Dr. Emily E.D. Coffey joins Naples Botanical Garden starting in October 2026.
Coffey serves as Vice President of Conservation and Research at the Atlanta Botanical Garden, where she has led the department since 2017. She grew her team from four to 43 staff, increased external funding more than fifteenfold, and led the Southeastern Center for Conservation.
Coffey co-founded the Southeastern Plant Conservation Alliance, chairs the U.S. Action Plan for Plant Conservation, and serves on the Board of Directors and Executive Committee for Botanic Gardens Conservation International, U.S. She has built lasting conservation partnerships across the Caribbean and Latin America.
Prior to joining the Atlanta Botanical Garden, Coffey served on the biology faculty at the University of North Carolina Asheville and conducted postdoctoral research at the University of Oxford. She holds master’s and doctoral degrees from the University of Oxford and a bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of Missouri–St. Louis.
