Board of Directors

Pronouns: he/him At his core, Karl has always been a creator and a doer. He began his lifelong passion for creativity in St. Louis, home of MOBOT, one of the most exceptional botanical gardens in the world. He then moved to New York where he honed his artistic skills at New York University, while studying studio art. After his studies, Karl journeyed out west to Portland, where he is now Principal and Co-Owner at Green Gables Design & Restoration. As a natural builder and problem solver, Karl brings a practical and unique attention to detail to PBG. He believes that curiosity and wonder are the spices of life, and that living in the moment should always be within an arm’s reach.

Pronouns: she/hers

Deepa Natarajan spent 15 years as a Museum Educator and Public Program Coordinator for the University of California Botanical Garden at Berkeley. During this time, she had the unique opportunity to transform her love of plants into a year-round series of classes, workshops, exhibits, tours, and events such as the Redwood Grove Concert series, the Green Gala, the Fiber & Dye exhibit, and Fall Harvest Dinner.

During Jane Goodall’s visit to the Botanical Garden in 2015, Natarajan helped create a self-guided walking tour of the collection’s numerous plant-animal stories.

With an undergraduate degree in Medical Anthropology from Boston University, she developed a fascination with the relationship between plants and people. Over the course of her professional career, she has travelled to her family’s homeland of Tamil Nadu many times to study natural dyes, medicinal plants, and classical dance. In 2018, she journeyed to England to pursue a master’s degree in ethnobotany from the University of Kent in association with the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Her interdisciplinary interests span a variety of ethnobotanical topics from medicinal, dye, ritual, and food plants, to knowledge systems, phytochemistry, and traveling cultures.

After relocating to Portland in 2020, Natarajan accepted a position as Admissions Director at Arbor School of Arts & Sciences, a K-8 independent school founded on the belief that education is enduring to the extent it cultivates intellect, character, and creativity. The Arbor campus is set on 22 acres of beautiful, wooded farmland in Tualatin with incredible plants and trees, including a dawn redwood (Metasequoia glyptostroboides). She is excited to share her love of plants with the Arbor community and has already been found making wreaths with parents, dyeing basketry fibers, teaching on ancient Egyptian ethnobotany, making leaf prints, and discussing the significance of rice in the cultures of Asia with Arbor students.

Pronouns: he/him

Portland native Sean Hogan is a renowned horticulturist, garden consultant, and international plant collector. The author of essential plant titles such as Flora: A Gardener’s Encyclopedia, Hogan served as a curator of the University of California Berkeley Botanical Garden before returning home to co-found Cistus Design Nursery in 1996. As a prolific speaker and educator, Hogan is devoted to propagating enthusiasm and curiosity for plants, including how to partner with and steward them through evolving environmental conditions. Now, Sean is contributing his expertise and knowledge to help make Portland Botanical Gardens a reality.

Pronouns: he/him

As a native Oregonian and avid outdoorsman, Will Bours first developed his love for the native flora and fauna of the Pacific Northwest while whitewater rafting as a kid and growing up in the foothills of the Oregon coastal mountain range. As an adult, Bours has frequently visited botanical gardens across the United States and is passionate about bringing a new botanical garden to Portland.

Will Bours is a finance and accounting executive with over 15 years of experience in the healthcare and consumer packaged goods industries. Will particularly enjoys working with start-up organizations to establish policies, procedures, and internal controls that meet the needs of growing organizations.

Pronouns: she/hers

Sierra Gardiner is a land-use planner, landscape architect, and plant lover. With over two decades of experience spanning urban design, public-sector policy, economic development, and institutional leadership, her career bridges high-level strategic planning and design of the built environment with an emphasis on jobs creation and ecological restoration. Her work is driven by a commitment to climate resilience, thoughtful placemaking, and projects that serve communities with economic integrity and cues to care.

Currently, Sierra serves in leadership roles as Interim Operations Director at Cistus Design Nursery. Previously, Sierra worked as a landscape designer at Walker Macy and as a project manager for both Business Oregon and Prosper Portland. As a humble volunteer, she has supported numerous local non-profit organizations, including as a panelist for the Oregon Arts Commission and Oregon Cultural Trust.

Pronouns: he/him

Matthew LaRocco has 20 years of experience in government and public affairs, representing Fortune 500 and international companies before the U.S. Congress and executive branch. He formed Columbia Strategic Counsel, a lobbying and public affairs firm for issue management, ballot measures and candidate campaigns. Previously, he was Senior Vice President at Goddard Gunster and Senior Legislative & Policy Advisor at Arnold & Porter, where he developed their government relations practice. From 2002-2006, LaRocco was General Manager and Senior Vice President at Fleishman-Hilliard Government Relations, overseeing operations and new business.

In 1999, he and his father, former U.S. Representative Larry LaRocco, started their own lobbying practice. Earlier in his career, from 1993-1996, he was Special Assistant to Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt. LaRocco has consulted on numerous political campaigns, including those for Al Gore, John Kerry, and Tim Johnson, and various state and local initiatives.

He has also served in leadership roles for the GBS | CIDP Foundation International and the Hope Academy Charter School in Washington, D.C. LaRocco holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Portland and is a trained mediator.

Pronouns: he/him

Michael is currently serving as the CFO of Hedinger Group (HG), an asset management firm and family office. Prior to HG, he served for seven years as a board director and CFO/COO of Treehouse, a venture-backed online coding school. He started his career as an investment professional at the private equity firm Navis Capital Partners ($5 billion in assets under management), and was based in their Kuala Lumpur and Sydney offices. Watson holds an MBA from INSEAD, and a dual degree in Political Science and Economics from Tufts University. He has been involved with various non-profits, most recently serving as the Treasurer for Hope Chinese Charter School in Beaverton. He is very passionate about the outdoors, education, and sustainability, and he’s excited to be part of the PBG team.

Pronouns: he/him

Preston Greene currently serves as Vice President of Acquisitions at Urban Development Partners (UDP). Specializing in identifying and acquiring high-quality assets, Preston leads UDP’s acquisition strategy with a focus on value-driven opportunities.

Prior to joining UDP, Preston held leadership roles at OMSI, Freedom REIT, and CBRE, where he successfully directed real estate development, acquisitions, and growth strategies.

Pronouns: he/him

Matthew Brennan is a proud Portland native who believes in the power of community-driven initiatives to uplift and transform cities. With a strong passion for nature and its potential to positively impact lives, Matthew is thrilled to join the Portland Botanical Garden Board. As a dedicated member of the team, he aims to contribute to the garden’s mission of fostering community engagement, providing employment opportunities, offering educational programs, and inspiring hope for the city of Portland. Matthew’s deep connection to his hometown and his unwavering belief in the transformative power of nature make him an invaluable asset to the Portland Botanical Garden.

Pronouns: she/hers

Portland Native
Mother, Grandmother, Sister, Friend, Gardener, Animal Lover, Community Volunteer and Artist

Boards I’ve been honored to serve:

Young Audiences of Oregon and SW Washington
Provides in-school art programs

Oregon Ballet Theatre
Previously Pacific Ballet Theater
Chaired capital campaign for James Canfield and Campbell Bairds
Nutcracker Ballet

Catlin Gabel School
Chaired beginning school construction campaign

All Hands Raised
Previously Portland Schools Foundation
Improving educational equity for children in Multnomah County

Jamii Moja “One World One Family”
Working with a Maasai community in Kenya

Volunteer work

Doernbecher Children’s Hospital capital campaign

Portland Botanical Gardens

Membership

Center for Women’s Health Circle of Giving OHSU
Research for women’s health