Matthew Stephens grew up in central Illinois, went to school in Illinois and Delaware, lived in New York City for a decade and moved out to San Francisco two years ago. He leads the San Francisco Conservatory of Flowers and San Francisco Botanical Garden, both located in world-renowned Golden Gate Park in San Francisco.

Roxanne Perkins is marketing manager at Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens

STEPHANIE PENN is a documentary photographer based in the Bay Area. She studied Geology and Studio Art at Cornell College and loves combining her background in visual art and science to communicate stories about California’s nature, plants, and wildlife. She is currently studying at UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism with a focus on science and the environment.

JEN AND HILARY BAYER grew up in the Magic residential service learning community. They love being outdoors, enjoying and caring for nature. For more than 15 years, they’ve participated in Planting for the Second Hundred Years. Recently, they’ve initiated a biodiversity conservation project called the Silicon Valley Barcode of Life. They’ve been featured in Palo Alto Weekly and Bike Intelligencer stories. www.ecomagic.com.

Emily Murphy is an organic gardener, photographer, cook, and creator of the blog, Pass The Pistil. She is dedicated to working in garden education, teaching and running school gardens, and supporting community gleaning programs. Emily is the author of Grow What You Love, 12 Food Plant Families to Change Your Life, ©2018, Firefly Books. www.passthepistil.com

Pamela Berstler is an experienced landscape expert who co-founded and continues to manage G3, Green Gardens Group, an EPA WaterSense Partner and professional certifying organization that conducts outreach and education on the Watershed Approach to landscaping for homeowners and professionals throughout the U.S. and Canada. Pamela is a widely recognized thought leader in growing living soil as a solution to climate change.

International award-winning photographers Rob Badger and Nita Winter have been life partners and creative collaborators for more than three decades. After working on individual assignments for decades, the artists combined their talents. They are devoted to promoting and sustaining healthy communities, both human and natural, and reducing the impact and influence of climate change. www.winterbadger.com.

Judy McClure is the Master Gardener Program Coordinator and Chuck Ingels is the Environmental Horticulture Advisor; both are with University of California Cooperative Extension’s Capitol Corridor and are based in Sacramento County.