Obrebski named interim manager of The Conservatory

By Perry Richardson, Senior Director Media & Community Relations

Chelsea Obrebski has been named interim manager of The Conservatory at Miami University Hamilton effective May 20.

A lifelong resident of Hamilton, Obrebski graduated from Miami in 2015 with a bachelor of science degree in Botany and Environmental Science. She is currently pursuing a master of science degree in Botany at Miami University in Oxford.

“We are very excited to welcome Chelsea as interim manager of The Conservatory. She is very familiar with the facility, having been its lead student worker during her years as a student at Miami Hamilton. She has strong Hamilton roots and is well connected with city leaders,” said Dr. Bob Davis, associate dean for academic affairs at Miami Regionals.

Obrebski worked as an intern under the guidance of Hamilton City Arborist Dave Bienemann for nearly two years, focused on the care and monitoring of newly planted street trees and plots at the Miami Conservancy, and updating the city’s tree database.

As a member of the City of Hamilton Tree Board, Obrebski identified specimens for future creation of arboretums at Crawford Woods and Greenwood Cemetery, and identified specimens for tree labs at local elementary schools. She also participated in a research project with Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden, surveying and sampling wildflowers at Gilmore Ponds, which resulted in the expansion of the database and creation of an herbarium collection.

Obrebski said she is proud to have contributed to the City of Hamilton retaining its Tree City status and earning Tree City USA Growth awards.

“I am excited. This is a really good opportunity. I’ve always had a passion for plants, and I thoroughly enjoy talking to people about them. The Conservatory is like a second home to me,” Obrebski said. “I strive to advance scientific knowledge and the education of future generations.”

As a graduate student in Oxford, Obrebski is responsible for teaching undergraduate students proper laboratory techniques and scientific inquiry skills. She has taught undergraduate courses in Biology, Basic Plant Biology, and upper-level courses in Plant Anatomy and Plant and Fungal Diversity.

Obrebski replaces Brian Grubb who served as manager of The Conservatory since 2015.