2006 GCA Fellowship Recipient Kristin McCullin Continues Ties with GCA Clubs.

Senior Horticulturist at the Trustees Land Stewardship in Massachusetts reflects on the Value of GCA and the Royal Horticultural Society Interchange Fellowship.

February 18, 2026

By: Stacey McCarthy

Many GCA scholars continue their ties with GCA long after their student years. Such is the case of Kristin McCullin, Senior Horticulturist for the Trustees, a land conservancy of roughly 47,000 acres. McCullin recently led members of the Chestnut Hill Garden Club on a tour of the Trustees' Allen Haskell Public Gardens in New Bedford, Massachusetts.  It was a full circle moment as Kristin was a 2006 recipient of The Garden Club of America and the Royal Horticultural Society Interchange Fellowship

This scholarship was established to foster British-American relations through the interchange of scholars in horticulture, landscape architecture, and related areas, and to promote the exchange of information in the horticulture field.  The fellowships last one year and are formative experiences for the recipients who go on to be leaders in the field of horticulture.

Reflecting on her fellowship experience, McCullin said, “Receiving the GCA scholarship was truly life changing.  It allowed me to spend a transformative year working in the United Kingdom, where visiting over 50 gardens across Europe confirmed my passion and set me on the path to a lifelong career in horticulture and public gardens.”

Since then, she has enjoyed a stellar 20-year career working in horticulture in public gardens, including the Arnold Arboretum in Boston, and other non-profit gardens in the Northeast and in the UK.