Meet the Staff
2024 Arboretum Staff Directory (alphabetical):
Christine Altermann, Curator of Collections and Propagator - calterma@ucsc.edu
Katie Cordes, Administrative Manager - cscordes@ucsc.edu
Lucy Ferneyhough, Native Plant Program Project Manager - lferneyh@ucsc.edu
Rick Flores, Executive Director & Steward of the Amah Mutsun Relearning Program - rflores@ucsc.edu
Brett Hall, California Native Plant Program Director - brett@ucsc.edu
Alex Hubner, Native Plant Program Horticulturist & Garden Steward - ahubner@ucsc.edu
Linda McNally, Nursery Manager and Propagator - lmmcnall@ucsc.edu
Joan Norvelle, Volunteer Coordinator and Administrative Assistant - jnorvell@ucsc.edu
Jose Rodriguez, Gondwanan Horticulturist & Garden Steward - jrodri22@ucsc.edu
Jeremy Silberman, Native Plant Program Student Coordinator - jfsilber@ucsc.edu
Learn more about Arboretum Staff
Christine Altermann — Curator of Collections and Propagator
Email: calterma@ucsc.edu
Christine Altermann grew up in California and spent her childhood gardening with her mom and visiting her grandparents in Chile. She has fond memories of spending time in her grandmother’s English-style garden and her extensive fruit garden in Valdivia, Chile. She traveled around with her family exploring the lush and picturesque areas surrounding Valdivia. She has lived in Santa Cruz for about thirty years and was first introduced to the Arboretum when visiting her sister, an Environmental Studies major at UC Santa Cruz and a student-worker at the gardens. After starting out in zoology, she discovered botany and decided to merge her love of design and plants by studying landscape architecture at UC Berkeley. She began working at Berkeley Horticultural Nursery which was an excellent training ground to learn a wide variety of plants, to be introduced to some of the most consequential plant people in the Bay Area, and to learn propagation. After moving on to work as propagator at Soquel Nursery Growers and Monterey Bay Nursery she began volunteering for her friend and mentor, Arboretum Nursery Manager Martin Grantham in 2018. She had always been interested in Mediterranean-climate plants, but working at Monterey Bay Nursery and the Arboretum, she vastly expanded her knowledge of plants from Australia, South Africa, California and New Zealand. When beloved, long time curator, Melinda Kralj, retired in June of 2021, Christine was promoted to Curator of Collections. She is honored with this privilege and looks forward to working with the fantastic team at the Arboretum as well as students, volunteers, visiting scholars, scientists, horticulturists, designers, foreign visitors, and plant enthusiasts.
Katie Cordes — Administrative Manager
Email: cscordes@ucsc.edu
As the Arboretum's Administrative Manager, Katie oversees general Arboretum administration and core programs and revenue streams including the Arboretum's Membership and Volunteer Programs, Facility Rentals and Norrie's Gift & Garden Shop. She also manages Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable and together with the Arboretum leadership, she helps manage the annual operating budget.
Katie also works closely with other staff in supporting donor relations, the visitor experience, event planning and marketing, managing the website and assisting with general Arboretum communications.
Katie has a BA in Biology from UCSC, is a certified California Naturalist and started work at the Arboretum in 2008.
Lucy Ferneyhough - Native Plant Program Project Manager
email: lferneyh@ucsc.edu
Lucy grew up exploring the mountains and lakes around Truckee with her cross country ski team. She has lived in Santa Cruz since 2008 where she completed her degree from the UCSC environmental studies department and started a small gardening business focused on locally native and regionally appropriate plants. Lucy has done ecological garden design, perennial landscape management, and cared for orchards and vegetable gardens. After completing the UC Naturalist Program she went on to work with Brett Hall on vegetation mapping, seed collection and propagation, rare species monitoring and post fire vegetation response surveys. She has served the California Native Plant Society as a board member since 2019 and as vice president of the local chapter since 2018. In her role as Native Plant Program Project Manager, her work currently focuses on plant conservation and seed banking, vegetation ecology and mapping, and native plant horticulture. When she’s not obsessing over plants, Lucy spends her time drawing, painting, weaving, knitting, cooking, baking, reading and hanging out with family.
Rick Flores — Executive Director & Steward of the Amah Mutsun Relearning Program
Email: rflores@ucsc.edu
Rick Flores is the Executive Director of the UC Santa Cruz Arboretum & Botanic Garden. After attending junior college near his home in the suburbs east of Los Angeles, Rick joined the UCSC community as an undergraduate in Fall 1995 and graduated in 1997 with a degree in Environmental Studies. He started working at the Arboretum as a student worker during his senior year and was fortunate to continue past graduation. During his over 27 years of experience at the Arboretum he has held several titles including Curator of the California Native Plant Collection, Director of Horticulture, and Associate Director.
In 2014, he went back to school, again at UCSC, to study the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band’s efforts to revitalize their culture through the relearning of dormant cultural knowledge pertaining to the stewardship of ecosystems, and the cultivation and uses of California Native Plants, and earned an MA in Environmental Studies. He is grateful for his work with the Amah Mutsun, and has served as the Steward of the Amah Mutsun Relearning Program since its founding in 2009.
Over the years, Rick has cultivated relationships and collaborated with faculty, students, campus partners, environmental organizations, and community members. As Executive Director, Rick leads the team in a shared vision of strategic initiatives that advance conversations on campus and in the community about the plant sciences, horticulture, biodiversity, climate change, and sustainability. He also directs fundraising and donor cultivation efforts, community building, and communications. He is a strong advocate of conservation efforts and connecting people with the natural world.
When not working Rick enjoys hiking, backpacking, camping, fishing, bike riding, birdwatching, reading, and traveling, in addition to spending quality time with his friends and family.
Brett Hall — California Native Plant Program Director
Email: brett@ucsc.edu
I was born and raised along the Central California coast, mostly in the Monterey Bay region. In the early 70s, I worked at my family's landscaping and garden design business. I was an undergrad at UCSC and worked at the Arboretum, graduating with a BA in Natural History and Biology. I started on the staff in October 1975 and became garden manager in 1976. My duties have evolved over the past 30 years into my current position. I oversee the horticultural staff and my role with that is increasingly as an advisor/coach, as well as working to get them the resources they need to succeed. I am continuing to play an active role in the development of many of our collections and have traveled overseas and throughout the West to accomplish this. I have been very fortunate to spend 30+ years working in the Graden developing collections, planting gardens, and working with our wonderful group of staff, students and volunteers. My special interests include many of our collections but I plan on focusing considerable effort in the development of our native plant program and the California Province Gardens. I enjoy working with dedicated volunteers who have a genuine interest in botany and horticulture.
Alex Hubner - Native Plant Program Horticulturist & Garden Steward
email: ahubner@ucsc.edu
Bio coming soon! Until then, learn more about Alex's fantastic work with the Native Plant Program in this UCSC Newscenter article.
Linda McNally — Nursery Manager & Propagator
Email: lmmcnall@ucsc.edu
For many years, Linda has managed the succulent propagation, worked on the revitalization of the front entrance and enlarged the Succulent garden. As the Nursery Manager and Propagator since 2019, she works closely with the executive director, gardens curators, student workers and volunteers to propagate for the garden's expansive collection and the sale of plants.Linda is well known for her contagious laugh, can-do attitude and organizational skills honed from years of experience operating her own consulting business for homes and gardens. She holds several certificates, including Master Gardener and is an active member of the Monterey Bay Area and San Jose Cactus and Succulent Societies. Linda loves being out in nature, experiencing new adventures, spending time with friends and family and caring for her home and garden.
Joan Norvelle - Volunteer Coordinator & Administrative Assistant
Email: jnorvell@ucsc.edu
Joan is the Arboretum's Volunteer Coordinator and Administrative Assistant and began full time work at the Arboretum in late Fall, 2023, but her involvement with the Arboretum spans more than two decades. Over this time she supported the Arboretum as a volunteer and board member and then more recently as an Independent Contractor, she worked closely with longtime volunteers and staff to design, produce and install the Interpretive signs and Visitor Maps found throughout the gardens.
In her most recent role, Joan oversees our popular volunteer program with development, recruiting, onboarding, recognition, training and support. She also supports Norrie's Gift & Garden Shop, Facility Rentals, general reception, special events, social media and general Arboretum communications.
Jose Rodriguez - Gondwanan Horticulturist & Garden Steward
Email: jrodri22@ucsc.edu
Jose cares for our Gondwanan Collection in the Australia, South Africa, and New Zealand gardens. He leads a team of interns and student workers that prunes, plants, weeds and keeps our gardens healthy and vibrant.
Jose has a wide experience in the landscape industry, with 10+ years as a landscape contractor, designing and building California native gardens throughout the Bay Area. Previous to working at the Arboretum, Jose was the assistant farm manager for a 50-acre diversified organic vegetable and flower farm in Gilroy where he operated tractors, implements and coordinated field irrigation. He's also a skilled mechanic and provides essential upkeep services to our many tractors, mowers, chainsaws and other garden equipment. Jose is passionate about local food systems, floral arrangements, and his cats.
Jeremy Silberman - Native Plant Program Student Coordinator
Jeremy graduated from UC Santa Cruz studying environmental studies and philosophy. Since 2020 he has been working and learning with the Native Plant Program at the Arboretum. It is here that he cultivated a passion for plants, land stewardship and design, conservation, and community engagement with the natural world. He is grateful to work so closely with such a beautiful and important place, and to have the privilege of facilitating others to experience that same joy. The main areas of the Arboretum that he and the students tend to are the California Conservation Garden, the World Conifer and Laurasian Gardens, as well as four nursery areas and a seed bank. Together, they grow and maintain our program with work that changes with the seasons like planting, mowing, irrigation, propagation, weeding, and pruning. Jeremy takes great pleasure in sharing his love for the Arboretum with others, teaching what he can, and always learning more throughout the process. When not roaming about the Arboretum he enjoys running, hiking, reading, cooking, and playing the guitar.
Martin Grantham
From San Francisco State, with many years at the UC Berkeley Botanic Garden, Martin has extensive training in botany that has informed his practice of experimental and ornamental horticulture.
He is a total plant nerd with a fondness for hard-to-propagate fern spores and the flora of South Africa.
Consultant
