David Young, Executive Director

davidyoung@santafebotanicalgarden.org

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.

Cristina Salvador, Director of Science and Conservation

Cristina has worked for SFBG since 2010. She graduated with a Bachelor of Science in biology from Duke University and a Masters of Science in biology from Stanford University, focused in plant ecology and evolution. She worked for National Tropical Botanical Garden as the Plant Recorder from 2003-2005. Her role involves curatorial and management responsibilities of the living collection, digital mapping using geographic information systems (GIS), and web/social media projects. Cristina also works as the internal database administrator for Altru, a web-based software. She previously held the position as Development Coordinator (2010-2013), and supported fundraising for the capital campaign to build phase one of the Botanical Garden at Museum Hill. Cristina is a board member of Queen Bee Music Association and Women’s Board of the Museum of New Mexico. When not outdoors hiking, playing tennis, biking or traveling (especially for escapes to the ocean to swim, snorkel, surf and kayak), she enjoys yoga, volunteering, concerts, cooking, and spending time with family and friends.

Christie Collins, Director of Education and Interpretation

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.

Linda Churchill, Horticulture Director

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.

Carole Áine Langrall, Director of Development

Carole Áine Langrall has a passion for all things growing that began in childhood with her grandmother and mother who were avid gardeners and floral designers. After college, she worked for several South American Flower farms and growers and became inspired by the floriculture industry. She opened a floral events studio with a focus on sustainability, foraging and garden-grown plants that she operated in Maryland for 16 years. In 2010, Carole Áine moved to New Mexico to learn about the Southwest landscape and began working for several prominent arts and culture publications and nonprofits as a writer and marketing and development specialist, concentrating on community relations. She has been a Master Gardener in both Santa Fe, NM, and Baltimore, MD. Since 2012, she has written a monthly column called “Santa Fe in Bloom” for The Santa Fe New Mexican newspaper’s Home Magazine which showcases Southwest plants and the people who work with them. Carole Áine loves to connect with and support her local community. In her spare time, she enjoys foraging, archery, conducting floral design workshops, traveling and creating environmental art.

Naharu Staples, Director of Finance

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.

Lydia Abernethy, Director of Operations

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.

Raquel Covarrubias, Membership Manager

A decade after graduating with a BA in Ethnic Studies from San Francisco State University, Raquel put down roots in Santa Fe in 2015. Since her arrival she has held the position of Admission Office Manager at the Institute of American Indian Arts, Arts & Communications Administrative Assistant at Santa Fe Art Institute, and most recently the Outreach & Donations coordinator at Ten Thousand Waves where she spearheaded the push to “go digital” with their philanthropic requests. Raquel balances the demands of her professional life by connecting with her Mexican roots through learning traditional percussion instruments and rhythms as a means of creating community amongst other Latine musicians and music lovers. In her free time Raquel loves walks with her 2 dogs under the endless, cobalt blue sky, snowshoeing in Valles Caldera, and taking any opportunity to rig her hammock by her two favorite White Pine trees and lose herself in the profound beauty that originally brought her to Northern New Mexico.

Hannah Palmer, Facilities Rental Manager

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.

Amy Lamar, Program Coordinator

Amy Lamar is a transplant from Indianapolis, Indiana, where she worked for over a decade as an educator and program developer at a variety of the city’s cultural attractions – including a historical reenactment park, The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis, The Indiana State Museum, and most recently as a Naturalist and Assistant Manager at Holliday Park. After moving to Santa Fe, she worked for a year as the Garden’s Volunteer Coordinator before accepting the role as Program Coordinator in early 2024. Amy is passionate about environmental science education and enjoys home baking, antique malls, and hiking with her partner Michael and dog Momo!

Robin Baer, Garden Educator

Robin hails from the mossy trees, mushrooms and fern landscape of the Northwest, born and raised in Seattle. Growing up she went to an outdoor camp all summer that fostered her love of the outdoors . She went on to graduate with a BA in Environmental Education from the Huxley College of the Environment in Bellingham, WA. There she worked alongside the local museum, helping to curate an exhibit on our vanishing polar landscapes. She has taught programming for various science and nature institutions, ran an outdoor preschool and presented workshops for local youth in outdoor education all around the Northwest. With annual trips to Arizona, she fell in love with the desert ecosystem and is thrilled to be a part of the Santa Fe Botanical Garden. She is especially interested in sustainable and regenerative agriculture, ethnobotany and has a certificate in permaculture. In her free time she loves to ski, garden, camp, cook vegetarian dishes, dance and head off on adventures with her little dog in the sun.

Francesca Galliano, Communications Coordinator

Francesca joined the Garden team in 2020 as a Crew Member for New Mexico Youth Conservation Corps (NMYCC) and was selected as the first Linda Milbourn College Intern in summer 2021. She has returned as Communications Coordinator in April of 2022 and her role involves working on Clippings, the Garden’s monthly e-newsletter, member emails, website and social media, general inquires, and marketing. Francesca is a Miami, Florida native and recent 2021 Environmental Studies B.A. graduate from the New College of Florida (NCF). Her studies and work in New Mexico include invasive species removal, field work in native seed collections, research, education, and outreach, with extensive experience on compost production and educational outreach on composting programs. In her free time, Francesca enjoys hiking, reading, music and spending time with her friends and family.

Donald Medina, Site Facilities Custodian

Native of Northern New Mexico, Donald has over 30 years in property maintenance and landscaping management.

Dave Sawyer, Visitor Services Staff, Manager Santa Fe Botanical Garden Gift Shop

Dave moved to Santa Fe in 2017 after living all his prior life in Denver, Colorado. After beginning his working life in music and theatre, he shifted course to computers and digital technology, obtaining a Masters degree in Computer Information Systems and spending over twenty years as an information technology director for two Denver universities. He particularly enjoys being in nature and so has been happily volunteering at the Santa Fe Botanical Garden since moving here. Now contentedly retired, he loves Santa Fe and considers this his “forever home.”

Linda Miller, Visitor Services Staff

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 McCabe, Visitor Services Staff

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.

Natalie Bokum, Administrative Office Assistant

Natalie was born in Santa Fe, New Mexico, but moved to the east coast when she was in elementary school.  She went to University of Colorado and Montana State University for undergraduate school and got a master’s degree in Landscape Architecture at UC Berkeley California.  She worked for a large landscape architectural firm in northern California for 29 years before returning to Santa Fe in 2013. She has been volunteering for the Santa Fe Botanical Garden since the fall of 2013.