Vice Chair
Vancouver Park Board
Laura joined HortEducationBC as the Apprentice Representative in 2015; following her apprenticeship, she has continued to serve the HEBC Board and is currently the Vice Chair.
Laura has extensive education and on-the-job experience in Soil Science and Landscape Horticulture. Laura’s academic accomplishments include a Master of Science (Soil Science) and a Bachelor of Science (Plant Science) from the Faculty of Agriculture (now Faculty of Land and Food Systems) University of British Columbia. She also has her Red Seal Landscape Horticulturist CofQ.
Laura spent nine years serving the nursery and greenhouse industry as a soil-less media specialist. She developed soil test methods and a robust quality control program for a soil-less media manufacturer. Her university education was grounded in the practical experience gained by working with nursery and greenhouse growers. Whether improving production efficiencies through modifications to soil-less media, monitoring and testing soil through crop durations or troubleshooting production issues, Laura applied her education with pragmatism and commitment to the industry.
Laura is currently the Superintendent for VanDusen Botanical Garden and Queen Elizabeth Park at the City of Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation. In her twelve years at the Parks Board, she has been responsible for some of the highest profile and most visited flower beds in Vancouver, including English Bay and VanDusen Botanical Garden. Laura appreciates the level of quality that the red seal endorsement reflects and the impact that has on the standards in our industry. She appreciates the responsibility of being an industry sponsor and mentors apprentices on a daily basis at work. Laura looks for opportunities to be involved in program standards, mentoring, and the development and assessment of educational material.