2025 AHS Regional Service Award: Russ Allen at the Regional Level

The 2025 AHS Service Award winners were announced at the ADS National Convention in the July 2025 in Seattle, WA. The winner for Region 4 was Russ Allen from Guilford, CT. Below is the nomination letter:

Region 4 would like to recognize the outstanding contributions of former Region 4 Director, Russ Allen, to both the American Hemerocallis Society (AHS) and to AHS Region 4. Russ assumed the role of Director on January 1, 2018, certainly as an inevitable culmination of his distinguished career and his passionate hobby of growing, and ultimately, hybridizing daylilies.

Russ brings to the table an impressive academic and professional background, holding an MBA from Harvard University. His career has spanned corporate marketing, business strategy implementation, strategic planning, and non-profit management. During his six-year tenure as AHS Marketing Director, Russ developed strategies to increase AHS membership, including plans for cross-membership with other plant societies. He also devised actionable strategies for local daylily clubs to enhance interest and participation.

In addition to his administrative contributions, Russ has been an active writer, authoring numerous articles for both the AHS Journal and the Region 4 Newsletter. Some of these articles have also been featured in newsletters of other regions. His article “Six Strategies to Successfully Build Daylily Clubs,” originally published in Daylilies of the Great Northeast, was reprinted in the Spring 2024 issue of Region 1’s Daylily Pioneer. Russ has been the recipient of the AHS Regional Newsletter Award for several of his articles.

Russ also served four of his six years on the AHS Board as a member of the Executive Committee. His presence at Regional meetings and his regular Region 4 Director‘s column in the Region 4 Newsletter kept us informed on national updates. Russ continues to write articles for the Region 4 newsletter, Daylilies in the Great Northeast. He has also had two articles published in Connecticut Gardener magazine.

Russ is deeply involved in his local community in Guilford, CT, where he serves as Chair of the Guilford Job Network, an organization he co-founded. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Russ quickly adapted to Zoom, ensuring that the work of this committee continued uninterrupted. His proficiency with Zoom also benefited the Connecticut Daylily Society (CDS), allowing the club to hold ten virtual meetings with speakers from across the country and even one from Australia, where Cameron Stern, a PhD candidate, joined from abroad. At Russ’s suggestion, the CDS invited members of other New England and eastern New York clubs to participate in these meetings.

Even while serving as Region 4 Director, Russ continued to serve on the CDS Board of Directors. His leadership journey with the CDS began as President in 2011, a role he held for three 2-year terms before transitioning to Past President. He currently serves as Vice President and Co-Program Chair. Russ has been instrumental in encouraging club members to open their gardens during peak daylily season, setting an example by regularly opening his own AHS Display Garden. He also invites local garden club members and youth groups, planning engaging activities and generously giving away daylilies.

Russ’s dedication to the daylily community is further evidenced by his role as an AHS Garden Judge since 2006. His garden boasts over 350 named cultivars, and since 2012, he has been actively involved in home hybridizing, though he has yet to register any seedlings. A regular attendee at AHS National Conventions and Region 4 meetings, Russ continues to be a source of inspiration and encouragement, tirelessly promoting daylilies, club activities, and goodwill.

Congratulations, Russ!