San Diego Botanic Garden
Heather Russak, CSPO, has a robust background in project management and business analysis, with extensive experience spanning over two decades. Since December 2017, Heather has served as a Docent at the San Diego Botanic Garden. Prior roles include Assistant Vice President of Product Management and Lead Business Analyst at LPL Financial, as well as Senior Business Systems Analyst at Fidelity National Information Services. Heather's career also features positions as a Business Systems Analyst at Brandes Investment Partners and several senior project management roles at various firms, including Mitchell International and Dataquick Information Systems. Heather holds a Professional Certificate in Systems Engineering from UC San Diego and a BS in Mathematics from California State University, Northridge, alongside earlier education at The University of Kansas.
San Diego Botanic Garden
Established in 1970, San Diego Botanic Garden (SDBG) is a 37-acre urban oasis located in the city of Encinitas, in north San Diego County. We garden to create, share and apply plant wisdom in our world. The Garden’s four miles of trails display more than 5,000 plant species and varieties, including 300 plants for which SDBG is the only garden maintaining a population. SDBG has 15 gardens that represent different regions of the world, 12 demonstration gardens, and the largest public bamboo collection in North America. SDBG has three children’s gardens, including its flagship, one-acre Hamilton Children’s Garden, the largest kids’ garden on the west coast. The Garden works in botany, conservation horticulture, and applied plant sciences to address our biggest local and global issues—from food security and climate change to land management and home gardening. SDBG collaborates with local academics, companies and organizations to create innovative, impactful programs and initiatives; to conserve plants and habitats for the future; and to create and share new knowledge. By expanding its scientific and conservation role to address our most pressing issues and human-plant relationships, SDBG is quickly becoming a model 21st century public plant science institution.