Staff

Carolyn moved to the Northshire loop in 1999 and discovered the Dunn Gardens which she considers a beautiful gem of a garden. She served on the Board for several years before joining the staff as Event Coordinator and Trust Administrator. She is happy to take on the role of Exective Director as of 2019.

Carolyn holds a BA in literature from University of San Francisco. She is currently getting her Masters in Nonprofit Leadership at Northeastern University.

From the Midwest to the East Coast, Hong Kong to D.C., Carol has always enjoyed growing plants and being outdoors. In 2007 she decided to make it official by returning to school to study Horticulture and joining the Master Gardener Program.  She was delighted to find people that were actually excited talk plants! Carol had great fun at Green Spring Gardens in Annandale VA working as an intern in their Native Plants gardens and then as an Assistant Gardener helping with propagation, the Glasshouse and the outdoor gardens. In 2013 she joined Meadowlark Botanical Gardens in Vienna, VA as the Atrium Horticulturist creating beautiful gardens indoors and out for the many weddings and special events. After moving to the stunning pacific northwest in 2021 to be closer to family Carol found her way to the lovely Dunn Gardens. Carol holds a BA in English and MS in Computer Science as well as AAS degrees in Horticulture Technology and Landscaping.

Sara is a PNW native with a love and passion for the outdoors which lead to her decisions to become a steward of the land to protect and conserve natural habitats for many generations to come. She graduated from the University of Washington in 2019 with a BS in environmental science with a specialty in environmental horticulture and restoration ecology. In her free time she likes to get outside for an adventure or curl up on the couch with her cat and read a good book.

As an enthusiastic hiker raised in the Pacific Northwest, Brian has always had a healthful appreciation for plants, a love of nature and the desire to enrich his understanding of all. In 2016, Brian returned to school to study horticulture at Lake Washington Institute of Technology, graduating in 2018 with an AAS in Environmental Horticulture. After graduation, Brian was accepted into an internship program at the Elizabeth Carey-Miller Botanical Garden where he spent the next two years expanding his knowledge of known plants and landscape practices. Since completing the internship, Brian has spent the last year and half self-employed, performing garden maintenance to various clients. In 2021, Brian joined Dunn Gardens’ team and is dedicated to keeping the gardens beautiful.

Beth Neils, Bookkeeper, grew up in Bellevue, earned a BS in Biology from MIT and then served in the Army for 8 years. She earned her MS in Accountancy in 2010 and has been working with non-profits ever since.  She lives in Lake Forest Park and has 3 children and one grandchild.