Stephanie Linder brings national conservation program experience to the Garden
The Santa Barbara Botanic Garden is pleased to welcome Stephanie Linder as the new Director of Development and Communications. Linder’s more than twenty years of experience in the nonprofit sector includes leadership roles in local and national conservation organizations.
Linder comes to the Garden from the San Francisco Parks Alliance, where she served as the Director of Philanthropy and partnered with the Recreation and Park Department, other city agencies, and more than 100 fiscally sponsored groups to improve San Francisco’s parks through philanthropy.
Previously, Linder served as the Advancement Director for the Sierra Club at the national office in San Francisco, CA, where she launched a national major donor network for the largest grassroots environmental organization in the United States. At the Trust for Public Land, in her postion as Director of Board Affairs, Linder provided guidance to the national board and 25 state advisory boards and staff to enhance fundraising efforts nationwide.
“Stephanie’s passion for conservation is contagious! This, along with her wealth of experience as a development professional, made her a perfect fit for the Garden,” according to Steve Windhager, Ph.D., Executive Director of the Garden.
“For many years, I lived just a few blocks from the San Francisco Botanical Garden and planted Bay Area natives in my backyard. So, while I’ve moved hundreds of miles, I feel right at home here at the Garden,” says Linder. “I appreciate our sense of place and local community. This is an incredibly lucky time to start my career at the Garden – during our 90th year ,with the new gardens, and the opening of our new conservation center.”
Prior to joining the conservation field, Stephanie worked for organizations focused on women’s health, equality, and safety including Planned Parenthood Federation of America, where she led a national project to revitalize volunteerism. As past chair of Emerge California, a candidate training program, Stephanie remains active in the efforts to elect more women to public office.
Stephanie holds a Master of Arts in American History from Binghamton University and has taught history at the college level. She lives with her husband in Ojai, California and enjoys hiking and spending time outdoors.
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For further information or to request high-resolution images please contact Rebecca Mordini, Communications Coordinator, at 805-682-4726 ext. 132. For more information about the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden, please visit www.sbbg.org
About the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden: The Garden is a 78-acre nonprofit that conserves California’s native plants through display gardens, research and education, and serves as a role model for sustainable practices. The Garden was founded in 1926 and is among the nation’s oldest botanic gardens focused exclusively on native plants.
