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Dan Johnson, Curator of Native Plants
Dan Johnson, Curator of Native Plant Collections, has been gardening for as long as he can remember. He travels throughout the West and Southwest in search of unusual and underused natives for trial in Colorado’s rigorous climate. Occasional forays to similar regions of the world help to further broaden the pallet of plants suitable for western gardens. He has created some of Denver Botanic Gardens’ most beautiful and self-sustaining gardens and his love of the Western landscape is expressed as he designs and maintains the majority of the Gardens’ extensive native and xeric gardens.

Panayoti Kelaidis, Senior Curator and Director of Denver Botanic Gardens Outreach
Panayoti Kelaidis represents the Gardens in educational, professional and promotional endeavors as an expert in horticulture science and art. He also acts as a liaison to botanical societies, professional horticulture organizations and green industry members as well as serves as a resource to staff, volunteers and members. Panayoti has worked at the Gardens for 27 years in many capacities. Most recently, he was the Curator of Plant Collections where he supervised the curatorial staff directed inventory, maintenance, interpretation and integrity for over 15,000 kinds of living plants. His far-reaching knowledge of horticulture in the mountainous and dry climate of Colorado has aided overseeing Plant Select, a plant introduction program where he has helped discover and name numerous plants, as well as disseminate nearly 10 million plants. Panayoti designed the plantings for the world-renown Rock Alpine Garden and helped implement Wildflower Treasures, South African Plaza and the Romantic Gardens among many other gardens at Denver Botanic Gardens.

Panayoti has helped attract, plan and stage over a dozen regional, national and international gardening conferences in Denver. He is a past president of the Rocky Mountain Chapter of the American Rock Garden Society as well as the American Penstemon Society, and serves on many professional horticulture society boards. He is also the recipient of the Award of Excellence from National Garden Clubs, the most prestigious award given by the organization. He also received the 2000 Arthur Hoyt Scott Medal from Swarthmore College, which is generally considered the highest honor in American horticulture. He has delivered speeches in over 70 cities throughout the world on a wide range of horticultural topics and has published over 100 gardening works.

Sarada Krishnan, Director of Horticulture
Sarada comes to Denver Botanic Gardens with several years of experience in public and commercial horticulture. She is responsible for directing the design and maintenance of the horticulture gardens and collections. Sarada has a Bachelor of Science degree in Horticulture from India and a Master of Science degree in Horticulture from Colorado State University, with a research focus on the propagation of native Colorado flora specializing in plant tissue culture. Sarada is currently pursuing her doctoral degree in Conservation Biology at the University of Colorado, Boulder. Sarada has served as a board member of the Association of Zoological Horticulture. She is currently a board member of the Colorado Native Plant Society and also serves as the chair of the Society’s Conservation Committee. Other positions currently held include Advisory board of the Vermont Ecosphere Project, Chair of the Perennial sub-committee of the Colorado Nursery and Greenhouse Association and the Colorado State Noxious Weed Advisory Committee. Sarada is the author of the book Butterfly Pavilion’s Butterfly Gardening: A Guide For Colorado Gardeners.

Dr. Anna Sher, Director of Research, Herbaria and Records
Dr. Sher splits her time between the Gardens and the University of Denver, where she teaches Conservation Biology as an assistant professor. She has published research in several journals, including Conservation Biology and Ecological Applications. She is an expert in invasive species, especially the tamarisk, and has been appointed to the advisory group to Governor Owens mandated to control this species. Dr. Sher has conducted research in Israel as a Fulbright award recipient, investigating the community-level response of desert annual plants to competition across productivity gradients. She has also spent extensive time in Kenya, doing research and leading semester abroad programs. Dr. Sher also directs the Applied Plant Conservation Training Program, a collaborative institute with the US Botanic Gardens. Her current research focuses on the restoration of native ecosystems after tamarisk control.

Nick Snakenberg, Curator of Orchids
Nick Snakenberg has been working at Denver Botanic Gardens since 1993 in an array of capacities. A graduate of Iowa State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Horticulture, Nick currently curates the Gardens’ orchid collection and helps manage the Boettcher Memorial Tropical Conservatory and its associated tropical collections. He has taught many horticultural classes for the Gardens and is a frequent speaker for local garden clubs and plant societies. His affiliations with professional organizations add to his expertise and include membership in the Orchid Digest Corporation, Encyclia Enthusiasts, the Association of Educational and Research Greenhouse Curators, and the American Association of Botanical Gardens and Arboreta. He is a past president of the Denver Orchid Society and is a member of the American Orchid Society and serves on its Education Committee. Nick is currently a student judge with the Rocky Mountain Judging Center in the American Orchid Society’s orchid judging program.

Joe Tomocik, Water Gardens Curator
Joe Tomocik has been responsible for the internationally acclaimed Water Gardens collection since 1982. In that time, Joe has turned Denver Botanic Gardens into the water gardening Mecca of the United States. Every year, Joe and a loyal group of volunteers create a rare and elaborate display that attracts visitors from all over the world. He conducts trials and research on new hybrids of lilies and determines if they are hardy enough for introduction to the public. Joe is also a co-founder of the Colorado Water Garden Society, the first water garden society in the world.