As Executive Director of the Horticultural Society of New York, Ms. Hobel oversees programs to restore community gardens in inner-city neighborhoods, plant and maintain greenery in city plazas, improve environmental and nutrition literacy among public school children and their parents, construct urban farms and therapeutic gardens in supportive housing facilities, provide horticultural therapy and vocational training to inmates on Rikers Island and juvenile offenders in alternative incarceration programs, and offer a rehabilitative paid internship program for individuals transitioning from incarceration back into society.
Ms. Hobel came to The Hort from her position as Vice President of Education for the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), where she oversaw a broad portfolio of environmental education programs at the Bronx, Central Park, Prospect Park and Queens Zoos, the New York Aquarium and international conservation sites. Prior to working at WCS, Ms. Hobel was Director of the Urban Park Rangers for the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, overseeing environmental stewardship and education programs throughout New York’s flagship parks and managing the Rangers’ law enforcement functions.
Before working in conservation organizations, Ms. Hobel worked in the publishing and media industries, as a consultant with Sara Hobel Enterprises, Inc., as Managing Director for Thomas Kenney & Company Media Advisors, Inc. , as head of acquisitions and development for the magazine division of the New York Times Company, and as US Marketing Director for Newsweek International.Ms. Hobel has an AB from Dartmouth College and an MBA from Columbia University.
