When people ask me what it is I do, I usually start out by telling them that I just tell stories about trees. To me, every plant has a story, or two, or ten..., and nothing is more rewarding than uncovering these accounts and sharing them with others. My time at Iowa State played a crucial role in getting me to this place, and it is wonderful to reflect on it now.
I became interested in natural history at a very early age, and by 16 knew that I wanted to work in some capacity at a botanic garden or arboretum. While I enjoyed the many hours working on landscape crews installing gardens for others, I wanted to nestle myself in a garden of my own, particularly one that was a collection of interesting and unusual plants. I attribute much of that direction to experiences I had as a teenager attending programs at Purdue University, where I ended up earning my BS in Public Horticulture in 1996.
After graduating from Purdue, I moved to Ames to attend Iowa State University, where I worked with Dr. Jeff Iles and earned my MS in 1998. This was a fantastic experience for me in so many ways. Jeff encouraged me to explore my fascination with trees, uncover some problem that needed investigation, take ownership of this and turn it into my thesis work. This I did, wrapping my arms around the katsura tree, Cercidiphyllum japonicum. Also, I found that coupled to the university's strong curriculum was the perfect blend of guidance, encouragement and collaboration I received from my graduate committee. In addition to the research and instructional activities, I was also exposed to some of the finest extension work in the land. This was important to me, because it reinforced my sincere belief that universities, be they public or private, have a strong public service responsibility and should not bury their heads in the sand or remain in their ivory towers. The work of ISU Horticulture exemplifies this commitment to public service.
Following my MS, I studied living collections management and curation in the United Kingdom for a year as a Martin McLaren Fellow. And for two years I was a Putnam Research Fellow at The Arnold Arboretum. After this 2nd fellowship, I became a graduate student again as a member of Cornell University's Urban Horticulture Institute, where I received my Ph.D. in 2006 studying the ecophysiology of goldenrain tree, Koelreuteria paniculata.
I am currently the Curator of Living Collections at the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University, which is North America's oldest public arboretum and one of the most comprehensive and well-documented collections of woody plants in the temperate world. In this job, I wear many hats and every day is different, which is quite the joy. First and foremost, I am charged with overseeing the development, conservation, and curatorial management of the Living Collections. A humbling task, this takes into account the rich legacy of plant exploration, introduction, and research that has shaped the present-day collection -- as well as the face of contemporary horticulture. Not only is plant acquisition and collecting a central part of my job, but so is the placing of these plants in this Olmsted Landscape. Once part of the Living Collections, these plants serve an array of roles, ranging from amenity to research. Particularly with respect to the latter is the ongoing documentation of the collection, which enhances and adds additional value to it. Thus, part of my job is to conduct collections-based research, which is generally in the areas of ecophysiology and biogeography. I also work a great deal with other Harvard scientists, as well as visiting researchers from around the world as they conduct studies using our collection. As a horticulturist, I am always on the look out for new plants to introduce that have proven and exemplary traits, and our rich collection is continually yielding plants that make their way into the backyard garden. I also do a fair amount of writing and teaching, which I find particularly rewarding as they give me the opportunity to tell those stories about trees -- which is what I've always wanted to do.
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