NHS BOARD BIOGRAPHIES

Joseph Abken (2012-2014)

A Northwest native, Joe Abken grew up gardening as a form of sustenance in the small timber town of White Salmon, WA. He credits his grandmother’s love of flowers and gardening for his passion for horticulture. He moved to Kenmore, WA in 2004 and began working at Sky Nursery. When he’s not busy working at Sky Nursery, as the Nursery Manager, he spends his time gardening, cooking and practicing his photography.

Jayne Bray (2010-2012)

Nearly a Northwest native, Jayne Bray grew up in Auburn, attended the University of Washington and now works and resides on the Eastside. Jayne has spent more than 20 years building her knowledge of tax and accounting and her practice as a CPA. To balance her long days in the office she enjoys getting out into nature experiencing the area’s wonderful parks, forests and plant nurseries. After volunteering a few years at the NHS fall plant sale, she joined the NHS board in 2010.

Emily Dexter (2011-2013)

Emily Dexter is a Seattle native who is living and gardening in the same house where she grew up in Laurelhurst. About 10 years ago, with no background in plants, she decided to rip up the entire front yard and turn it into a garden. A decade later finds Emily’s front yard filled with so much plant material that one can hardly see the house. Like any plant addict, she enjoys trying new plants, moving plants around, starting a few from seed and cuttings and creating a botanical tapestry. Emily was introduced to NHS through the Spring and Fall Plant Sales, then started going to classes and the Board Open Houses, and has now gone on many of the wonderful NHS trips. A semi-retired CPA, Emily brings her financial management background to the organization. Besides gardening, Emily is active in community affairs and spends get-away time at a cabin in the woods on Lopez Island.

Dominque Emerson (2011-2013)

Dominique Emerson moved to Whidbey Island in 1993 from such arid climates as Texas, Colorado, Arizona and California. In 2000, she left the world of computers to enter paradise. She built a 13-acre garden starting from a clear-cut and ending with a classic Northwest compendium of trees, shrubs and perennials. The journey included moving hundreds of huckleberries, propagating one-third of the plants used and haunting all the plant sales. Her focus has been on gardening-in-the-large and the use of art in the garden. One of the best results of the process was to introduce her to other gardeners, local nurseries and organizations. This learning-by-doing experience along with classes from Edmonds Community College has led her into a new career as a garden designer. Her spare time is spent playing tennis and walking her dog in the woods.

Cindy Fairbrook (2012-2014)

Cindy Fairbrook, a native Washingtonian, has always been interested in nature. After her 2 children were raised gardening became a passion. When she and her husband moved to a 10 acre plot to build their home a clean slate for landscape beckoned. She started by learning the basics at the Thurston County Master Gardening program where she eventually coordinated the demonstration garden called Dirt Works and served on the board. The more she learned through horticulture organizations such as NHS, NPA, and Hardy Plant Society of Oregon a whole new world was revealed. She was able to take 2 week long symposiums at Great Dixter with the late Christopher Lloyd and head gardener Fergus Garrett. She and her husband traveled to England and Italy specifically for touring great gardens. Their garden reflects the inspiration learned through great mentors such as Christopher Lloyd, Rosemary Verey, Beth Chatto, John Brooks, and others. Together their garden has grown with them and has been on tour for Olympia’s Garden Rhapsody, NPA Open Gardens, and Plant Study Weekend 2010.

Kirsten Fitzgerald (2011-2013)

Kirsten Fitzgerald moved here from VT in 1990 and fell in love with the climate—yes, even the rain. Her mother-in-law Mary Kay has been her biggest inspiration in the garden. She started bringing her to the lectures and symposiums of NHS and she was quickly hooked on all things gardening. She moved from Seattle to Bainbridge Island to a garden (which looked like Jurassic Park) with a house on it and quickly set about trying to tame the jungle. During Kirsten’s earlier two terms on the NHS board she chaired the membership committee, managed the booth at the Northwest Flower and Garden Show, worked on the auction committee, and of course worked numerous plant sales. We are pleased to have her back on the board as treasurer now that her three boys are a bit older. She enjoys all types of gardening and works hard to make her garden organic and sustainable. She currently works from home part time as a bookkeeper. During her free time, when she is not in the garden, or being a spectator at one of her kids’ sporting events, she enjoys all things outdoors.

Meghan Fuller (2012-2014)

Meghan fell in love with gardening after buying a home with her husband and being faced with a large, unruly yard. Only a small patch of grass remains in what is now a sea of ornamental and edible plants. She completed the Landscape Design degree program at Edmonds Community College while working in the perennials department at Swansons nursery in Seattle. She then worked as a Landscape Designer and Maintenance Manager at Rock Solid Landscapes, a local design/build company. Currently, Meghan is the Floor Supervisor at Swansons and teaches seminars at the Northwest Flower and Garden Show and for various garden clubs. She has a bachelor’s degree in fine art from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.

Jerry Gettel (2011-2013)

Jerry Gettel has had a lifelong interest in gardening since he cared for a large estate garden and arboretum as a teenager in Oregon. He grew up on a small farm and tended the family vegetable garden. After graduating as a mechanical engineer from the University of Washington, he worked as a design engineer, specializing in the design of mechanical systems for hospitals and laboratories. Since retirement, he spends time working in his garden. In addition to gardening, he is interested in building construction, landscape design, and fine woodworking. He built a garden-room addition to his home and constructed the handset rock wall and arrow-head picket fence that surround his yard. Jerry and his wife joined NHS several years ago at the fall plant sale. He enjoys learning from NHS programs and other NHS members and working on NHS plant sales.

Sue Goetz (2011-2013)

A garden designer, writer, and speaker, Sue is the owner of Creative Gardener, a garden design business where she works with clients to make their gardenscapes their own. She is a gold medal award-winning garden creator at the Northwest Flower & Garden Show. Sue is a certified professional horticulturalist, a member of WSNLA and the Garden Writers of America. In addition to opening her garden on the meet-the-board tour and doing tours and classes for NHS, Sue is the NHS recording secretary.

Greg Graves (2012-2014)

Greg Graves worked for Burlington Northern Railroad for 24 years and when they moved the Seattle based jobs to Topeka, Kansas he returned to school to follow his passion for gardening. Greg earned a degree in Landscape Design and Ornamental Horticulture in 1998 followed by an internship at the Miller Botanical Garden. A year later he became the head gardener where he worked until June 1st of 2011 when he retired. In 2005 Greg bought 3 acres in rural Pierce county and began building his own garden and nursery along with his partner which they named Old Goat Farm. Greg now continues to work on the garden and nursery. He was previously on the NHS board from 2003 until 2009 and was president of NHS 2005 and 2006. He is currently president of the board of the Pacific Horticulture Society, of which he has been a member representing NHS since 2006.

Deborah Heg (2012-2014)

Deborah has been a plant grower since college and those first Creeping Charlies, Piggy-back plants and Wandering Jews (all in macramé hangers). She continued to dabble in ornamental and vegetable gardening wherever she settled, but did not blossom into Latin and serious horticultural pursuit until arriving in her garden on Whidbey Island. She admits that she is now a hopeless and exhausted addict. She was a founding mother of the Whidbey Island Garden Tour in 1996 and has served on the Pacific Northwest Horticultural Conservancy board. We are happy to have her as the chair of the NHS Elisabeth C. Miller Library liaison committee.

Ray Larson (2012-2014)

Ray Larson is a lifelong Seattle resident. Although he earned bachelors degrees in economics and history (with a minor in art), his lifelong interest in gardening led him to employment at the University of Washington’s Center for Urban Horticulture while still an undergraduate. He began working there full time shortly after graduation and eventually earned his Master of Science in Urban Horticulture in 2005. While working on his masters he interned for a year at the Miller Botanical Garden. He left CUH in mid-2005 after many years as Facilities Coordinator, accepting a new position as Head Gardener at Hill-Crest, the UW-owned residence of the university president. There he has overseen the renovation of the nearly 1.5-acre garden. Ray and his wife Acacia live and garden in northeast Seattle with their infant daughter Hazel. Ray has been First Vice President and chaired the Scholarship committee for the last few years. He began his first term as President in 2010, and was reelected in 2011 for another term.

Hans Mandt (2010-2012)

Hans was born in Germany, grew up in southwestern Ohio where he graduated from Miami University with a degree in Physics. During his forty-year career as a Computer Scientist he had the dream job of teaching at his Alma Mater for five years. Having gardened most of his adult life, he decided to pursue gardening seriously as his next career. This brought him to NHS (three prior board terms), where he served as chair of the finance committee, and as a member of the education committee he developed our enlightening book corner. In his current garden he is attempting to set new planting density records. Hans, who is in his fourth term on the board, has just completed two years as president. He continues to chair the symposium committee and is organizing a tour of German gardens in 2013.

Judy Massong (2011-2013)

Judy Massong’s undergraduate and Master’s degrees are in Nursing. She spent eight years teaching nursing in the School of Nursing at University of California, San Francisco, and the University of San Francisco. While she taught nursing, she went to Law School at night and graduated in 1980. From 1981-1983, Judy was a lobbyist for the Washington State Nurses Association, then the Washington State Trial Lawyer’s Association. Since 1984, she has been in the private practice of law, focusing on civil trial practice. Needless to say, this is a far cry from horticulture. But she loves to garden and began experimenting in her yard, then became more serious and actually read stuff on the subject. When her friend asked her to help with the NHS Plant Sale, she decided to dive in. Not having as much practical experience in the field, no pun intended, she was assigned signage and parking responsibilities. She had a great time working on the sale and really enjoyed the people. This is Judy’s fourth term on the NHS board.

Ciscoe Morris (2010-2012)

After 24 years as Grounds Manager at Seattle University, Ciscoe now takes his organic gardening tips to the public via television, radio and public appearances. Serving on several horticultural boards, this native Wisconsonian is also a Master Gardener and certified arborist. Ooh la la!

Daniel Mount (2011-2013)

Daniel Mount comes from a long line of domestic and professional gardeners and farmers. After receiving a degree in Botany from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in 1986, he worked as a herbarium assistant, a field collector and a grower for the research collections at the Missouri Botanical Gardens. He also designed and maintained gardens in the St. Louis area. In 1988, he moved to Seattle where he has maintained, created and consulted on gardens in the Puget Sound area as well as Cologne, Germany; Rio nell’Elba, Italy; Durham, North Carolina and Phoenix, Arizona. He has settled in the Snoqualmie Valley and runs his own estate gardening business. His involvement with the horticultural community in the Northwest began at the Washington Park Arboretum, where he volunteered. Working with Jan Pirzio-Biroli he assisted in relabeling the entire collection over the course of three years. He has also spent many years volunteering at the Bailey-Boushay house. He has been contributing a quarterly column to Garden Notes since the Winter 2007 issue. He also teaches classes to local garden groups on botany and gardening. In his free time he enjoys growing vegetables and botanizing both locally and abroad.

Chuck Ogburn (2011-2013)

Chuck Ogburn was transplanted from a Yakima Valley orchard to the UW in 1967 and never really left. He majored in microbiology and botany, did research in the Pathology department for 30-plus years, and retired to the garden several years ago to finally reconnect to his botanical side. With time, compost, plant sales and knowledge from NHS lectures and symposiums he has converted the jungle which developed while he was working back into a garden/plant collection.

Mary Palmer (2011-2013)

Mary worked previously as an Architectural Sales Rep and when she was downsized moved into Horticulture. She was bitten by the gardening bug when she first visited Heronswood in the early 90’s. She turned this passion into a career by going to work for Bamboo Gardens of Washington and now currently works at Boxhill Farm Nursery in Duvall. Mary uses the down winter months to indulge her other passion which is travel.

Daniel Sparler (2010-2012)

Even a cursory glance at Daniel’s exuberant jumble of a garden in Seattle’s Seward Park neighborhood reveals his passion for plants and obsession with collecting cultivars from many climes. Although he has no formal training in horticulture he brings a linguist’s love to the study of botanical nomenclature. After working nearly a decade as a journalist for the Seattle P-I, Daniel has been serving as a full-time high-school teacher (Humanities and Spanish) for the past 21 years. Currently he is about midway through his goal of visiting the world’s major botanical gardens. He has generously opened his garden to NHS tours, taught an annual class on Botanical Latin and written articles for Garden Notes.

Richie Steffen (2010-2012)

Richie Steffen is the curator of the Elisabeth C. Miller Botanical Garden. His interest in gardening started with a love of the outdoors as a child growing a small patch of volunteer cherry tomatoes, sunflowers and weedy sweet peas (Lathyrus latifolius) along a gravel driveway in the Maryland suburbs of Washington DC. Taking horticulture classes in high school sparked a real passion for plants and lead to studying greenhouse management and nursery management at the University of Maryland. Escaping from the heat and humidity of the East Coast by moving to Seattle in 1989, Richie soon took full advantage of the new growing opportunities by trying every plant he could afford and is still in this mode today. NHS was one of the first organizations Richie joined after moving to the Northwest and he has been actively involved for many years. Richie has served on the NHS board in the past and is current serving as first vice president and chair of the education committee. He especially likes the great plant sales and is forever on the lookout for the newest and rarest plants to buy.

Marie Weiler (2010-2012)

Marie Weiler grew up in Bellingham, worked eleven years for the City of Bellingham as a computer programmer and operator, before moving to Seattle to earn art history degrees from the University of Washington. Recently semi-retired after twenty years as managing editor for an art-book producer, she now works as a freelance copy editor and typesetter. She got started gardening about thirteen years ago, after her husband built a pond and waterfall in the backyard and she had to embellish it with plants. But the real hook came when they hired a garden designer and transformed their ordinary suburban yard into a plant-filled paradise. Now she is just another plant addict who can’t bear to miss an NHS lecture or symposium or plant sale. Marie is a vice president abd co-chair of the NHS Fall Plant Sale.

Wendy Welch (2011-2013)

Wendy Welch combines a passion for plants and good design with an ardent commitment to environmental stewardship in her landscape design practice. For more than 15 years she has worked with residential clients throughout the Pacific Northwest to create, install, and maintain gardens that are uniquely suited to each garden owner. Equally committed to providing both good design and empowering education, her classes and lectures at Edmonds Community College, garden shows, nurseries, garden clubs, and luncheons are practical and popular. She is a member of The Great Plant Picks Committee and is on the design team of the innovative Seattle Children’s PlayGarden. Her award-winning garden installations have been featured at the Northwest Flower & Garden Show.

Jackie White (2011-2013)

Jackie White has retired from a career of representing public interest clients (primarily cities, counties and transit) before the Washington State Legislature that included serving on a number of boards, associations and commissions. She now has time to explore many interests, but is most passionate about gardening (especially vegetables), broadening her knowledge of horticulture, travel and cooking. She occasionally mentors and teaches youth how to cook what they grow in the garden and about the nutritional value of food. Jackie has been gardening and cooking since her youth, but soon after retiring a friend brought her to NHS where she’s spent many hours attending lectures, going on tours, volunteering and meeting new friends. She is now serving her second year on the NHS Board and currently holds the office of Corresponding/Publicity Secretary. She is also an active member of the Master Gardeners Program of Thurston County and is the past president of the Master Gardeners Foundation.

Marty Wingate (2011-2013)

Marty Wingate is a writer, speaker, garden tour guide, and regular guest on the Greendays segment of Weekday on KUOW (94.9). She is the author of four garden books, the most recent Landscaping for Privacy (Timber Press), and the Potting Shed Mystery series, beginning with The Garden Plot. The gardening bug bit early in life, when she planted a watermelon seed, saved from dessert, in her mother’s flowerbed. The vine was a success, the flavor of the harvest less so—the first lesson in saving seeds from hybrids. Marty became involved in NHS participating in NHS auctions through the Elisabeth C. Miller Library, where she worked while earning her master’s degree in urban horticulture, and she was the recipient of an Elisabeth Carey Miller Scholarship from NHS in 1996.

Holly Zipp (2012-2014)

Holly is the Head Gardener at the Elisabeth C. Miller Botanical Garden. In 2008 she moved to Seattle from her hometown of Washington, DC after completing her Master’s Degree in Landscape Architecture at the University of Michigan. As a new transplant, she found NHS immediately and volunteered for the Northwest Flower & Garden Show booth so that she could make friends in the northwest horticulture community. Prior to joining the board she served on the NHS Scholarship committee and is now on the Library committee. Between college and graduate school, she spent several years working on organic vegetable farms on the East Coast. She enjoys traveling to visit gardens whenever she can, and manages to eek a garden from the front yard at her apartment.