Board of Directors
Sue Milliken, President
Kelly Dodson, Vice President
Kelly and Sue have spent their lives learning and working with plants in nurseries, botanic gardens and on plant hunting expeditions. They are owners of Far Reaches Farm whose extensive collection of plants is spectacularly unfocused. In addition, they are contributing editors for Fine Gardening magazine.
Holly Hirzel
Holly is an enthusiastic gardening amatueur who misprounounces plant names and doesn't stake her dahlias. On the plus side, she has a deep tech project management background which lends itself to smoothing out the edges of any organization. A long time ago she got a degree in Communications from Cornell University which maps to her curiosity and desire to find out the 'why' of things. She counts herself very lucky indeed to work with such an esteemed group and hopes they don't notice that she got a B in Botany back in college 35 years or so ago.
Holly is an enthusiastic gardening amatueur who misprounounces plant names and doesn't stake her dahlias. On the plus side, she has a deep tech project management background which lends itself to smoothing out the edges of any organization. A long time ago she got a degree in Communications from Cornell University which maps to her curiosity and desire to find out the 'why' of things. She counts herself very lucky indeed to work with such an esteemed group and hopes they don't notice that she got a B in Botany back in college 35 years or so ago.
Cody Hinchliff PhD, Secretary & Taxonomist in Residence
Dr. Cody Hinchliff is a former plant systematist and lifelong lover of plants and gardens. As a child on the outskirts of San Diego—then and now the most plant species-rich county in the contiguous United States—Cody was introduced to the vast and perpetually surprising macrocosm of Earth’s plant biodiversity, an environment where there is always something exciting blooming no matter the time of year. Cody’s parents like to claim that his first word was “Gladiolus”.
As an adult, he capitalized on his plant obsession by studying botany and phylogenetic systematics, receiving his PhD in Biology from Washington State University in 2011. Dr. Hinchliff had a successful albeit short career as a plant systematist breaking new ground with computational techniques for combining large datasets to investigate questions related to plant evolution and diversification, before accepting a job at Microsoft in 2016, where he remains currently employed as a software engineering manager. Cody remains committed to the support of plant biodiversity and to developing connections between people and beautiful and rare plants through his work with FRBC as well as various gardening, collection, and outreach efforts in the horticultural world.
Dr. Cody Hinchliff is a former plant systematist and lifelong lover of plants and gardens. As a child on the outskirts of San Diego—then and now the most plant species-rich county in the contiguous United States—Cody was introduced to the vast and perpetually surprising macrocosm of Earth’s plant biodiversity, an environment where there is always something exciting blooming no matter the time of year. Cody’s parents like to claim that his first word was “Gladiolus”.
As an adult, he capitalized on his plant obsession by studying botany and phylogenetic systematics, receiving his PhD in Biology from Washington State University in 2011. Dr. Hinchliff had a successful albeit short career as a plant systematist breaking new ground with computational techniques for combining large datasets to investigate questions related to plant evolution and diversification, before accepting a job at Microsoft in 2016, where he remains currently employed as a software engineering manager. Cody remains committed to the support of plant biodiversity and to developing connections between people and beautiful and rare plants through his work with FRBC as well as various gardening, collection, and outreach efforts in the horticultural world.
Will Winslow
Will has worked approx. 25 Years in IT Management and Systems/Network Administration. At present he is a Technical Product Manager at a Biotech Company called Nanostring, which makes instruments that analyze tissue and map DNA locations on sed tissue. Will has been into plants since an early age, and started growing orchids at age 6. At age 7 he was probably the youngest member of the NW Orchid society. He went to Kew in 6th grade and fell in love with the rock garden, and has been growing Alpines ever since. Not surprisingly when they were asked to write a paper on their heroes, he obviously chose Steve Doonan.
Recently he is focused on the collection and propagation of Alpines with an emphasis on alpine Ericaceae from seed, and Salicaceae and other woody friends from cuttings. He values the introduction of wild genetics, and consequently his recent seed hunting trips have been to the following locals: South Africa, Lesotho, Rwanda, Switzerland, Ecuador, Arctic Norway, Iceland, Colorado Rockies, Sierra Nevada, Alaska Range, Dutch Harbor and the Aleutians, Nome Alaska and of course the Cascades and Olympics. He was previously a board member of NWNARGS.
Will has worked approx. 25 Years in IT Management and Systems/Network Administration. At present he is a Technical Product Manager at a Biotech Company called Nanostring, which makes instruments that analyze tissue and map DNA locations on sed tissue. Will has been into plants since an early age, and started growing orchids at age 6. At age 7 he was probably the youngest member of the NW Orchid society. He went to Kew in 6th grade and fell in love with the rock garden, and has been growing Alpines ever since. Not surprisingly when they were asked to write a paper on their heroes, he obviously chose Steve Doonan.
Recently he is focused on the collection and propagation of Alpines with an emphasis on alpine Ericaceae from seed, and Salicaceae and other woody friends from cuttings. He values the introduction of wild genetics, and consequently his recent seed hunting trips have been to the following locals: South Africa, Lesotho, Rwanda, Switzerland, Ecuador, Arctic Norway, Iceland, Colorado Rockies, Sierra Nevada, Alaska Range, Dutch Harbor and the Aleutians, Nome Alaska and of course the Cascades and Olympics. He was previously a board member of NWNARGS.
Advisors
Aaron Floden PhD, Taxonomist
Michael Sundue PhD, Taxonomist
John Massey, owner of Ashwood Nurseries in England
Panayoti Kelaidis, Senior Curator at the Denver Botanic Garden
The Team
Elena Smith - Administrative Coordinator
Silas Zoeller - Collections Manager
Dan Post - CFO & collections management
Ann Welch - Website manager & media production
Dixie Llewellyn - Microscopist
Aaron Floden PhD, Taxonomist
Michael Sundue PhD, Taxonomist
John Massey, owner of Ashwood Nurseries in England
Panayoti Kelaidis, Senior Curator at the Denver Botanic Garden
The Team
Elena Smith - Administrative Coordinator
Silas Zoeller - Collections Manager
Dan Post - CFO & collections management
Ann Welch - Website manager & media production
Dixie Llewellyn - Microscopist
