For more than three decades, Laura has worked for British and US nonprofits including public gardens, environmental and conservation organizations, and the performing arts. Most recently, she was the Director of Development and Marketing at the Tucson Botanical Gardens. She has served in key development roles at Ladew Gardens in Maryland and in the food justice and access space at Wasatch Community Gardens in Salt Lake City. Laura is a graduate of the School of Professional Horticulture at the New York Botanical Garden. She is passionate about the role of public gardens in the health and wellbeing of both our communities and ecosystems. Laura first learned to garden at her mother’s knee in England and has tended a diverse range of gardens from a fifth-floor window box in Scotland to a walled garden on the edge of the Sonoran Desert.

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 Director of Horticulture 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 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 American Public Gardens Association, 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 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 is a founding board member and co-chair of the Global Entomology Coalition. 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.

A Santa Fe native, Jolene brings experience from her work as a paralegal in family,
criminal, and environmental law. She feels most at home outdoors with her husband
and twin boys – hiking local trails, camping under New Mexico’s big skies, and exploring
new destinations. Jolene has a deep passion for healing with plants and believes
gardens are living classrooms where people can slow down, learn, and feel connected.

Carly Jones joins the Santa Fe Botanical Garden after three years at the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum and nine years at Conservation Voters New Mexico before that. A New Mexico native, she grew up in Los Alamos immersed in nature, which fostered her deep passion for the natural world and sparked interests in gardening, photography, and painting. After high school, Carly pursued a diverse education at Santa Fe Community College, studying physics, chemistry, biology, painting, art history, and photography. During this time, she volunteered with the New Mexico Wilderness Alliance and regularly exhibited and sold her artwork in a Los Alamos gallery. Her love for animals, nature, and the outdoors led her to earn a Bachelor of Science in Biology with a concentration in Conservation from the University of New Mexico, with additional studies in botany, fine arts, and museum studies. Beyond her professional and academic pursuits, Carly enjoys photography, gardening, graphic design, reading, painting, yoga and exploring New Mexico’s landscapes with her two fur babies, Clover and Opal. She is excited to bring her skills and passions to the Garden and support its continued growth!

Miriam grew up in Lexington, KY before pursuing a degree at Guilford College in Greensboro, NC, where she earned a B.A in International Relations and Peace and Conflict Studies. For the next ten years, Miriam resided in Washington, DC, where she worked at the National Indian Education Association organizing and managing events that fostered partnerships and promoted the organization’s mission of advancing educational opportunities for Native students. She currently lives in Corrales, NM and in her free time loves hot yoga, hiking, and watching any good mystery series on TV.

Mandy Burkholder earned her B.A. in English from Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado, where she fell in love with the beauty of nature. She began her marketing and editorial career in the outdoor industry working with regional ski resorts and international brands. Over the last decade, Mandy has positioned herself as an expert in helping outdoors-focused nonprofits and organizations communicate their mission with warmth and clarity. Outside of the Garden, you’ll find Mandy exploring the trails and hidden campsites of Northern New Mexico’s wilderness with her giant dog, taking laps at Ski Santa Fe, and baking endless batches of cookies.

MA native New Mexican, Mikaela brings a passion for art, nature and community to the Garden. She earned her BA in Studio Art and MA in Art History from the University of Denver before returning home to teach kindergarten. More recently, she gained valuable nonprofit experience at the Albuquerque Museum Foundation. When she’s not in her encaustic studio, Mikaela enjoys taking walks and photographing flowers for her next creation, teaching workshops, volunteering, and traveling.

Gary W. Sharlow is a nature enthusiast and environmental educator with over 20 years of experience in informal learning environments, including environmental education, nature-based mindfulness, and conservation photography. He loves helping people connect with the outdoors in meaningful ways, inspiring them to discover the awe and wonder in life. He has worked for the National Park Service, the California Academy of Sciences, and his own organization, Nature Meditations, where he facilitates the exploration of the inner and outer landscapes of the human experience, the natural world, and life on Earth. He specializes in guiding nature-based mindfulness practices and using photography to empower community science, encouraging people to slow down, observe, and find joy in the small wonders of the world around them. In his personal life, Gary enjoys woodworking and gardening, as well as hiking and snowshoeing in the mountains and trails around Santa Fe.

Rosy grew up on the east coast and has been enjoying getting to know the southwest ecosystem since moving to Albuquerque in 2017 where she worked as a preschool teacher and as an insect keeper at the ABQ BioPark. She studied biology at Dickinson College in Pennsylvania, and has a masters in entomology from the University of Wisconsin where she worked with a bee research group. She is enthusiastic about science education and outreach, and her favorite subject is pollination ecology. In her personal time, she keeps bees, does watercolor painting and loves spending time with her cats. She is excited to be working with the education department here at the garden!

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.

Hello! My name is Ella Whitman. I am interning with the Santa Fe Botanical Gardens this summer! I am going to be a junior at Montana State University in Bozeman, MT, come fall. Originally, I am from Fort Collins, Colorado, growing up loving plants, people, and the outdoors, hoping to connect them in my future career. At MSU, I am studying Architecture and Environmental Design with a minor in Sustainability. Having loved the outdoors all my life, I have picked up a few hobbies, including hiking, skiing, biking, and just recently started trying climbing(only indoors at the moment). I am also a big fan of critters big and small, and keeping safe relations with them and their homes that we visit. Hope to see you all at the Gardens, feel free to say hi!

Lu is a 2025 undergraduate from St. John’s College in Santa Fe with a Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts. Lu has a passion for taking in and sharing knowledge and beauty, and they are very excited for the opportunity to show people some of the wonders of nature through the garden. Lu one day hopes to work in a museum as a curator. Lu enjoys reading, listening to music, and going on long walks.

A Santa Fe native currently pursuing a B.A. in Geography at the University of Colorado Boulder, Benjamin Ouaou brings a strong academic foundation and a deep curiosity for ecology, conservation, and geospatial science. With a coursework in GIS, remote sensing, and climate action planning, Ben is passionate about applying technical research tools to real-world conservation efforts. This summer, Ben is contributing to rare plant seed banking, ecological restoration of the Piñon-Juniper Woodland, and field monitoring across New Mexico’s rugged landscapes. His internship builds on his past experience as a cultural site steward and academic tutor, and reflects his commitment to protecting biodiversity through science and service.

Sophia is a Senior from Santa Fe High School and has a love for learning, music, and the outdoors! On her off time she is playing in various music groups, practicing her clarinet, and trying to learn many more instruments. During the school year she is a hard working AP student with a passion for music and biology and wishes to pursue a career in pathology. Sophia is excited to be interning at the garden and looks forward to what’s in store for this summer season!