Board Members
President: Aaron Van Y
Aaron joined the Irvington Garden Club shortly after moving to Irvington in 2015. He initially became interested in gardening in high school when he joined a horticulture program at Warren Central. He learned how to grow plants using hydroponics and aquaponics and supplied the restaurant at Warren's Walker Career Center with a steady supply of fresh tomatoes and spinach. He was president of the Warren Chapter of the FFA two years in a row. He went on to study Forestry & Natural Resources at Purdue where he worked on NASA research working to send fish and plants to space! Now as a Science Teacher at Raymond Park Middle School, he loves to get students excited about nature and plants.
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Vice President: Ronna Brown
Ronna and her husband moved to Irvington with their egg-laying hens in August 2017. Waves of blooms came along with their little house purchase. More a vegetable than flower gardener, Ronna joined the club for help identifying her new plant treasures. While she loves food from the garden, the beauty of the flowers has given her such joy. Ronna is the club’s vice president and hopes to do her part in keeping Irvington great.
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Secretary: Emily Van Y
Emily joined the Irvington Garden Club shortly after moving to Irvington in 2015. Growing up, Emily loved spending time in the flower garden with her mom and helping her father in the vegetable garden. She would spend countless hours in the summer training vines up trellises, listening to the songs of tree frogs, and she even created her own worm farm (she was a weird kid). The beautiful gardens in Irvington, the Irvington Garden Club, and the free garden space sign on the empty plot at the corner of Emerson and Michigan were part of the reason she and her husband decided to settle in the IRV. Since living in Irvington, Emily has been working to transform her backyard into a shade garden paradise and the lot on Emerson and Michigan into a community/butterfly garden. The Garden Club has provided Emily with many plants and seeds for her garden project (thanks to Ed and his native flower donations!). The Garden Club also offers Emily, who works from home, a sense of community and a way to socialize with other garden enthusiasts. She loves how much she learns when she attends garden club meetings. She decided to volunteer as Club Secretary to ensure that she would make it to ALL meetings and not miss out on the great educational opportunities they provide
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Treasurer, Market Master: Nancy Boettner
Nancy has lived in Irvington since 1989 and joined the Irvington Garden Club after being asked to be on the garden tour in 2008. She served as President for several years and is now serving as Treasurer and the vendor contact for the Irvington Farmers Market. Nancy always dabbled in gardening, starting with helping her grandmother with her large garden, but became more serious after completing the Master Gardener program in 2007. The Garden Club offers Nancy many opportunities to serve the community and she enjoys spending time with its members.
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Market Logistics Coordinator: Melany Belluci
Melany has lived in Irvington since 1984 and has always loved it! Melany was asked to be on the Irvington Garden Tour in 2002 and joined the club soon after. She became active with the tour the following year and now serves as the tour chair. She also began volunteering at the farmers market and eventually took over the role of logistics coordinator. She enjoys gardening but just as much enjoys the community aspect of being involved with the club. Melany loves the beautification projects and meeting and talking with the club members.
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Webmaster: Jennifer Martin
Jennifer joined the Irvington Garden Club shortly after moving to Irvington in 2009. She became interested in gardening when she bought her first home in Indianapolis, which had been nicely landscaped by previous owners. At first she was afraid to touch anything out of fear she would kill it, but eventually she began asking questions, doing research, and learning as she went. Jennifer volunteers at most farmers markets and garden tours and has served as the club’s webmaster for several years. Previously, she served as programs coordinator.
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Programs Coordinator: Heather Stinson
Heather has attended nearly every annual Irvington garden tour since moving to the neighborhood in 2009, but she didn’t join the club until 2021. Seeking to expand her knowledge and meet and learn from others with similar interests, Heather was excited to find just that when she finally became a member. She is particularly interested in preserving native plant life, battling invasives, feeding and enjoying wildlife, and growing vegetables. In addition to assisting with club initiatives, she also volunteers for Keep Indianapolis Beautiful and The Indiana Native Plant Society.