Meet Mandy DiBella | Curator of Living Collections, The Arboretum at Penn State

Mandy DiBella views plant collections through the lens of a conservation biologist. Her holistic approach to plant curation is advantageous for The Arboretum at Penn State in State College, PA, where research partnerships are encouraged and nurtured. From Tasmania to the South Carolina wetlands, research with both flora and fauna has enriched Mandy's life and perspective. Her appreciation for and understanding of research lend beautifully to her plant curation strategies and support for research conducted at the arboretum. 

What early life events shaped your interest in the natural world? 

Since I can remember, I have been interested in all things nature and in all creatures great and small.

Growing up in a rural lake community of Northwestern New Jersey, my playground was the Appalachian Trail and the Pocono Mountains. There was no shortage of flora and fauna exploration to be had. I became more interested in plants, specifically when I would help my grandmother tend to her roses and other traditional garden ornamentals (she was not much for natives!).

My grandfather and his family came from a long line of Dutch farmers, and I would always hear stories about the massive vegetable gardens and “green thumbs” which always stuck with me.

Could you tell us how you came to work in plant collections?

I took an uncharted path toward plant curation and collections management, filled with many diverse opportunities. After graduation, I traveled to teach environmental education while working in wildlife rehab and dog rescue. I soon decided to return to school and study Coastal Marine and Wetland Science. During this time, I researched the vulnerable estuarine diamondback terrapin turtle. I traversed the Carolina salt marshes studying their dietary habitats and prey selection. My sampling work there led me to become enthralled with marshy plant communities.

Looking to move back up North near my family, I came across a posting for a Plant Records Curation Assistant at the Morris County Park Commission in New Jersey. At the time, I didn’t know exactly what a Plant Curator did, but I knew the job description seemed to combine my interests and experiences in research, collections, plants, natural resources, and data and technology. And, so I jumped in head first. I worked at Willowwood and Frelinghuysen Arboreta and the Bamboo Brook Outdoor Education Center, all part of the park commission.

I trained under the Plant Records Curator Specialist at the time who awakened me to all things collections management, and I was immediately hooked! The organization and cataloging, the taxonomy, the history, the field inventories, the plant mysteries, and the interpretation piece….I just gobbled it all up! While there, I also did a large independent project benchmarking their entire lilac collection dating back to the 1900’s. 

Something is always going on and there is never a shortage of work! We serve as a living laboratory to many students and university colleagues which is impactful and something I take pride in. The exposure to research, partnerships, and faculty expertise is a significant benefit to any botanical garden or arboreta, and that may be my favorite part. Stay tuned for updates on the Commonwealth Arboreta Network; we will work with other university leaders at seven Penn State Campuses. This network will inventory trees and plant life with the eventual goal of creating an arboretum at each of the university’s 24 campuses.

Do you have a go-to IrisBG report?
It seems I am constantly using the 01 Accessions Acc02 Accessions Data report. We are excited about the IrisBG-ArcGIS sync to help with updating accessions in the gardens. For the last few years, I’ve been exporting all info onto spreadsheets to perform garden inventories and then used data import to update plant records. The 04 Events Fund01 Funding Data also comes in handy at our Arboretum because I work directly with our fundraiser to manage and track our commemorative trees and other assets.

                                                                                                                                                                     The Arboretum at Penn State: Pollinator and Bird Garden

What have you found is the handiest IrisBG function to use? Data import is crucial for much of what I do regarding records maintenance. I use it to update plant inventory, accession item coordinates, name verification updates, label status updates, and to add taxa attribute info to the database.

What is one thing that most people wouldn't guess about you?
Apart from collecting plants, I am also an art and mask collector! I am lucky to have inherited so many family pieces created over the decades, ranging from portraits to geometric abstraction. I love eco-surrealist art, too. A couple of my favorite contemporary artists are Josh Keyes and Lisa Ericson. I have a  few of my own art pieces strewn about. Right now, I am especially into traditional African masks with their earthy, natural materials. I am always on the lookout for them at antique stores and estate sales!