Our Team

Executive Team

Richard Martinson, Ph.D. - Founder, President

  • For over 25 years, Rick was president and co-owner of WinterCreek Restoration, a landscape/nursery company working exclusively with native plants of central and eastern Oregon. Their work focused on designing and creating ecology-based regenerative landscapes that were self-supporting and provided habitat for a variety of species from birds and mammals to fungi and bacteria.

    Rick’s previous experience includes work as an ecologist, environmental scientist and archaeologist in a variety of environments around the country, and he used knowledge from those experiences to create award winning landscapes throughout the western United States. He holds a B.S. in Physical Anthropology and a PhD in Horticulture, and specializes in the adaptive physiology of xerophytic species in semi-arid environments. He teaches courses in ecology based design and applied ecology at Oregon State University, and is a frequent guest lecturer for numerous organizations. He is a member of the Natural Areas Association, Society for Ecological Restoration, Oregon Landscape Contractors Association, and other professional societies. He is also a Central Oregon Master Gardener.

    Rick and a couple colleagues first envisioned HDHC over 15 years ago as an organization to train and educate the next generation of native plant professionals and conservationists. The timing wasn’t right 15 years ago, but the need to increase an understanding of the importance of biodiversity and resource conservation has never been more important than it is today. Now is the right time for the High Desert Horticultural Center as a key resource for that next generation of conservation practitioners!

A smiling older woman with glasses, wearing gardening gloves and a camouflage jacket, holding a gardening tool, standing outside next to a black shed and a colorful gardening sign.

Joyce Cranston - Board Chair, Treasurer

  • Joyce Cranston’s more than 30 years of extensive business experience began as the partner of an award- winning design and marketing communications firm with large and diverse accounts such as the Denver Botanic Gardens. Her entrepreneurial skills led her to develop and market new health promotion products for schools, foundations and public health professionals, and ad specialty products for Nestles, Burger King, Levis and other mainstream retail clients.

    Within the non-profit sector, Ms. Cranston directed her team at NeighborImpact in assisting qualified households with their utility bills, updating heating systems and weatherization . She currently serves on the Bend Redmond Habitat for Humanity Board of Directors Executive Committee. She is also a member of the Habitat Family Services Committee where she works to include native, water-wise plants in the landscapes for new Habitat homes.

Staff

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Karen Theodore - Plant Production Director

  • Karen started propagating high desert native plants in 1992 with the founding of Sage Creek Gardens, the original name of the nursery. Sage Creek Gardens joined Winter Farms, Inc. and became WinterCreek Nursery in 2001. Karen developed many of the propagation protocols currently in use for native plants at WinterCreek and in general use in many native plant nurseries in the western U.S. Karen remains active in training the next generation of nursery managers, and if you’re lucky, you can still catch her at WinterCreek. During her time as owner, Karen made annual trips around the western U.S. to collect seed and cuttings for propagation at her nursery, and that work has not ended. She has been in Bend for over 40 years and is intimately familiar with the many unique habitats and environments throughout central and eastern Oregon and continues to provide seed to WinterCreek. She is an OSU alumna, earning a BS in wildlife biology with an emphasis in ornithology. She is a long-term member of the Oregon Native Plant Society and East Cascades Audubon Society, and is a Central Oregon Master Gardener.

A man in outdoor gear, including a baseball cap, glasses, a plaid shirt, and a backpack, is squatting in a natural setting with tall grass and trees. He is touching his glasses with his right hand and looking to the side.

Ben Snyder - WinterCreek Nursery Manager

  • Ben Snyder is the manager of WinterCreek Nursery, Vice President of the High Desert Chapter of the Native Plant Society of Oregon, and an enthusiastic amateur mycologist who enjoys contributing his unique finds to the national Fungal Diversity Survey (FUNDIS) database. Growing up in Western Washington he developed a deep appreciation for the wetter side of the Pacific Northwest, but these days he is swept away by the toughness and austere beauty of Central Oregon's steppes and grasslands. He has a Masters degree from the University of Washington and is coming to HDHC straight from a decade of experience in organizing, large scale campaign logistics, event planning, public speaking, and contract bargaining as internal organizing director in an upstart healthcare workers' union. Ben is passionate about ecology, plant biology, and the citizen science app iNaturalist, which everyone reading this should be using!

Smiling woman with sunglasses on her head in a wooded outdoor setting.

Rachael Relph - Community Outreach Coordinator

  • Rachael is our volunteer coordinator, office manager, newsletter creator and general doer of what needs to get done.  She comes to HDHC after nearly 15 years of sustainability experience in the global biotech industry where she helped scientists adopt more sustainable laboratory practices, established a global green lab certification program, and led biotech manufacturers to innovate new products with the environment in mind.  Having grown up in the mountains of Colorado, Rachael loves being back in the high desert with all the activities that each season brings – including observing and learning about our native flora!  She is working on replanting her garden with all natives with a dream of being part of the Garden Tour. 

A smiling woman wearing a fuzzy winter hat and a black jacket in a greenhouse holding a tray with snow on it, with gardening tools and supplies visible in the background.

  • Zoelle is our Lead Grower at WinterCreek Nursery, where she oversees day-to-day plant production operations, implements growing schedules, and manages plant health across the nursery. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science with an emphasis in Restoration Ecology from California State Univeristy. Prior to joining WinterCreek Nursery, Zoelle gained valuable field experience with the Great Basin Institute, conducting invasive species botany surveys in Whiskeytown National Reserve. She brings a passion for environmental stewardship and sustainability to the nursery.

Zoelle Strong - Lead Grower

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David Lloyd Warren - Design Director, Volunteer

  • As owner and creative director of an award-winning design and marketing communications firm, David has over 25 years’ experience creating logos, brochures, annual reports and direct mail campaigns for such clients as Denver Botanic Gardens, Denver Art Museum, the American Cancer Society and Denver Children’s Hospital. Moving to Central Oregon, he became the Creative and Marketing Director for a building products manufacturer where he created package design, trade show exhibits, print collateral and promotional materials. In addition, he developed strategies for advertising, product placement and positioning to increase awareness, visibility, and sales. David currently volunteers his expertise to provide graphic design services for Bend Redmond Habitat for Humanity, and most importantly, for the High Desert Horticultural Center!

CURRENT BOARD MEMBERS

Mike Faha, PLA, FASLA, LEED AP

Matt Johnson, MS

Bruce Sullivan, MS

Carol Wallace, MD, Professor Emerita