SPEAKERS & EVENTS
The St. Louis Chapter of The Explorers Club invites members and guests to participate in chapter meetings and special events. Corporate members and groups can arrange for specific tables to bring their guests as well as attend regular meetings. Social memberships are also available. Interactions between members, guests and speakers are encouraged to learn from each other’s exploration experiences.
UPCOMING EVENTS
May 12, 2026
Lucia Lohmann, Director of The Missouri Botanical Garden to speak at The Deer Creek Club
Dr. Lúcia Lohmann is the eighth president in the Missouri Botanical Garden’s 165-year history and the first woman to hold the position.
Lúcia earned her undergraduate degree in biology from the University of São Paulo in her native Brazil, where she documented the biodiversity of the Amazon basin. She continued her education at the University of Missouri–St. Louis, earning both her masters and a PhD in Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics. She conducted her postdoctoral work as a fellow with the Garden’s Center for Conservation and Sustainable Development. Her work focused on the biogeography and evolutionary history of Bignoniaceae, the trumpet-creeper plant family.
Following her time in St. Louis, Lúcia went on to serve as a Professor in the Department of Botany at the University of São Paulo. Most recently, she was the Director of the University and Jepson Herbaria as well as a professor in the Department of Integrative Biology at the University of California, Berkeley.
She previously served as the Executive Director for the Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation and currently serves as the President of the International Association for Plant Taxonomy. She was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2021.
Lúcia brings 20 years of experience as an internationally renowned botanist and conservationist back to St. Louis. Through her time working with botanical partners around the world, she brings fresh ideas for the Garden and for our community.
