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Sotterley Presents: People & Perspectives with Jonathan Kavalier
October 15, 2025 – Join Jonathan Kavalier, director of gardens and grounds at Dumbarton Oaks, for a virtual exploration of the gardens as he shares the design history and management over the past century, along with contemporary guiding principles that are influencing future stewardship and preservation priorities. Following a virtual tour of some garden highlights, Jonathan will present challenges and opportunities that come with historical gardening in a 21st century context, and highlight some of the work the gardeners at Dumbarton Oaks are pursuing to ensure its preservation and relevance in the next century. Jonathan has served as Director of gardens and grounds at Dumbarton Oaks since 2018, and has spent the past 25 years working in public garden management and horticulture in the Washington DC area and abroad.
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Jonathan Kavalier is director of gardens and grounds at Dumbarton Oaks in Washington, D.C., where he focuses on preserving Beatrix Farrand’s historic design within a 21st century horticultural context. A horticulturist and self-proclaimed plant-geek, he earned a BS in horticulture and international agriculture from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. After several years of commercial landscape design, Kavalier managed a design & build firm in Madagascar focusing on ornamental gardens and ecological restoration using endemic Malagasy plants. From 2008-2015, Kavalier oversaw several public gardens for the Smithsonian Institution including the Enid A. Haupt, Mary Livingston Ripley, and urban bird habitat gardens, where he facilitated connections between people and plants. From 2015-2018, at the Architect of the Capitol, Kavalier led strategic planning and organizational development efforts for the Capitol Building, Capitol Grounds, the United States Botanic Garden, the Library of Congress, and the United Sates Supreme Court. He currently serves on the boards of the American Boxwood Society and Tudor Place Gardens, and is a Senior Fellow with the Partnership for Public Service.