Maureen O’Brien

CONSULTANT

Curator of the UGA Founders Memorial Garden and horticulturist extraordinaire—Maureen is also a long-time proponent of landscape design with natives.  An early curator of the State Botanical Garden of Georgia‘s native plant collection, she later researched native seed mixes viable for Southeastern power-line cuts with Dean Darrel Morrison and promoted the use of native trees in developing the Athens/Clarke County tree ordinance. Concurrent with her full-time work at the UGA Founders Memorial Garden, she is celebrating 13 years as a part-time faculty member in the UGA College of Environment and Design and holds two degrees from the university: Masters of Landscape Architecture and Bachelor of Science in Horticulture.

She worked for 15 years in the practice of landscape architecture, six in the office of Robinson Fisher Associates, six with her own design firm Connoisseur Gardens, and 3 in site development for a non-profit.  Her work experience includes 5 years as a horticulturalist at the State Botanical Garden of GA, extensive design work for public school landscapes,  and  many years in residential landscape maintenance,.

Maureen is a member of numerous professional and historical organizations, and a member of the Ladies Garden Club of Athens.  Active in improving the environment of the Athens community for move than 30 years, she has received the Alec Little Environmental Award, the Friend of Trees Award, the Friends of Barnett Shoals Corridor Award, and is an honorary member of Sigma Pi Kappa, the national historic preservation honor society.

She is a world traveler.