2026 Conference Program
General Schedule of Events
From keynote presentations to immersive site-specific sessions, view the full lineup of speakers, timing, and specialized learning tracks.
Explore the complete daily lineup, speaker panels, and specialized learning tracks for the 2026 AHTA Annual Conference in San Francisco. Use this information to map out your sessions across our host venues, including the Marriott Union Square, San Francisco Botanical Garden & AIDS Memorial Grove, and Alcatraz.
Detailed Schedule and Speakers
Select a day below to explore daily session schedules, locations, and key speaker events, or view the complete conference agenda in chronological order.
Thurs., Oct 15, 2026
Fri., Oct 16, 2026
Sat., Oct 17, 2026
Sun., Oct 18, 2026
Thursday, the current and incoming AHTA Board of Directors will meet at the lovely Filoli Gardens to work on the strategic plan for AHTA's future. In the late afternoon, the conference officially kicks off with a reception on the 30th floor of the Marriott. Refreshments will be served, and a "Moth-style" storytelling session offers the perfect way to bring everyone together.
Day 1: Board Meeting & Welcome Activities
| Track | Time PST | Activity | Location | Presentation Title or Activity Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Logistics | 0815-0845 | Transportation | Marriot to Filoli | Transportation to Filoli |
| General Logistics | 0900-1200 | AHTA Board Meeting | Filoli Gardens | AHTA Board Meeting |
| General Logistics | 1200-1300 | AHTA Board Lunch | Filoli Gardens | AHTA Board Lunch |
| General Logistics | 1300-1600 | AHTA Board Meeting | Filoli Gardens | AHTA Board Meeting |
| General Logistics | 1200-1830 | Registration | Marriot 2nd Floor | Registration Opens |
| General Logistics | 1730-1930 | Welcome Reception | Savoy Room (Marriott) | Welcome Reception Kick Off |
| Methods & Wellness | 1745-1930 | Moth Up | Savoy Room (Marriott) | Moth Up Storytelling Session |
Welcome to Day 2! The conference begins with an inspiring keynote address from Jennifer Jewell, followed by a full day of presentations, panels, and poster sessions spanning our four educational tracks. Enjoy lunch while connecting with fellow attendees during the AHTA Membership Meeting, where you'll meet the incoming Board of Directors and celebrate this year's AHTA Award recipients. Throughout the day, take advantage of the Professional Headshot Studio, experience Plants & Paws, and explore our exhibit hall. Finally, wrap up the evening with informal networking to reconnect with colleagues and build new professional relationships.
Day 2: Keynote Address & Educational Sessions
| Track | Time (PST) | Activity | Location | Details | Presenter(s) | Sponsors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Friday, October 16, 2026 | ||||||
| General Logistics | 0730-1700 | Registration | Marriott 2nd Floor | Registration Open | ||
| General Logistics | 0730-0900 | Breakfast | 2nd Floor Pre-function | Breakfast TBD | ||
| General Logistics | 0830-0850 | Conference Opening | Ballroom | Conference Opening Welcome | Horticultural Therapy Institute (HTI) | |
| Methods & Wellness | 0850-0950 | Keynote | Ballroom | Keynote Address | Jennifer Jewell | |
| General Logistics | 1000-1600 | Headshots | Cable Car | Professional Headshots | Riva Mental Health | |
| Community & Settings | 1000-1050 | Lecture | Sutter I | Beyond the Garden Wall: Designing Deeper Connections Between Children and Healing Gardens | Kayte Kitchen | |
| Evidence & Credentials | 1000-1050 | Lecture | Sutter II | Research on Behavioral Driving Mechanisms and Dynamic Model Construction in the Implementation Process of Programs of Horticultural Therapy | Binxia Xue | |
| Community & Settings | 1000-1050 | Workshop (45 Minutes) | Sutter III | Rooted in Resilience: Therapeutic Horticulture as a Pathway to Student Well Being and Belonging | Elizabeth Diehl | |
| Community & Settings | 1000-1050 | Panel | Ballroom | Growing Inside: Prison Gardens Offer Healing and Reconnection | Faryn Hart, Isa Pena, Sol Mercado | |
| General Logistics | 1050-1100 | Break | N/A | Short Break | ||
| Community & Settings | 1100-1150 | Lecture | Sutter I | Improving Quality in a Therapeutic Gardening Program for ICU Employees | Seth Lemmons | |
| Community & Settings | 1100-1150 | Lecture | Sutter II | Seeds of Healing: Veterans, Sunflowers, and the Power of Community | Collie Turner, John Pilat | |
| Community & Settings | 1100-1150 | Workshop (45 Minutes) | Sutter III | Growing Resilience Behind the Gate | Gunjan Koul & Paul Mallory | |
| Community & Settings | 1100-1150 | Panel | Ballroom | Horticultural Therapy/Therapeutic Horticulture in Cooperative Extension: A Multi-State Panel | Gayle Gratop |
| Track | Time (PST) | Activity | Location | Details | Presenter(s) | Sponsors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Logistics | 1150-1250 | Lunch | 2nd floor Pre-function | Lunch Break | ||
| Evidence & Credentials | 1210-1255 | Meeting/Awards | Ballroom | AHTA Meeting and Awards | ||
| Evidence & Credentials | 1300-1350 | Lecture | Sutter I | Horticulture in Pediatrics: Applications, Evidence and the Future | Andrew Ziegler | |
| Methods & Wellness | 1300-1350 | Workshop (45 Minutes) | Sutter II | Inner Ecosystems: Cultivating Resilience Through Therapeutic Nature Practices | Antoinette Vasseur | |
| Community & Settings | 1300-1350 | Lecture | Sutter III | Growing together: Building Sustainable Mixed-Needs Therapeutic Horticulture Communities | Katie Andrews | |
| Evidence & Credentials | 1300-1700 | Poster Session | Ballroom | Posters | Various | |
| Methods & Wellness | 1300-1700 | Special Event | Cable Car | Plants and Paws | Ball Horticultural Company | |
| General Logistics | 1350-1400 | Break | N/A | Short Break | ||
| Community & Settings | 1400-1450 | Lecture | Sutter I | Healing Landscapes in Times of War: Therapeutic Gardens for Recovery and Resilience in Ukraine | Yuliya Rashkovska | |
| Community & Settings | 1400-1450 | Lecture | Sutter II | Growing Resilience: Cultivating Horticultural Therapy in a School Community | Rebecca Reimer | |
| Evidence & Credentials | 1400-1450 | Workshop (45 Minutes) | Sutter III | The Evidence Base for AHTA Therapeutic Garden Characteristics | Teresia Hazen, Meghan McKieran | |
| Community & Settings | 1400-1450 | Panel | Ballroom | From clinics to parks: Building resilience through nature prescriptions for children and families | Shakiba Ghasemi Assl | |
| General Logistics | 1450-1500 | Break | N/A | Short Break | ||
| Community & Settings | 1500-1550 | Lecture | Sutter I | Bridges and Blooms: a Land Together Pilot at San Quentin | Calliope Correia | |
| Evidence & Credentials | 1500-1550 | Lecture | Sutter II | Creating Evidence-Based Publications | Arushi Sinha-phd | |
| Community & Settings | 1500-1550 | Workshop (45 Minutes) | Sutter III | Cultivating job skills and growing resilience through gardening | Lara Fahnstock | |
| Community & Settings | 1500-1550 | Panel | Ballroom | Engaging the Healthcare Community though Therapeutic Horticulture | Jennifer Smith-Sims | |
| General Logistics | 1600-1700 | Networking | Ballroom | Regional Group Meetings/networking |
Welcome to Day 3! Today, we head to the San Francisco Botanical Garden for a day of hands-on learning and connection. We'll open with a welcome from the Executive Director of Gardens of Golden Gate Park, followed by outdoor workshops, sessions on the new HT-BC credential, and a visit to the Resilience Lab. Enjoy lunch alongside an exclusive preview screening of Jennifer Jewell’s upcoming television series and a book signing. Afterward, explore the grounds before we gather in the AIDS Memorial Grove among the redwoods for a meaningful closing ceremony honoring pioneer Clare Cooper Marcus.
Day 3: Experiential Workshops & Closing Ceremony
| Track | Time (PST) | Activity | Location | Details | Presenter(s) | Sponsors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Logistics | 0730-1200 | Registration | Golden Gate Gardens Park | Registration Open | ||
| General Logistics | 0800-0900 | Transportation | Lobby | Transportation to GGGP | ||
| General Logistics | 0910-0930 | Opening - Day 2 | Auditorium - stage | Day 2 Opening and Welcome | ||
| Community & Settings | 0930-1020 | Keynote | Auditorium - stage | Keynote Address | GGGP ED | |
| General Logistics | 1030-1450 | Headshots | Back Garden Area | Professional Headshots Open | Riva Mental Health | |
| Evidence & Credentials | 1030-1200 | Workshop | Auditorium - stage | Credentialing the Profession of Horticultural Therapy | Lana Dreyfuss | |
| Evidence & Credentials | 1030-1200 | Workshop | Rec Room | THAD Global: Using the Therapeutic Horticulture Activities Database to Support Culturally Responsive Programming | Hsiang-Hua Chen, Leah Diehl | |
| Methods & Wellness | 1030-1200 | Workshop | Garden Room | Soiled in Beauty: Tending the Inner Garden of Resilience | Stephanie Ramirez |
| Track | Time (PST) | Activity | Location | Details | Presenter(s) | Sponsors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Methods & Wellness | 1200-1300 | Lunch / Screening | Auditorium - stage | Lunch & Film Screening | ||
| Methods & Wellness | 1300-1430 | Workshop | Auditorium - stage | "Letting Go:" A mindful journey into seed-saving. | ||
| Methods & Wellness | 1300-1350 | Workshop (45 Minutes) | Rec Room | Every Body Breathes! How breathwork enhances the practitioner, client and profession of HT | Colleen Griffin | |
| Community & Settings | 1300-1350 | Lecture | Garden Room | Exploring Cultures through Therapeutic Horticulture | Marisol Clarke | |
| General Logistics | 1350-1400 | Break | N/A | Short Break | ||
| Methods & Wellness | 1400-1450 | Lecture | Rec Room | Nature Sure is Awesome-Exploring Awe and It�s Uses in HT Practice | Matthew J. Wichrowski | |
| Community & Settings | 1400-1450 | Workshop (45 Minutes) | Garden Room | Lessons From A Leaky Greenhouse - Growing HT Programs in Diverse Nonprofit Organizations | Jeanne Schultz | |
| Community & Settings | 1500-1550 | Tour | SFBG | San Francisco Botanical Garden Tour | ||
| General Logistics | 1600-1650 | Closing Ceremony | AIDS Memorial Gardens | Closing Ceremony | ||
| General Logistics | 1730-1800 | Transportation | Marriott Lobby | Bus back to Marriott |
Welcome to Day 4! Conclude your conference experience with an unforgettable excursion to the historic Gardens of Alcatraz. Following a scenic ferry ride across San Francisco Bay, join Shelagh Fritz, Senior Program Manager of the Alcatraz Historic Gardens, for an exclusive presentation on the island's layered landscape—from its significance to Indigenous peoples and its prison-era evolution to the ongoing restoration efforts today. Afterward, enjoy a private guided tour of the grounds led by Shelagh and her team of docents.
Please note: The Gardens of Alcatraz tour is an optional add-on that requires separate registration during checkout. Spaces are limited.
Day 4: Historic Alcatraz Garden Tour
| Track | Time (PST) | Activity | Location | Details | Presenter(s) | Sponsors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Logistics | 0900-0930 | Transportation | Marriott Lobby | Transportation to Ferry | ||
| General Logistics | 0940-1020 | Ferry Ride | Pier 33 | Ferry Ride to Alcatraz | ||
| Community & Settings | 1100-1200 | Presentation | Alcatraz | On-site Presentation | ||
| Community & Settings | 1200-1300 | Garden Tour | Alcatraz | Historic Gardens of Alcatraz Tour |
Conference Tracks
To help you maximize your time at the conference, our educational programming is organized into specialized tracks. Each track tags sessions by core professional domains, allowing you to easily curate an itinerary that aligns with your specific clinical focus, research interests, or business objectives.
- Emerging Professionals: Entry-level guidance, career pathways, and foundational networking designed for students and those new to horticultural therapy.
- Community & Settings: Tailored programming designed for specific environments, including schools, healthcare systems, and justice-involved spaces.
- Methods & Wellness: Hands-on clinical modalities, mindfulness practices, and techniques for cultivating client and practitioner resilience.
- Evidence & Credentials: Clinical research, data models, and the professional standards advancing the
HT-BC framework.
Meet the Speakers
Connect with the therapists, researchers, and advocates driving innovation in our field. From clinical pioneers to grassroots leaders, discover the experts shaping this year's program and view our full presenter lineup.
Register Now!
Join us at the AHTA Annual Conference for workshops, expert-led sessions, and experiential learning opportunities designed to equip you with the tangible tools necessary to strengthen resilience within your community and allied health profession.