After receiving my degree in Biology and Environmental Studies I decided to join the Peace Corps and served for two years in Senegal as an agroforestry extension agent. I discovered that while I had a love for science and research, I found more joy being a hands-on practitioner in nature versus in a lab. As a result, instead of graduate school, I moved out to the San Francisco Bay area to work as an intern at the Presidio Native Plant Nursery.

It was there I started to build my career growing native plants and restoring landscapes. I managed native plant nurseries and worked as a native seed collector for many years until the covid 19 pandemic caused a major disruption as many jobs in my field were cut, including mine as a lead seed collector. I then found myself landing in a series of restoration-based project management positions until my current work managing ecological horticulture projects at the Presidio Trust.

I love working in a job that is deeply informed by current science and where I am able to play a role in shaping a landscape that is enjoyed by so many (people and other creatures).

Favorite SFS Memory: Within days of arriving at the center we set to work digging trenches to prepare for the cyclone that was about to hit us. We moved all of the mattresses into the common room (they covered the entire floor) and then we boarded ourselves in and essentially had a massive sleepover. We got to know each other very quickly!