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Lisa Schactman, MS HTM CPRP
Horticultural Therapist - Garden & Farm Manager

Lisa and her resume are synonymous with plants, they seem to have been in her life forever and now she has brought that love and her extensive background in Horticultural Therapy to CooperRiis and our Life Skills Program.

Horticultural Therapy (HT) is not only an emerging profession; it is a time-proven practice. The therapeutic benefits of peaceful garden environments have been understood since ancient times. In the 19th century, Dr. Benjamin Rush, a signer of the Declaration of Independence and considered to be the "Father of American Psychiatry," reported that garden settings held curative effects for people with mental illness.

Lisa and her crew manage all the work in the CooperRiis greenhouses & the vegetable garden.  A trip to the greenhouses, at any time of the year, is rewarding with an abundance of vegetables and flowers.  Many of the potted flowers will go to local markets for sale benefiting our scholarship program, but Lisa and her crew also grow enough for beautification around the CooperRiis campus where she shares her knowledge and impeccable taste with our residents.  The grounds have never looked so good.

Lisa is a three-time marathon runner, including the grueling Marine Corps Marathon in Washington, DC.  She loves knitting and has perfected baking challah bread.  She is married to Josh Schactman, our Residential Services Manager.  They live at CooperRiis and have a beautiful little daughter named Lily who lightens up the lives of our residents with her smile and gentleness.

Lisa earned her MS in Horticultural Therapy at Kansas State University and a BS in psychology from Michigan State University and is a member of the American Horticultural Therapy Association, Denver, CO, and a former member of their Board of Directors as well as conference presenter. www.AHTA.org