David Fross: California Garden Development Director
Dave began the installation of the California Garden in 1990 and continues to coordinate its growth and evolution. He teaches in the Horticulture and Crop Science Department, instructing students in habitat restoration and California native plants. In his spare time, Dave enjoys gardening, reading, and traveling.

 

Chris Wassenberg: Arboretum Manager
Christopher has been with the arboretum since April of 1997 and has been Arboretum Manager since 2003. He graduated with a BS in Environmental Horticultural Science in 2001. Chris enjoys hiking and throwing tennis balls for his dog, Baxter.

 

Katherine Wassenberg: Public Relations
Katherine joined the arboretum in May of 2005. She has a BA in English and is a graduate student in Cal Poly's Recreation, Park, and Tourism Management Program. When she is not hiking, Katherine enjoys cooking and quilting.

 

Brian Flynn: Mediterranean Garden
Brian joined the arboretum staff in January of 2006 and is a senior in Environmental Horticultural Science. Before entering the EHS department, he had studied Electrical Engineering. This past summer, he spent 9 weeks at an internship with Monrovia Growers and 4 weeks assisting Pan American Seed Company in pollination ecology. Brian thoroughly enjoys being a student and looks forward to what the future will bring.

 

Toni Maloon: Formal, Entry, and Palm & Aloe Gardens
Toni joined the arboretum staff in September of 2006 and is a senior in the Environmental Horticultural Science Department with a Landscape Horticulture Concentration. She spent the past summer as an intern at Lotusland in Santa Barbara, CA. Toni plans to get a good job in landscape design and travel the world with her children. She also enjoys hiking, reading, knitting socks, and making ukuleles.

 

Ryan Guillou: South African, and Chilean Gardens
Ryan joined the arboretum staff in June of 2007 and is a junior in the Environmental Horticultural Science Department. He is fascinated by interesting and unusual plants and is always taking pictures of nice plant combinations or stealing cuttings. A self-proclaimed "plant dork," Ryan hopes to continue his work in botanical gardens.

 

Bridget Daughters: Australian Garden
Bridget joined the arboretum staff in June of 2007 and is a senior in the Environmental Horticultural Science Department. She enjoys traveling and visiting botanical gardens and arboretums. After she graduates, Bridget plans to continue working in a botanical garden.

 

Erin McCoy: California Garden and New Zealand Garden Erin joined the arboretum staff in December 2007. She is a senior studying Landscape Design in the Environmental Horticultural Sciences Department. She spent her summer studying Spanish while traveling in Peru and will intern at the Sherman Gardens in Corona del Mar this summer. Her favorite smell is wet dirt when it begins to rain. She enjoys running, hiking, making cardboard art, and gardening (naturally).

 

Mickey Mangan: Californian Garden
Mickey joined the arboretum staff in April of 2008 and is a junior in the Landscape Architecture Department. He enjoys discovering edible plants that he can cook with. Mickey plans to focus on water conservation; specifically, he plans to incorporate water mitigating features in all of his landscape projects.