2025 Milkweed Sponsor
Our 2025 Presenting Sponsor is Modera Wealth Management, LLC a fee-only, comprehensive wealth management firm offering portfolio and financial planning services to individuals, families, retirement plan sponsors, and non-profit institutions nationwide. With a client-first philosophy since its founding in 1983, Modera is dedicated to helping clients achieve their financial goals.
Sponsorship Please visit our Sponsorship page to learn about the range of sponsor opportunities to fit any company or organization’s budget.
About the Speaker Series: Each year, Unity Gardens hosts an annual fundraising lecture featuring renowned authors and environmental professionals. These exciting lectures have been hosted at Anne Arundel Community College, The Key School, The Chesapeake Bay Foundation Phillip Merrill Environmental Center, and at Woods Memorial Presbyterian Church. Visit the links below to see an overview of these recent events, and be sure to like our Facebook page or Instagram page to receive first notice of upcoming events and opportunities! We are always in need of sponsors, partners and donations to support these events (and community grants), so please visit our Get Involved page to learn more, and visit Great Businesses locally who have supported Unity Gardens!
Continuing a Tradition… Each year, Unity Gardens looks forward to educating the community and raising funds for our grant program. Here are our past presenters:
2025 – Ryan Drake – McCausland Natural Areas Manager of the University of Pennsylvania’s Morris Arboretum & Gardens. “Nature’s Blueprint: Designing for Resiliency with Native Plants”
2024 – Ginger Woolridge – Author of “Essential Native Trees and Shrubs, The Guide to Creating a Sustainable Landscape.”
2023- Shannon Currey- Perennial Plant Association’s Board of Directors, North Carolina Plant Conservation Scientific Committee and Izel Native Plants. “Native Grasses and Sedges: Smart Choices for Better Landscapes”
2022- Shari Wilson – Maryland Secretary of the Environment 2007-2010 and Author of Nuts for Natives Blog
2021- No lecture due to Covid. Instead we hosted a virtual fundraiser, Bringing Natives Home.
2020 – Barbara Ellis – “Greener Gardens, One Step at a Time”
2019 – Dan Benarcik – Innovative Horticulturist at Chanticleer Gardens “Design Tips of the Pros”
2018 – Michael Judd, Landscape Designer and Designer Author of “Edible Landscaping with a Permaculture Twist”
2017 – Travis Beck, Director of Horticulture Mount Cuba Native Plant Center: “Design with Native Plants”
2016 – Stephanie Cohen, “The Perennial Diva”: “The Non-Stop Garden”
2015 – William Cullina, Director of Horticulture Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens: “Botany of Design”
2014 – Rick Darke , Botanist & Author: “Balancing Natives & Exotics in the Garden”
2013 – Doug Tallamy, Professor & Author: “Networks for Life: Your Role in Stitching the Natural World Together”
2012 – Tracy DiSabato-Aust, Designer & Author: “Native Plants Design & Maintenance”