Airlie for All 

Walking along a path at Airlie Gardens, JANINE POWELL stops to chat with children sitting on the grass painting colorful pictures of the scenery.

As director of donor relations for New Hanover County Parks & Gardens, interacting with visitors enjoying the gardens is one of the best parts of her job, she says.

“Anytime I walk through the garden, I … hear the ‘ooohs and the ahhhs,’ and you can just see the stress relax off of people,” Powell says. “Airlie feels safe on a lot of different levels for many people, and we hope all of our county parks make people feel the same.”

Powell, who grew up in Raleigh, directs the development for Parks & Gardens and is responsible for fundraising, development activities, grant writing, and marketing. She also creates social media content and works with donors and sponsors. Her efforts in building relationships with media and giving tours to travel writers and influencers has helped Airlie Gardens earn feature spots on PBS North Carolina and in state and national magazines.

“I find my job is not the same every day, and I love the challenge of that,” Powell says.  “I’m always managing multiple projects, grants, and marketing initiatives at one time. I’m also working with two nonprofit boards – the Airlie Gardens Foundation and New Hanover County Parks Conservancy – to raise money to support Airlie and New Hanover County parks.”

To ensure more people have access to Airlie Gardens regardless of their socioeconomic status, Powell worked with staff to implement the Museums for All initiative, which allows people receiving food assistance to gain free admission. She also worked on Airlie Garden’s New Hanover County Residents Free Day, which grants free access on the first Sunday of each month. “When I hear someone say, ‘I’ve never been to Airlie,’ I want to make sure that people know that Airlie is for everyone,” Powell says.

The Wilmington and Beaches Convention & Visitors Bureau recently honored Powell’s work at Airlie and her efforts in enhancing New Hanover County’s tourism with a 2025 Tourism Star Award.

“The award was very flattering,” Powell says. “I’m at this stage in my career where you might not get those. Also, as a woman in her fifties, invisibility is a real thing. So, to be recognized was very affirming. None of what I do is possible without the incredible work of our garden staff, which includes everyone from the gardeners who maintain sixty-seven acres to our guest services who do a wonderful job focusing on your experience from the time you walk into the building until the time you leave. It’s a whole team.”

Powell has worked in tourism for New Hanover County for eighteen years, starting as the development manager for Cape Fear Museum in 2007 and then becoming Airlie Garden’s development coordinator in 2009 before assuming her current position in 2010 when Airlie Gardens became a part of the county’s parks and gardens department.

Powell has spent most of her career working in the nonprofit sector. After graduating from University of North Carolina Wilmington, she spent a decade at Coastal Horizons Center and became the first director of development of Wilmington Health Access for Teens. She had a stint in marketing and sales for internet and engineering companies before returning to nonprofit work as a development specialist/special events officer for New Hanover Regional Medical Center Foundation.

“I’ve never worked for a nonprofit that I didn’t truly believe in their mission, and that (personal ethos) has guided me very well in my career,” she says.

Powell’s current projects for Airlie include the ongoing summer concert series; the Birds of a Feather art exhibit, which opens July 11; Oyster Roast on Oct. 17; and Enchanted Airlie, set for Nov. 28, 29 and Dec. 1-21.

Powell says she and her team are also focusing on “managing the growth and maintaining the beauty of the gardens” amid an increasing number of visitors, with over 188,000 visitors this fiscal year, an attendance record. For New Hanover County parks, she’s working on grants to support capital projects for Echo Farms Tennis and Trails End Park.

Working through the years has yielded invaluable lessons, and Powell offers encouragement for others

“Make sure that you’re thoughtful in your career choices so that you are able to work for organizations that you believe in deeply,” she says. “Know it’s not all about you, but it’s about the team. You can’t function, take credit, or do anything without your team. For me, everybody who works for New Hanover Parks & Gardens contributes to the success of our department. Also, when you can, find good mentors, and when you are able, be a good mentor.”

To view more of photographer Madeline Gray’s work, go to madelinegrayphoto.com.

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