Former NBF Board Member presented distinguished Japanese award

All photos courtesy of Aaron Webb – Embassy of Japan in the USA

The Ambassador of Japan honored former National Bonsai Foundation (NBF) Board of Directors Member and author Ann McClellan at a ceremony earlier this month for her outstanding contributions of introducing Japanese culture and promoting friendly relations between Japan and the United States. 

Though she was officially awarded the Imperial Decoration “Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Rays” in 2021, the award presentation and ceremony was ultimately hosted on May 10, 2022, at the home of Koji Tomita, Japanese ambassador to the United States. 

“I am humbled beyond measure to have been recognized in this way,” Ann said. “It wasn't something I sought or expected.”

The presentation began with Ambassador Tomita’s speech, which welcomed the intimate crowd of Ann’s colleagues, friends and family and highlighted her contributions to furthering understanding of Japanese culture in the United States. The ambassador presented Ann with a certificate signed by the Japanese prime minister to accompany her medal, which had been pinned to her jacket for the ceremony. 

“The award came in a lovely lacquer box, which I keep in a special spot where I can see it daily,” she said. “Sometimes I reach out and touch it, just to affirm to myself that it's really here in my world.”

Ann also spoke at the ceremony, thanking the many supporters she has had throughout her career and about her introduction to Asian culture, which came when she unexpectedly taught a Japanese and Asian history course to high school students while finishing college. Since then, she’s traveled to Japan several times, worked on the Smithsonian Institution’s product development team for Japanese goods, written several books on Japanese cherry blossoms and spread the spirit of bonsai throughout the United States. 

Ann and her brother, Bill, speaking at the ceremony

“I was one hour ahead of the students in learning that semester, but it launched my abiding interest in Japan and all things Japanese,” Ann said in her speech. “I thank the cherry blossom and bonsai spirits for the honor and privilege of sharing their stories, and I thank the government of Japan for its recognition of my efforts to expand understanding of Japanese culture through these trees.” 

Ann’s eldest brother, Bill, gave a toast in her honor, which included an overview of Ann’s academic and professional background as well as family memories the siblings share. 

“To you and your written works and presentations on the Sakura Celebration, bonsai and Japanese culture – we toast your good works and wish you good luck in your next projects,” Bill said in his toast. 

Ann said she was in a state of astonishment about the experience and still lives in the reverie. For the foreseeable future, you will find her presentations on bonsai and cherry blossoms or working on her upcoming publications. Ann’s next book, to be published in 2023, highlights the cherry trees blossoming at the U.S. National Arboretum and around the world. You can find her book about the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum, Bonsai and Penjing: Ambassadors of Peace & Beauty, on the NBF bookstore.

 Although Ann recently finished her term as a member of the NBF Board, we still wholeheartedly  feel her support as a long-time supporter and leader of the Foundation. NBF is grateful for her dedication to sharing the art of bonsai and looks forward to her continued success in spreading appreciation and understanding for Japanese culture.

Introducing the NBF Officers and Board of Directors for 2022-2023

Just as our trees are seeing changes of spring, so are we seeing changes to our Board leadership. We at the National Bonsai Foundation wish to thank Jim Hughes and Jim Brant who served as Chair of the Board and Secretary/Treasurer respectively over the last two years. Their long histories of dedicated support and fine leadership in these roles and beyond have been invaluable to NBF and the Museum over the years and we are forever grateful.

With their departure, we wish to offer a warm welcome and congratulations to newly elected Chair of the Board, Dr. Richard Kahn, PhD, Secretary, Ross Campbell, and Secretary/Treasurer-Elect, Daniel Angelucci.

We invite you to get to know these new leaders through their bios below. And hope you will leave a congratulatory message below.

Richard Kahn, PhD
Chair of the Board (2022-2024)
Richard Kahn, PhD, is an independent consultant/researcher and is a Clinical Professor of Medicine at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine since mid-2009. Prior to his retirement from the American Diabetes Association in June 2009, Richard was responsible for the scientific and medical affairs of the Association for nearly 25 years. He provided senior management oversight for all professional education activities, which consisted of all clinical and research conferences and symposia, and the largest diabetes-related clinical and scientific meeting in the world- --the annual ADA Scientific Sessions. Richard also oversaw the development of clinical practice guidelines and consensus statements, and he provided senior staff direction for the professional books and journals produced by the Association.

Under his leadership, the Association defined for the first time Standards for the medical care for persons with diabetes, introduced the concept of diabetes performance measures, redefined the diagnosis and classification of diabetes, started two major professional certification programs, introduced a new test for the diagnosis of diabetes, and produced dozens of guidelines and statements that have had a major impact on how diabetes and its complications are defined and treated. Before joining the American Diabetes Association in 1985, Richard was Chief of Scientific Affairs for the American Red Cross in St. Louis, Missouri, and an Associate Professor of Pathology at Washington University. In these positions, he established the first Tissue Bank in the Red Cross System and directed a large research laboratory concerned with the pathophysiology of blood cells and the prevention of transfusion-transmitted diseases.

Richard received his doctorate in physiology from Georgetown University and has published over 70 papers as well as numerous book chapters. He has received many awards and honors, including the 2009 Charles H. Best Medal for Distinguished Service from the American Diabetes Association and the 2009 Albert Renold Medal from the European Association for the Study of Diabetes. Richard has been a member of the board of NBF since 2018. He and his wife, Michelle, reside in Chevy Chase, MD. He has served on the board since 2018.

Ross Campbell
Secretary/Treasurer (2022-2024)
Ross Campbell retired from the U.S. Government Accountability Office in December 2019 after 34 years of federal service. As a Senior Analyst for GAO, Ross led teams of analysts, attorneys, and other specialists in reviewing and evaluating programs across a wide range of federal agencies. As the analyst in charge of these reviews, he was the principal author of reports to Congress on topics including ecosystem management, invasive species control, the use of animals in research, honeybee health, and avian influenza.

Ross was introduced to the beauty of Japanese gardens, bonsai, and design during a four-week trip to Japan as an exchange student in 1979. He became reacquainted with bonsai while living near the National Arboretum in the 80s and soon thereafter joined the Washington Bonsai Club. Ross served as the president of the Washington club for nearly a decade before joining the Brookside Bonsai Society in Maryland. He began as its newsletter editor in 2017. Ross also served many years as the treasurer of 1the Potomac Bonsai Association and as the treasurer for the American Bonsai Society’s 2015 Learning Symposium. Continuing in the realm of botany, Ross has been a registered Weed Warrior in Montgomery County, Maryland since the early 2000s. In this capacity, he works with other volunteers to remove non-native, invasive plants from his local county park. Ross has served as a member of the board of directors of the National Bonsai Foundation since 2020 and also became Secretary/Treasurer- Elect in 2020. For over 40 years, Ross has been dedicated to squash, but in this case, it is the racquet sport and not the vegetable. Ross was raised in Detroit, Michigan, and moved to Washington, D.C. in 1985. He and his wife, Maureen Wylie, reside in Silver Spring, Maryland. He has served on the board since 2020.

Daniel F. Angelucci, CIMA®
Secretary/Treasurer-Elect (2022 – 2024)
Dan Angelucci joined Merrill Lynch in 1987 and became part of The Locniskar Group in 1990 with more than 30 years of wealth management experience. The Locniskar Group joined the Merrill Lynch Private Bank and Investment Group in 2000. Dan focused on equity trading, concentrated stock strategies, philanthropic planning, creating retirement strategies, and providing personalized investment advice and guidance. He was granted the Certified Investment Management Analyst (CIMA) designation in 2008 through the Wharton Business School and is an active member of the Investment and Wealth Institute.

Dan has served on the board of directors of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra (Finance Committee, Pension Advisory Committee) and has been on the board of the National Bonsai Foundation since 2018 and as Chair-Elect since 2020. He is currently a member of the American Bonsai Society, Ann Arbor Bonsai Society of Michigan, and Pittsburgh Bonsai Society. He has practiced the art of bonsai for 36 years. He, also, served as Past-President of the Board of Directors of the Gowanie Golf Club and as a member for seven years. Dan and his wife, Rose, reside in Pittsburgh, PA. He has served on the board since 2018.

Milton Chang, PhD (2020-2023)

Milton Chang, PhD, has been an avid bonsai hobbyist since 1975, initially under the tutelage of Harry Hirao and later briefly under John Naka, when he was inducted into the California Bonsai Society. He broadened his perspective on bonsai through travel in Japan, China, Europe, and the United States. Milton’s collection is comprised of 100 trees, most of which he created from raw material.

Milton is an engineer, entrepreneur, and author of Toward Entrepreneurship. He was the CEO of two companies, which he built and led to successful initial public offerings. In addition, he has incubated over a dozen companies to successful exits. Milton has been active in professional societies and is a fellow of both the IEEE and the Optical Society of America (OSA). He has been on the boards of several private and public companies and served on the advisory boards of governmental agencies including the NIST and the SEC. He is a trustee of Caltech. His full bio can be found at www.miltonchang.com.

Chris Cochrane (1998-2025)

Chris Cochrane’s interest in bonsai began through the study of Eastern religions as his undergraduate major at the University of Virginia. He also holds a Master's degree in Public Administration. In 1988, the Richmond Bonsai Society (RBS) forever changed and challenged his appreciation of trees in miniature. Chris became secretary of RBS and later served as treasurer and president. In the early 1990s, he was an active participant on a listserv group that led to the formation of the Internet Bonsai Club (IBC). Discussion of stones on the IBC led to the formation of the Viewing Stone (web) Mail List (VSL, 1996-98) that Chris co-chaired. The VSL merged into a re-formulated IBC when it became a website discussion forum. He has served as a moderator (focusing especially on the "Stone Forum") on the IBC since it replaced the VSL.

In 1998, Chris joined the National Bonsai Foundation (NBF) as Secretary to the Board and helped construct the first NBF website. For a year (2003-04), Chris studied bonsai & suiseki in Japan at the garden studio of Kunio Kobayashi. In 1999, Chris became one of the founders of Potomac Viewing Stone Group (PVSG), a Potomac Bonsai Association club. Since 2005, he has served as president of PVSG. He has co-designed each annual exhibition for PVSG at the US National Arboretum. Chris is the Webmail Correspondent for California Aiseki Kai. He maintains a personal collection of bonsai as well as viewing and garden stones.

In 1999, Chris became one of the founders of Potomac Viewing Stone Group (PVSG), a Potomac Bonsai Association Club. Since 2005, he has served as president of the PVSG. He’s noted for co-designing the annual exhibitions for PVSG at the US National Arboretum. Chris proudly maintains a personal collection of bonsai as well as viewing and garden stones. Chris and his wife, Susan, reside in Glenn Allen, VA.

Charles Croft (Began term in 2018)

Charles (Chuck) Croft is a retired U.S. Air Force veteran, IT program manager, and consultant. He became peripherally interested in bonsai at the Brussels World’s Fair as an Air Force dependent but did not have the time or opportunity to pursue it as a hobby until the early 1990s. Chuck took up bonsai as a hobby in 1990 as a way to relax during a very high-pressure job situation and quickly became addicted. He was able to volunteer occasionally at the U.S. National Arboretum’s Bonsai and Penjing Museum until his retirement in 2007, which allowed him to then volunteer regularly.

During this journey, Chuck served as the President of the Northern Virginia Bonsai Society (NVBS) twice. He served as President of the Potomac Bonsai Association (PBA) four times and is currently serving in this role. He’s been serving in this capacity since 2018. He has also taught at various local club meetings, working as a mentor through in-person study groups and workshops at Merrifield Garden Center in Northern Virginia.

The PBA where Chuck has served as president since 2018 is an umbrella group consisting of local member clubs throughout Washington DC, Maryland, and Virginia. Each of the clubs under PBA is focused on bonsai or, in one case, viewing stones. The purpose of PBA is to provide Bonsai-related educational resources and community-building opportunities by connecting mentors with bonsai practitioners at all levels. The PBA makes it possible for their member clubs to have access to great speakers, teachers, and useful resources consistently. They also allow members of one local club to attend another club’s meetings without the requirement of joining multiple clubs. Chuck and his wife, Verna reside in Burke, VA.

Julie Crudele (2014-2025)

Julie Crudele is an experienced fundraising and marketing professional with expertise in international development, environmental organizations, and national nonprofits undertaking capital campaigns and ambitious fundraising efforts. She recently concluded her tenure of almost 20 years as a partner consultant with Capacity Partners, based in Bethesda, MD.

Before that, she was the vice president of development and communications at CEDPA where she raised international funds for programs for women and girls. Other positions include executive vice president of the Jane Goodall Institute and vice president of communications and development at University Circle, Cleveland, plus many more. She is active in the Annapolis community and is a Board Member of Annapolis Green, Chairs the Events Logistics Committee for Anne Arundel Women Giving Together, and has been a member of the board of the National Bonsai Foundation since 2014. She has earned two master’s degrees from Case Western Reserve University in International Health and Medical Anthropology.

Mark Fields (Began term in 2018)

Mark Fields began his lifelong passion for the art of bonsai in 1968 at the age of nine. Since then he has learned from more than 60 bonsai artists from all over the globe. Over the years, has attended all but a few of Brussel’s Rendezvous. He is a past two-term president of the Indianapolis Bonsai Club and is currently the president of the American Bonsai Society.

His desire for more formal bonsai training led him to Europe. There he studied with Danny Use at Ginkgo Bonsai Nursery, located in Laarne, Belgium, in 2004, 2005, and again in 2009. It was there that he learned more about the horticultural aspects of bonsai.

Bjorn Bjorholm, a bonsai professional who was certified by the Nippon Bonsai Association, has taught at Mark’s nursey, Bonsai by Fields, LLC, located in Greenwood, Indiana, annually. Mark considers Bjorn to be his sensei. Bjorn urged Mark to study in Japan and in 2013 he traveled there where he visited several bonsai nurseries, including many of the nurseries in the Omiya Bonsai Village, Kyoto, and Osaka.

Mark also attended the 33rd Taikan-ten Bonsai Exhibition and the World Bonsai Exhibition in Saitama City, Japan, in May of 2017.

At Keichi Fujikawa’s Osaka bonsai nursery, Kouka-en, where Bjorn was a resident bonsai artist, he made arrangements to return to study at Fujikawa’s International School of Bonsai, where he studied for five weeks, in January and February of 2015. He received his certificate, for completing his studies there, in February 2015. It was during that trip that he attended the Gafu-ten Bonsai Exhibition in Kyoto and the 89thKokufu-ten Bonsai Exhibition in Tokyo. In April 2017, he returned to Japan to attend the 2017 World Bonsai Convention, held in Saitama City, Japan, as a guest. Mark built a new bonsai studio in 2018 and travels all over the Midwest where he teaches, lectures, vends, judges, and exhibits. He has served as an ex-officio member of the board of the NBF since 2018.

Carl Morimoto, PhD (2006-2024)

Carl Morimoto’s involvement with bonsai started in the early 1990s as a support role when his wife Helen started bonsai as a hobby. However, his interest piqued when he went to collect California Juniper with Harry Hirao in the mountains of Mojave, CA. Since then, he served for over nine years as editor/publisher for the Golden State Bonsai Federation’s bimonthly publication. He has been serving as a member of the board of NBF since 2006 (serving as Vice President from 2011 to 2020) and is currently a member of four local bonsai clubs.

Carl was born in Hiroshima to Hawaii-born parents. He immigrated to Hawaii in 1957 after completing middle school in Japan. After completing his doctorate in physical chemistry in Seattle, he moved to Michigan and Texas to continue some research work. Carl moved to California in 1975 and eventually retired from GE Nuclear Energy working on a safety instrument system development for nuclear power stations. Carl and his wife, Helen, reside in San Jose, CA.

Deborah Rose, BA MPH, SM, PhD (2004-2025)

Deborah Rose is a chronic disease epidemiologist with an interest in psychosocial epidemiology, demography, environmental health, and sustainable development. She has spent over 20 years designing and analyzing data from the US National Health Interview Survey focusing on 1990 Health Objectives, Healthy People 2010, tobacco use, Hispanic health, and advising the Ministries of Health of Hungary, Mexico, and Taiwan on best practices for their health interview surveys. She also was the first to advise the National Health Interview Survey of Mexico asking Mexican women about breast cancer screening practices. The resulting module uncovered the previously hidden epidemic of female breast cancer in that country.

Two of her projects were (1) co-chairing a conference on the formulation, assignment, protection, and use of national identification number systems, held at Harvard in November 2015 and (2) working with the University of Cape Coast, the Yale Alumni Service Corps, and the community of Yamoransa, Ghana, to bring computing, clean water, and sanitation to this crossroads village. In this capacity, she is enstooled as Nana Abena Nkosuo Hemaa (Queen Mother for Development). Deborah has a BA, MPH, and PhD from Yale University, and an SM in Population Studies from the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health.

She has spent more than 20 years developing and analyzing data from the U.S. National Health Interview Survey. She focused on tracking progress toward U.S. health goals between 1990 and 2010, with an emphasis on monitoring tobacco use in the U.S. and health disparities among Hispanics.

Deborah has advised the Ministries of Health of Hungary, Mexico, and Taiwan on best practices for their health interview surveys. Rose is currently working with partners at Yale, the University of Cape Coast in Ghana, the Ministries of Education and Health of Ghana, and the Yamoransa Community Development Committee in an ongoing collaboration to enhance opportunities for computing, education, clean water, sanitation, and local health care for the people of the village of Yamoransa and the surrounding communities. At Harvard, she spearheaded an international conference on “21st Century Identification Systems,” which has become an ongoing project, in collaboration with colleagues at the FXB Center for Health and Human Rights.

Stephen Voss (2018-2024)

Stephen Voss is an internationally recognized photographer based in Washington, DC. His clients include CNN, Time, Vanity Fair, Salesforce, and Audi. His work has been exhibited worldwide and is in the permanent collection of the Library of Congress. Stephen has been interviewed by the BBC, National Geographic, and Slate and writes regularly about photography. He has served as a member of the board of directors of the NBF since 2018. Stephen resides with his wife, Charlene Kannankeril, and family in Washington, DC.

The Bonsai Board: Mark Fields

Mark Fields working on one of his bonsai

The National Bonsai Foundation (NBF) is lucky to work in tandem with many other organizations dedicated to promoting the art of bonsai. In fact, each year the presidents of the American Bonsai Society (ABS) and Potomac Bonsai Society (PBS) are recognized as ex-officio members of the NBF Board of Directors. We are excited to introduce you to current ABS President Mark Fields!

ABS was founded in 1967 to be a North American source of information, advice, supplies and material about the horticultural form and hobby of bonsai. The organization presents a merit award to an American species at the regional shows they attend. 

Fields has been studying bonsai since he was 9 years old, learning from more than 60 bonsai artists around the world. He first learned through books and experimenting with discarded shrubs from his father’s landscaping business, but Fields soon discovered Mendel Gardens, a nearby bonsai nursery.

His first bonsai teacher was the owner, Max Mendel, who critiqued his trees, gave him growing and training advice and introduced him to the Indianapolis Bonsai Club. Fields eventually served as the Indianapolis Bonsai Club president for two terms.

He later looked for bonsai education abroad – Fields spent three separate years dedicating himself to the horticultural side of bonsai in Laarne, Belgium under the tutelage of Danny Use at Ginkgo Bonsai Nursery.

At the suggestion of bonsai professional Bjorn Bjorholm, Fields’ self-proclaimed “sensei,” he visited multiple nurseries in Japan, including in Omiya Village, the site of the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum’s Sister Museum: Omiya Bonsai Art Museum. Fields soon returned for a five-week program at Kouka-en, where Bjorn had apprenticed and was the resident artist. 

Fields owns a nursery in Indiana called Bonsai by Fields, LLC, where he annually hosts professionals like Bjorholm for bonsai workshops. You may have seen Fields at the yearly Brussel’s Bonsai Rendezvous, an event he seldom misses. He also teaches, sells and judges bonsai around the Midwestern United States and built a new bonsai studio in 2018 after retiring as a landscape contractor. 

Fields first visited the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum in the early 1990s and has since returned several times. He has assisted in multiple fundraising appeals to support the Museum. He said he is looking forward to driving donations for the Museum’s upcoming renovations. 

Fields’ visit to the Museum with his son. Pictured, left to right: Dr. Richard Olsen, Lincoln Fields, Mark Fields, Robert Hoffman, Scott Aker, Michael James and Jim Hughes

Fields recently traveled to the Museum again for a tour with multiple Foundation and Arboretum staff members. He brought with him his 12-year-old son, Lincoln, who has been a budding bonsai artist since he was 4 years old. 

Before becoming president, Fields had previously served on the ABS Board of Directors. His years of involvement in the bonsai community positioned him perfectly to take on the leading role. First elected to the presidency in 2019 for a two-year term, he has been shaking up the ABS routine to make the organization the best it can be.

“It’s not something I ever thought I could do or be,” Fields said. 

The goal of ABS is to share the breadth of bonsai best practices and information held by their members and board throughout the bonsai community, especially in North America, he said. One method of communication is their quarterly publication, BONSAI: The Journal of the American Bonsai Society.

“I’m trying to get our base of board members and talent to write articles and share their immense knowledge,” Fields said. “I’ve written a few and have been getting a lot of positive feedback, so I will continue to do that.” 

He often pulls content from his bonsai textbook, which he wrote for the school he ran for three years, teaching students everything from beginner bonsai tips and basic botany to more advanced techniques like grafting, propagation, fertilizing and dealing with diseases.

Fields is looking to incorporate more photos of members’ trees in a gallery-type layout in the ABS Journal to share the beautiful bonsai they produce and entice readers to become members. Fields said he would also like to increase circulation about events happening at the Museum as well as about news and the history of the Museum and its trees. 

“Everyone is amazed at the national collection,” he said. “ABS should be bringing those trees and the Museum to the attention of the public. We really like the partnership we have with NBF, and I’m proud to be part of it.” 

While the ABS annual convention was canceled in 2020 and 2021, next year’s event will be held in conjunction with Brussel’s Bonsai over Memorial Day weekend in Mississippi. Keep an eye on their events calendar for more information!

The Bonsai Board: Ann McClellan

Photo by Kenji

The National Bonsai Foundation’s Board of Directors comprises many talented individuals who are passionate about the art of bonsai. Ann McClellan is no exception, so we spoke with her about her contributions to the bonsai world. 

Ann has long been involved with the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum, but she joined the Bonsai Board in 2018. She said her work at the Smithsonian Institution and World Wildlife Fund provided her with an excellent knowledge base to be an ambassador for and to support the Foundation’s mission to promote bonsai and foster intercultural friendship. 

“I care so much about the trees and the Museum and Arboretum, and I felt I could both share useful info and be a conveyer of the NBF message,” she said.

Ann as a child, collecting sap from a sugar maple

Ann's connection to trees dates back to her childhood, having lived among the beautiful trees and glades at the Lawrenceville School in New Jersey. Her family first lived in a house on the school’s golf course.
“It was like living on a boat in the middle of an ocean of trees and grass,” she said. 

Ann said Frederick Law Olmsted, the landscape architect who designed the campus she grew up on as well as other famous outdoor respites, like Central Park in New York City, believed that people benefit from being immersed in thoughtful arrangements of land and plants. Growing up on the campus pay attention to trees her whole life – from the oaks and elms at Lawrenceville campus to the bonsai at the Museum. 

Ann studied history at Goucher College outside of Baltimore but has continued to pursue different subjects as a lifelong learner, including during her 16-year career at the Smithsonian Institution. She first worked in product development, searching for items in the collection that could be reproduced for Smithsonian shops and catalogues.

The Lawrenceville campus in the 50s or 60s, courtesy of Lawrenceville School

“I loved that I could learn about millions of objects including botanical specimens,” Ann said. 

Through this work, she met entomologists and botanists with whom she worked to educate the public about the different specimens and gardens seen throughout the Smithsonian collections. Ann then transitioned to a position at the World Wildlife Fund, where she helped spread crucial information about the value of wildlife conservation, including sustainable horticulture. 

Ann later worked as a freelance writer, which eventually led to her inaugural book called The Cherry Blossom Festival: Sakura Celebration, first published in 2005. She researched, wrote and assembled images for the beautiful ode to D.C.’s annual cherry blossom festival in just six months to meet the publisher’s deadline. 

“That was an intense learning period about trees because, in addition to festival facts and what cherry blossoms mean to the Japanese, I also had to learn about them as trees,” Ann said.

Seven years later, Ann worked with National Geographic to publish Cherry Blossoms: The Official Book of the National Cherry Blossom Festival, to honor the festival’s centennial celebration. With these authoring experiences, Ann was the perfect person to write about the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum, at the suggestion of former Museum Curator Jack Sustic. 

“I was so grateful for the opportunity, and I have loved learning about bonsai and connecting with the trees,” she said. 

Ann worked with Sustic, Museum Specialist Kathleen Emerson-Dell and then-Executive Director Johann Klodzen to produce Bonsai & Penjing: Ambassadors of Peace and Beauty. The book details the history of the Museum’s trees and their instrumental role in international diplomacy, world's fair exhibitions and bonsai interest in the United States. 

“There are lots of books on the market but many are not as beautiful as this one, so I’m grateful for all the people who had something to do with that,” she said. 

Ann has spent many years promoting bonsai and the Museum through her book and continues to garden clubs, plant lovers and the public about the trees and their remarkable stories. She personally connects with the art because the essence of each tree species is distilled into the bonsai. 

“In Japan I saw a 70-foot-tall red pine with the same curved trunk as the Imperial Pine at the Museum, which allowed me to see why the Imperial Pine has such a presence just in its 4 feet,” Ann said. “The fact that a series of people over generations have cared for each of these trees is a message worth sharing.”

Ann (center) with her bonsai book at a receptions for the 2019 American Public Gardens Association Conference  (Courtesy of Olivia Anderson Photography)

She aims to highlight how bonsai practitioners around the world so clearly connect with trees in a deep way – and her efforts don’t go unnoticed. In early 2021, Ann received an award from the Japanese government for her success in promoting Japanese culture and promoting friendly relations between Japan and the United States. 

“To be honored like this is profoundly moving,” she said. “My life has been dedicated to service in a way – nonprofit work, education, ‘edu-tainment.’ These are not things you do if you’re looking to see your name in lights. It’s more about improving other people’s experiences.”

Ann continues to be an active member on the NBF board and is thrilled about plans to renovate the Museum’s exhibit spaces and tree pavilions. 

“It’s exciting to be part of something that has a future, and such a bright one, which I think will make it easier for more people to connect with the trees,” she said. 

Learn more about Ann McClellan and her work on her website. 

The Bonsai Board: Dr. Karen Harkaway

Harkaway pruning a deciduous pre-bonsai

The National Bonsai Foundation’s Board of Directors is full of people from different professional backgrounds that find common ground through their love of bonsai. In this episode of The Bonsai Board, you’ll get to know Dr. Karen Harkaway – a talented doctor and bonsai practitioner.

With degrees from Duke University and the University of Pennsylvania Medical School, Harkaway currently practices medical and aesthetic dermatology in New Jersey.

She is the Chief of Dermatology at Lourdes Medical Center of Burlington, a fellow of both the American Academy of Dermatology and the American Society of Dermatologic Surgery, serves on the Clinical Advisory Council of ThermiAesthetics and has aided in developing a successful skin-tightening procedure. 

Despite not growing up with a horticulture or tree-oriented background, Harkaway had always been drawn to the exhibits the Pennsylvania Bonsai Society constructed at the Philadelphia Flower Show each year. Intrigued by the bonsai, she bought a mallsai – or a more commercial, less formal “starter” bonsai – while in medical school and reconnected with the art on a deeper level later in life. Harkaway said she has had to study the horticultural aspects of bonsai, but she’s naturally drawn to the artistic element of training and designing trees. 

“I do certainly love plants, but I’ve learned to appreciate trees from my love of bonsai rather than the typical path of loving trees then bonsai,” she said. “It’s such a cool interplay because it’s not just an art, but there’s a living aspect to it.”

Harkaway’s passion within dermatology is largely aesthetic construction, which also requires the fusion of an artistic eye with the biology and scientific knowledge of Botox, fillers and lasers.  

“If you know horticulture, you’ll do a great job of keeping your trees alive, but it’s the addition of creativity that makes a great bonsai,” she said. “You have to be facile with both aspects in my business as well, so it’s fun to have that correlation between my professional life and my hobby.”

Harakaway has honed her bonsai skills with the guidance of prominent artists from around the globe, from Chase Rosade in America to Mauro Stemberger from Italy. She has hosted Ryan Neil of Bonsai Mirai at her home to lead mini-seminars on the art of bonsai. Harkaway’s award-winning trees have been displayed at the Pennsylvania Flower Show, the Mid-Atlantic Bonsai Societies’ exhibition and the Second U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition.

Harkawaway’s crape myrtle in full autumn display

She was first introduced to the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum through friends like the Rosade family and instantly connected with the compelling story of the Museum’s conception and purpose. 

“The Museum is such an American treasure,” Harkaway said. “People think of it as something that resides in D.C., but it was initiated as and has continued to be such a tremendous gift to all American people that I feel it’s very important that we continue to spread that word and have that inclusivity of understanding and recognizing the importance of these trees in our culture.”

Once hooked into the art of bonsai, she became increasingly involved with some of the biggest bonsai groups in the United States: Harkaway served as president of the American Bonsai Society and on the board Pennsylvania Bonsai Society, and she is actively involved with the Bonsai Society of South Jersey – in addition to serving as a member of the NBF Board of Directors. 

“It’s been great to get to know the people who are involved and the work that’s being done at NBF and the work that needs to be done,” she said. “I became much more aware of the need for the ongoing support for the Museum itself, the physical structure and bonsai in general. The camaraderie you feel as part of the group is a wonderful aspect of being a member of the NBF board.”

The Bonsai Board: Ross Campbell

Ross Campbell, NBF secretary/treasurer elect, pictured with his yew bonsai.

At the National Bonsai Foundation, we are grateful to our Board of Directors for their support, ingenuity and bonsai knowledge. Get to know the directors in our spotlight series, The Bonsai Board, highlighting their bonsai experience and why they joined NBF. 

Read about Board Chair Jim Hughes here and Chair-Elect Dan Angelucci and Secretary/Treasurer Jim Brant here. 

For this edition, we interviewed Ross Campbell, who joined NBF in August 2020 and became secretary/treasurer elect later in the year. Campbell worked for 34 years as a senior analyst for the U.S. Government Accountability Office, reviewing and evaluating programs at federal agencies. He has penned reports to Congress on topics like ecosystem management, invasive species control and honeybee health. 

Campbell grew up in Detroit, Michigan, a Sister City to Toyota in the Aichi Prefecture of Japan. In an exchange program between the two cities, he traveled to Toyota to immerse himself in Japanese culture through tours, travel and staying with a Japanese family. He saw shrines, temples and examples of Japanese artistic hobbies, but he was most impressed by the combination of managed and natural styles in Japanese gardens. 

“Just about everyone I came across, young or old, had some interest in a historical or cultural practice like ikebana or martial arts,” Campbell said. “They really put a lot of effort, energy and skill into each garden.”

He moved to Washington, D.C. in 1985 and encountered the U.S. National Arboretum. The National Bonsai & Penjing Museum rekindled his interest in the art and culture he saw in Japan. Campbell then bought his first bonsai, a juniper sold at the Eastern Market on Capitol Hill. 

He joined and eventually presided over the Washington Bonsai Club, which met at the Arboretum. Campbell is a Brookside Bonsai Society member and newsletter editor and served as the Potomac Bonsai Association treasurer for many years. 

He said he is most drawn to bonsai because bonsai artists connect with nature, forests and trees in their natural setting. Campbell prefers more naturalistic bonsai styles rather than abstract – he wants his bonsai to be more representative, not suggestive, of real trees. 

“You can’t exactly play with or tinker with an actual forest, but you can do that with a bonsai and try to put that large forest experience into something you can hold in your hands,” he said. “I can’t draw, I can't paint, but I’m hopeful that through this bonsai hobby I can develop some artistic skills.”

Campbell and his son Ian in front of John Naka’s Goshin. Campbell’s family took annual pictures in front of the tree to show how his son and the tree had grown. 

Campbell enjoys both the group activity of bonsai and the relaxing practice of working one on one with his own bonsai. 

“I enjoy being with people and seeing or talking about their techniques, but ultimately it is most satisfying for me to be making progress just me and the tree at home,” he said. “It takes your attention and concentration but allows you to shut out stress and difficulties, slowly letting the process unfold and seeing things change over the seasons and years.”

One of Campbell’s most memorable experiences at the Museum was when Curator Michael James asked him to help perform some maintenance on John Naka’s famous “Goshin” on Campbell’s second day as a volunteer at the Museum. 

“It’s not like I had a pruning saw or even concave cutters in my hand, but the fact I was able to perform even minor work on such an important bonsai was very unexpected, fun and a bit tense,” he said. 

In winter 2019, Campbell became a Museum volunteer to improve his bonsai technique and help the Museum continue to thrive. 

“People who don’t know anything about bonsai come through the Museum but are clearly captivated by the collections,” he said. “NBF keeps that opportunity available, and if I can do anything to help NBF or the Museum, then that’s what I want to do. I’m glad I’ve been able to support the Museum as a visitor and now as a board member.” 

National Bonsai Foundation Introduces 2020-21 Board of Directors

National Bonsai Foundation Introduces 2020-21 Board of Directors

We are thrilled to announce the National Bonsai Foundation 2020-21 Board of Directors! James Hughes is our new Board Chair. Read about his curatorship at the Museum and his background in our August blog posts. Marybel Balendonck, one of the founding NBF directors, will retain her position as vice president. 

We also have some new faces in officer positions. Help us welcome Chair-Elect Daniel Angelucci and Secretary/Treasurer James Brant. 

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Daniel Angelucci, Chair-Elect

Daniel Angelucci will serve as the NBF chair-elect for two years, followed by a two-year term as the NBF board chair. Angelucci has been practicing bonsai for 36 years. 

He was first introduced to the art when he lived in Flint, Michigan, and came across a bonsai demonstration at a local mall. Angelucci was inspired to buy books about bonsai to learn more. 

In 2008, his interest in bonsai took off after he joined the Ann Arbor Bonsai Society and the Four Seasons Bonsai Club of Michigan. The clubs exposed him to nationally recognized groups, like the American Bonsai Society (ABS), and bonsai artists like Jack Wikle and former NBF Co-President and Museum Curator Jack Sustic. 

Angelucci first joined the NBF board as a member in 2018. He decided to apply for the chair-elect officer position to contribute a varying skill set to the operations in support of the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum.

“It seemed to me that about 90 percent of the people who were on the board of the Foundation were bonsai professionals in some form or another,” he said. “I’m mediocre in bonsai art at best, but I thought I might have something to offer with regard to the time and talent I accrued in my financial and business backgrounds.” 

Now fully retired, Angelucci brings to the NBF board an extensive background in wealth management and investment strategy, with educational certificates from Duke, Harvard, Yale, Wharton and University of California, Berkeley.

He is a longtime friend of the arts, serving on the Board of Directors of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and holding memberships in NBF, ABS, the Ann Arbor bonsai society and Pittsburgh Bonsai Society. 

As chair-elect, Angelucci will focus on forging relationships with U.S. bonsai professionals and broadening the awareness of the Museum to maintain its significance as a U.S. national treasure. 

“There’s so much history in the original gift that the Japanese gave to the United States and in trees like the Yamaki pine, which survived the Hiroshima bombing,” he said. “It would be a travesty if we were not able to maintain the health of trees like that.” 

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James Brant, Secretary/Treasurer

James Brant will serve as Secretary/Treasurer for two years, then step into the full position of Secretary/Treasurer for two more. 

Brant taught various levels of education, from elementary school to adult evening school, for 31 years in Pennsylvania, retiring in 1999. He became involved with bonsai in the 70s, starting classes at Rosade Bonsai Studio in 1978. 

Brant has served several positions in the Pennsylvania and MidAtlantic bonsai societies and is a member of the Bonsai Society of the Lehigh Valley, Second Sunday Study Group and Delaware Valley Bonsai Study Group. He has served as coordinator for the Delaware group and Bonsai Kaido Ken Shu Kai Study Group. 

Brant has also instructed children’s bonsai classes and presented programs on wintering and bonsai display. He received the 2002 Bonsai Clubs International Meritorious Service Award. 

He was honored and pleased to join the board after being asked to fill in for a departing member. Before the joint Secretary/Treasurer position was created this year, Brant served solely as the NBF treasurer and has been a board member since 2005. 

Brant said some of his most memorable moments from the last 15 years at NBF were the compilation and publishing of Bonsai Master John Naka’s sketchbook, which you can find on our website, and the renovation of the Japanese exhibit.

In his new position, Brant hopes to provide NBF with a continuity of service and contribute to the Board’s goals in as many ways possible. 

“My wife Linda and I have met some truly wonderful people, and traveled to some remarkable places to spread the fellowship of bonsai,” he said. “Bonsai – and, to a degree, NBF – is a hobby that has given my life meaning, serenity, fellowship, and learning all rolled into one.” 

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Here is our full 2020-21 Board of Directors. We can’t wait to see what this year will bring under the stewardship of these devoted individuals!

OFFICERS

• James Hughes (‘22) - University Park, MD, Chair of the Board

• Daniel Angelucci (‘22) - Harrison Township, MI, Chair-Elect of the Board

• James Brant (‘22) - Royersford, Pennsylvania, Secretary/Treasurer

• Marybel Balendonck (’23) - Fullerton, California, Vice President

DIRECTORS

• Ross Campbell (‘23) – Silver Spring, MD

• Milton Chang, PhD (‘23) – Los Altos Hill, CA

• Christopher Cochrane ('22) – Glen Allen, Virginia

• Julie Crudele ('22) – Annapolis, Maryland

• Edward Fabian, ('21) – Niceville, Florida

• Joseph Gutierrez, MD, FACS ('21) – McLean, Virginia

• Karen Harkaway, MD (‘21) – Mount Holly, New Jersey

• Richard Kahn, PhD (‘22) – Alexandria, VA

• Cheryl Manning ('21) – Los Angeles, California

• Ann McClellan ('21) – Washington, DC

• Carl Morimoto, PhD (‘21) – San Jose, CA

• Pauline Muth ('21) – West Charlton, NY

• Doug Paul (‘21) – Kennett Square, PA

• Glenn Reusch (’21) – Rochelle, Virginia

• Deborah Rose, PhD (’22) – Beltsville, Maryland

• Stephen Voss ('21) – Washington, DC

EX-OFFICIO

• Charles Croft – President, Potomac Bonsai Association

• Mark Fields – President, American Bonsai Society

ICYMI: We profiled our recently retired board members! Reflect on their legacies with us here. 

NBF Welcomes Jim Hughes as Incoming Chair

Jim Hughes

The National Bonsai Foundation is pleased to announce Jim Hughes as our new Chair of the Board. 

Hughes oversaw the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum as curator from 2005 to 2008. He has served as an NBF board member since 2009 – briefly holding the treasurer position – and is a member of many other bonsai groups, including the Minnesota Bonsai Society, Brookside Bonsai Society and the Potomac Bonsai Association.

He has contributed greatly to the Museum in the past, leading the fundraising efforts for the renovation of the Japanese Pavilion, taking care of our prized collections, holding bonsai demonstrations and writing articles for our former communication outlet: the NBF Bulletin. Hughes has also represented NBF on the Friends of the National Arboretum (FONA) board for three years.

Hughes was born in Minnesota and graduated from St. John’s University in Collegeville, Minnesota with an undergraduate degree in English and a minor in education. He taught for 10 years at various high schools in the Minneapolis suburbs before returning to school to study computer programming.

Hughes first came to Washington, D.C. in 1996 and soon became a volunteer at the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum. In 2002, he was chosen for the assistant curator position working under Jack Sustic, leading him to assume the curator position three years later.

 Hughes was a key member of the planning committee for the symposium on The Art of Chinese Penjing sponsored by the U.S. National Arboretum and NBF. He studied rock and tree penjing and the origins of bonsai at the Shanghai Botanical Garden.

NBF welcomes Hughes as the new head of the Foundation and looks forward to many years of collaboration and support for the Museum with the U.S. National Arboretum and the collections of beautiful bonsai and penjing.

WE INVITE YOU TO COMMENT BELOW TO WELCOME JIM!

NBF Co-Presidents to Step Down After Two Years of Joint Leadership

As of August 20, Jack Sustic and Felix Laughlin will be leaving their roles as co-presidents of the National Bonsai Foundation.

Jack Sustic

Felix Laughlin

Laughlin has been an inspiring and dedicated member of the bonsai community. He was one of six founders who formed NBF in 1982 and became president in 1996, with Sustic joining as co-president in 2018.

Since NBF’s founding, the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum at the U.S. National Arboretum has become a world-renowned center for the art of bonsai, penjing and related art forms. During that period, the Museum has expanded from a single pavilion displaying the 53 bonsai given in 1976 to the American people by Japan as Bicentennial Gift to include multiple pavilions, exhibition buildings and courtyards presenting North American bonsai, Chinese penjing, tropical bonsai, and viewing stones.

Sustic began his bonsai career as a Museum intern in 1996. He then served as curator twice – from 2001 to 2005 and 2008 to 2016 – and has served on the NBF Board of Directors for 19 years. Sustic has spent many long hours caring for some of the most prized parts of our collections, including the Yamaki pine. 

 As co-presidents, Sustic and Laughlin have led many projects and improvements to both the Museum and NBF operations. Under their supervision, the Museum was voted “Best Place To Take An Out-Of-Towner” and “Best Museum Off The National Mall” in multiple Washington City Paper Best of D.C. polls.

 The pair have both demonstrated their personal commitment to the spread of bonsai appreciation through their various leadership positions in national and global organizations, like the World Bonsai Friendship Federation and WBFF’s North American regional representative organization, the North American Bonsai Federation.

Laughlin served as chairman of the World Bonsai Friendship Federation from 2001 to 2005, and organized the 5th World Bonsai Convention held in Washington, D.C. in 2005. Sustic served as the chairman of that successful World Bonsai Convention. Sustic is currently serving as the North American Bonsai Federation president and a WBFF director.

Sustic and Laughlin have been driving forces of peace and friendship who amplify the voices of bonsai novices and artists around the world and helped pave the way for bonsai care and appreciation for years to come. NBF is incredibly grateful for the co-presidents’ leadership and dedication to the Museum and the art of bonsai.

Through their combined work in the bonsai world, Sustic and Laughlin have instilled a lasting legacy of goodwill and love for bonsai. NBF wishes the two the best in their endeavors and thanks them for being an asset in the world of bonsai.

Learn more about NBF’s new leadership here.

WE INVITE YOU TO LEAVE A MESSAGE ABOUT FELIX AND/OR JACK BELOW!