Staff

David Young grew up in Southern California and received his BA and MA in biology from California State University Fullerton, and his Ph.D. in Botany from Claremont Graduate University (at the Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden). David had a professional career of over 40 years in higher education, serving as a faculty member and administrator at several universities, including the University of Illinois, Cornell University, and Arizona State University. In addition, he served as the Director of the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden from 1988-1991. In 2017 David retired from Arizona State University, where he served as Vice President and Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, as well as Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs. He and his wife, Sheila, relocated to Santa Fe in 2018. David has been a board member of several non-profit organizations including the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix, and he currently serves on the board of the Museum of New Mexico Foundation and the School for Advanced Research.

Lydia Abernethy grew up working on her family’s 100-acre tree farm, cultivating a passion for horticulture that would define her career. With a Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences from North Carolina State University, Lydia has pursued a diverse career path, contributing to various sectors including horticulture, operations, and regulatory compliance. As the Owner of RCE LLC, Lydia specializes in large-scale cannabis and hemp production, collaborating with stakeholders nationwide to optimize production methods and ensure regulatory compliance. Throughout her career, Lydia has held roles at reputable organizations such as Seattle Parks and Recreation, Denver Botanic Gardens, Steep Hill, and BASF, where she has played a key role in high-throughput plant production, implementing quality management systems and streamlining operations. Outside of work Lydia enjoys traveling, hiking, birdwatching, yoga, and cooking.

Linda learned to love nature from her earliest childhood, gardening and exploring the world through regular family “nature walks” and other outings. From her Midwestern roots, travels took her to Florida State for university degrees in English and Italian, then to Italy, California, and other places before she discovered New Mexico was where she was meant to be all along.  After working for prestigious Santa Fe landscaping firms for several years, Linda and two colleagues formed their own design-build landscape partnership, where she developed skills in many areas of garden design and maintenance.  Linda has been active with the Santa Fe Botanical Garden as a board member, docent, volunteer, or horticultural advisor since 1998.  Her position now as Head Gardener keeps her happily engaged with the plants, volunteers, and staff of the Garden.  She believes in creating gardens where people of all ages can connect to the awe and beauty of the natural world now and in the future.

Cristina Salvador discovered her passion for ecology while studying tropical coastal forests of Ecuador, her parents’ native country. She earned a BS in biology from Duke University and a MS from Stanford University, focused in plant ecology and evolution. Her work at public gardens, universities, and government agencies has assisted in the understanding and conservation of endemic plants from Hawaii, California, Panama, and New Mexico. In 2010, Cristina joined SFBG to help establish its new botanical garden, taking on roles in development, collections management, and most recently, as Director of Operations. As the founding Director of Conservation at SFBG in 2024, she returned to her roots in biodiversity conservation, focusing on ex-situ collections management, habitat restoration, and initiatives to protect rare and threatened species. Cristina also oversees the Garden’s library and herbarium collections. She serves on the boards of Queen Bee Music Association (where she’s also an ukulele student) and Women’s Board of the Museum of New Mexico.

Christie is a naturalist with 15 years’ experience in environmental education. She recently moved to Santa Fe from Miami, Florida where she was Science Educator at a Sea Turtle rehabilitation facility/nature center. There she oversaw public programs, camps, volunteer training and renovated a 9,000 square foot native plant garden. Originally earning a Bachelor of Science in Business, Marketing, she decided to follow her passion for nature and conservation. She started as a volunteer naturalist for the Missouri Department of Conservation before becoming a Master Naturalist. Christie earned a Bachelor of Science in Biology, Wildlife and Natural Resource Conservation, then took a position as naturalist for the Missouri Department of Conservation. She was also a naturalist at Ijams Nature Center in Knoxville, Tennessee. In 2019 she received her Master of Science in Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management concentrating on Parks Conservation and Area Management. Christie has experience educating about prairies, karst, varied forests, coastal and ocean habitats. She is looking forward to exploring the beauty and unique characteristics of Santa Fe’s ecosystems. In her free time she loves macro photography with her favorite subjects being insects and spiders, spending time with her husband and two dogs hiking, canoeing, and camping.

Naharu lived in Santa Fe as a child but spent her formative years in the San Francisco Bay Area, earning her Bachelor’s in Sociology from UC Santa Cruz, a Master’s of Accountancy from Golden Gate University and her Certified Public Accountant license.  She began her career fifteen years ago as a bookkeeper for small businesses, then spent seven years at a regional public accounting firm on the West Coast where she developed a specialization in working with nonprofit organizations. She moved back to Santa Fe in 2020 to be closer to her family and enjoys being outdoors with her dogs, motorcycling and doing puzzles in her free time.

Hannah Palmer is originally from New York City, but has lived in the Santa Fe area at different periods over the years. She currently lives in Albuquerque, in the same neighborhood where she and her brother lived as children. Hannah received a BA in Film Studies from Vassar College and since then has pursued opportunities to exhibit her own work in photography. An avid traveler, she lived in Portugal for two years with her daughter, and counts trip to Morocco, India, and Pakistan among her more memorable. These days she is content to take long, rambling walks under the magical skies of Northern New Mexico.

Matthew is a highly accomplished Senior Marketing Designer and team lead with extensive experience in executing large-scale web, social, and graphic design projects. With a deep passion for brand strategy and innovative design, Matthew has a proven track record of delivering exponential business growth for clients across diverse industries, including mental health, architecture, and government. His expertise spans brand development, UX/UI design, project management, and content creation. Matthew excels in creating compelling digital and print assets that resonate with target audiences while driving operational efficiency and enhancing client relationships. He is dedicated to fostering continuous creative improvement and contributing to a culture of innovation and excellence. In his free time, Matthew spends his time on home renovations and living a healthy lifestyle.

Linda was born in New York City where she lived for 28 years until moving to New Jersey with her two daughters. She moved to Santa Fe in 1992 after traveling around the country with her future husband. She has had a varied career including working for typesetting companies on the east coast, two seasons at Yellowstone National Park, owning her own word processing/graphic design company in Santa Fe and working for a small law firm in Santa Fe as a paralegal for 11 years. She has volunteered for the Santa Fe Botanical Garden since 2014.

Amanda just joined the Garden in 2022, after being a member for several years! She’s lived in Santa Fe for 8 years, after previous lives as a grad student in English Literature, working in bookstores and libraries, and as an announcer at a classical music radio station. She’s worked full-time writing historical fiction since coming to New Mexico, and is excited about meeting everyone in the Vistors’ Center and sharing a love of nature! She also enjoys yoga, watching cozy mysteries on BritBox, music, and spoiling her two dogs.

Zach De Lay is a born and raised Norteno from Espanola NM, currently studying Earth and Planetary science at University of New Mexico. Graduate from Santa Fe Community College studied with Luke Spangenburg and Dr. Stephen Gomez in Sustainable Technologies, Algal cultures, and Controlled Environment Agriculture. When not studying or working Zach can be found wandering the forests with his dogs Duke and Bear, taking care of beehives or spending time in the garden.

Elizabeth is originally from the Gulf Coast of Florida, and received a B.A. in human ecology from College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor, Maine. Before joining the Santa Fe Botanical Garden, Elizabeth worked at her local public library, interned with a community of nuns on their organic farm in the San Juan Islands of Washington state, and worked at a nature-based AMI Montessori school. In her free time, Elizabeth is a student full spectrum doula. She is excited to be supporting the Santa Fe Botanical Garden as an administrative assistant!