oversee all operations, management, budgeting, fundraising and programmingOversee all operations, management, budgeting, marketing, fundraising and programming at two locationsSupervise all Charlotte Harbor Environmental Center (CHEC) four full and four part-time staff including as well as bookkeeping and marketing consultants and other contracted servicesOversee the preparation and implementation of the annual budget in conjunction with the Board and maintaining control over… Show more Oversee all operations, management, budgeting, fundraising and programmingOversee all operations, management, budgeting, marketing, fundraising and programming at two locationsSupervise all Charlotte Harbor Environmental Center (CHEC) four full and four part-time staff including as well as bookkeeping and marketing consultants and other contracted servicesOversee the preparation and implementation of the annual budget in conjunction with the Board and maintaining control over expenditures within budget,Ensure the quality of technical reports and education, outreach products, materials produced by CHEC, Keep the CHEC Board, committees, funding partners, and other stakeholders abreast of projects, Assist organizational fundraising efforts and ensure compliance with the terms of various grants, donations, and contractsSupervise volunteers and provide direction and support for the completion of volunteer work projects,oversee implementation of the organization's operating procedures and personnel policies and recommend appropriate modifications as neededServe on local or state organization boards and committees Maintain and develop projects and programs to support the mission of CHEC, including an annual travel-abroad program as well as other fundraising and outreach eventsDevelop and strengthen partnerships with public and private organizations which may lead to financial support or in-kind service contributionsCultivate relationships with media and serve as public organizational spokesperson to raise awareness and publicity about CHECAssist marketing efforts to produce newsletters, routine web and social media updates and other outreach efforts to promote CHECStrengthen and grow the membership and volunteer base to support CHEC Show less

Pangola, Costa Rica

Oversaw guest experience, which included Café, gift shop, reservations all retail operations related to touristsOversaw all operations related to reforestation project, harvesting sustainable trees, cut flower export, agricultural operations of fruit, vegetables, and edibles for the Café and furniture fabricationDesigning concepts for botanical collections for current and future botanical garden

Naples, Florida

Partnered with the Curator of Living Collections, Natural Areas Manager, Horticultural Manager and three Horticulturists, as well as interacted (directly and indirectly) with nearly 100 program volunteers Oversaw the natural resource management of over a 100 acres of natural areas including the removal all invasive exotics, the mitigation of restored habitats and the correct management of the preserves Developed and managed an annual budget of nearly $1 million, including restricted and… Show more Partnered with the Curator of Living Collections, Natural Areas Manager, Horticultural Manager and three Horticulturists, as well as interacted (directly and indirectly) with nearly 100 program volunteers Oversaw the natural resource management of over a 100 acres of natural areas including the removal all invasive exotics, the mitigation of restored habitats and the correct management of the preserves Developed and managed an annual budget of nearly $1 million, including restricted and unrestricted grants, private and corporate giftsDeveloped strong donor relationships between the Garden and the communityCollaborated with other Stakeholders to write and implement policies and procedures to complement strategic and business plansWorked closely and cross-departmentally (facilities, marketing, volunteer, special events, membership, development) to achieve the Garden’s goals while upholding the mission and maintaining core valuesOversaw and managed all horticultural and zoological operations including daily maintenance of a diverse and documented collection (including a nursery, tree farm operation, small conservatory, several acres of themed gardens, a butterfly and three large bird enclosures, live animal exhibits, including indoor and outdoor fish collections and a one-hundred acre nature preserve) Initiated living collections’ management policies and procedures including acquisitions, accessions sheets, accession tags, educational plant labels and an accessions databaseFounded and encouraged donations for, and managing three retired librarians for the Dr. Robert Read Library, with over 1000 volumes related to natural history Managed horticultural aspects of botanical garden; working closely with community leaders, land planners, landscape architects, architects, engineers, contractors, consultants and educators to conceptualize and create strategic and master planning based on our mission of connecting people and plants Show less

Durham, North Carolina

Partnered with the Curator of Living Collections, Natural Areas Manager, Horticultural Manager and three Horticulturists, as well as interacted (directly and indirectly) with nearly 100 program volunteers Oversaw the natural resource management of over a 100 acres of natural areas including the removal all invasive exotics, the mitigation of restored habitats and the correct management of the preserves Developed and managed an annual budget of nearly $1 million, including restricted and… Show more Partnered with the Curator of Living Collections, Natural Areas Manager, Horticultural Manager and three Horticulturists, as well as interacted (directly and indirectly) with nearly 100 program volunteers Oversaw the natural resource management of over a 100 acres of natural areas including the removal all invasive exotics, the mitigation of restored habitats and the correct management of the preserves Developed and managed an annual budget of nearly $1 million, including restricted and unrestricted grants, private and corporate giftsDeveloped strong donor relationships between the Garden and the communityCollaborated with other Stakeholders to write and implement policies and procedures to complement strategic and business plansWorked closely and cross-departmentally (facilities, marketing, volunteer, special events, membership, development) to achieve the Garden’s goals while upholding the mission and maintaining core valuesOversaw and managed all horticultural and zoological operations including daily maintenance of a diverse and documented collection (including a nursery, tree farm operation, small conservatory, several acres of themed gardens, a butterfly and three large bird enclosures, live animal exhibits, including indoor and outdoor fish collections and a one-hundred acre nature preserve) Initiated living collections’ management policies and procedures including acquisitions, accessions sheets, accession tags, educational plant labels and an accessions databaseFounded and encouraged donations for, and managing three retired librarians for the Dr. Robert Read Library, with over 1000 volumes related to natural history Managed horticultural aspects of botanical garden; working closely with community leaders, land planners, landscape architects, architects, engineers, contractors, consultants and educators to conceptualize and create strategic and master planning based on our mission of connecting people and plants Assisted, as one of four senior man Show less

St. Louis, Missouri

Responsible for horticultural and zoological care of the 23,000 sq. foot tropical Climatron conservatory at the world-renowned Missouri Botanical Garden overseeing interns and volunteers Initiated the incorporation of the ethno-botanical garden, economical and epiphytic enhancement projects. Designed and created live animal exhibits (mangrove habitat, dart frog habitats and day gecko habitat) in the Brookings Interpretive Education CenterIntroduced birds, fish and herptefauna to… Show more Responsible for horticultural and zoological care of the 23,000 sq. foot tropical Climatron conservatory at the world-renowned Missouri Botanical Garden overseeing interns and volunteers Initiated the incorporation of the ethno-botanical garden, economical and epiphytic enhancement projects. Designed and created live animal exhibits (mangrove habitat, dart frog habitats and day gecko habitat) in the Brookings Interpretive Education CenterIntroduced birds, fish and herptefauna to conservatory and participated daily in their husbandryParticipated and assisted in the mechanical functions of several large water features (with Amazonian fish) where complex heating and cooling systems maintained a tropical setting within 3 million cubic feetAssisted in the Integrated Pest Management plan for the conservatories reducing pesticide useExpanded overall plant collections through donations within the plant industry and other gardens Co-led collecting expedition to Belize with Smithsonian Institute and collected live invertebrates and plants specimens for both institutionsIdentified many previously unidentified and unaccessioned plants in the conservatories and greenhousesWorked with some of the Garden’s sixty research scientists (PhD’s) to help establish one of world’s premier living plant collections of documented wild collected germplasm and contributed horticultural expertise to their conservation programs Show less

Tampa/St. Petersburg, Florida Area

Responsible for supervisory, fiscal, and daily operational dutiesProvided landscape design and maintenance services. Specialized in Florida butterfly and wildlife gardening as well as habitat enhancement with Florida native plants including wetland restoration and mitigation Supervised plant installation, brokering, and coordination with general contractors Responsible for wholesale delivery to FL (Albertsons), AL, LA, AR, MS

Ba, Environmental Studies-Botanical & Ecological Design

Ornamental Horticulture

As, Horticulture