Partly Cloudy, 65°F
Partly Cloudy, 65°F
125 Arborway
Boston, MA 02130
Phone: 617.384.5209
Fax: 617.524.6413
MS Horticulture (2003), University of Georgia
BS Biology (1994), Colorado Christian University
As manager of the Dana Greenhouses, I am responsible for the plants that are accessioned and eventually planted in the Arboretum. The Greenhouses team has an incredible amount of skill in propagation, production, record keeping, and inventory of our renowned living collection. As the manager, I have the opportunity to participate in all aspects of maintaining a greenhouse and nursery.
I spent my early years romping through the woods of Arkansas, Texas, and Colorado with my brother and sister. We come from a family of plant enthusiasts, so perhaps it was a certainty that I’d develop a love of plants. This was something I recognized as far back as the third grade, when I won a blue ribbon for a science project on plant propagation! Encouraged along the way by my mother’s love of gardening, I always maintained a small bit of ground where I could experiment with my own plants.
I had various plant-related jobs in high school and college including mowing lawns and installing irrigation systems, and later worked for a composter and at nurseries and garden centers. One job at a wonderful family-run nursery in Texas—Green & Growing—inspired me to return to school. I earned a master’s degree in horticulture from the University of Georgia, and worked for the Atlanta Botanical Garden’s Smithgall Woodland Garden. As the nursery and greenhouse manager there, I combined my practical work experience with my academic knowledge. The experiences I had during those five years were the best possible preparation I could have had for stepping into my role here at the Arnold Arboretum.
In addition to digging around in the dirt, my personal interests include family, the great outdoors, reading, tinkering around the house, and photography.