December 28, 2009 – Diane Blazek has been hired as the new executive director of All-America Selections® (AAS) and the National Garden Bureau Inc. (NGB). She succeeds Nona Wolfram-Koivula who retired after 25 years leading the two organizations.

Diane came from Arment Dietrich, Inc., a boutique public relations firm in Chicago where she served as vice-president of business development, then as president. Prior to that, she was the president and publisher for Ball Publishing, where she worked for 15 years.

According to AAS president Jim Nau, “Nona’s decision to retire is not taken lightly. All-America Selections and the National Garden Bureau honour her tenure and her leadership. We wish her nothing but the best in her future endeavors.”

“Our entire industry will miss the support we received from Nona for the past 25 years,” adds NGB president Bill Watson. “Nona was instrumental in getting our message out to the gardening world. She will be missed and we are thankful for all she did for both NGB and AAS.”

For 75 years, AAS has promoted new garden seed varieties that pass the test of superior garden performance judged in impartial trials throughout North America. NGB is a non-profit organization providing reliable, accurate gardening information on flowers and vegetables.