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Get to Know Our Team

Image by Aaron Burden

Alicia Dunn

President

Having arrived in Summit County in 1982 from Los Angeles, I initially had no idea about gardening at such high altitude. However, upon discovering the SCGC, I was warmly welcomed and guided on cultivating plants suited to our alpine surroundings. I eventually became a Master Gardener and joined the SCGC board. Apart from tending to my raised vegetable beds, I find immense joy in summer wildflower hiking.

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​Terrie Warren

​Board Member 

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​My interest in mountain gardening began in the. Summer of 2010 after moving to Summit County. I grew container herbs and embraced the beauty and hardiness of Columbine, phlox, lupine and poppies along with other “perennials”, becoming adept at finding “sale” plants at local nurseries. I also realized Summit had a significant invasive plant problem and enrolled in the Master Gardener program with an eye to learning more about growing good plants and eradicating bad ones. I am a past President of the Summit County Garden Club, an active volunteer with High Country Conservation and an AVID golfer!!

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Kathy Childs

Board Member at Large

After moving from the east coast to Denver, I quickly became acquainted with the challenges of high plains gardening and joined the Arapahoe County Master Gardener Program. Through much trial and error, I modified my Centennial neighborhood's bone dry 'eye sores' into low maintenance xeriscape gardens. Now a part time Summit County resident, I've enjoyed the restoration of the Breakenridge Alpine Garden immensely. I also teach a kids coding class at the Breckenridge Library and ski almost every day!

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Peech Keller

Board Member

I began my love of growing things while helping my dad around the yard. He’d take me to the plant nurseries and let me pick out a few things. Then I graduated to Forestry school where I also minored in
horticulture. Moving from Chicago to Georgia really got my green thumb growing when I discovered I could grow FOOD as well as flowers. I became obsessed with gardening. When I moved to the high country of Colorado over 20 years ago, I thought I’d have to abandon my love of growing things, but I was SOOO wrong. I became a Master Gardener and learned so much just from talking to other people and reading voraciously. Joining a garden club has been one of the most rewarding things I’ve done to enhance my knowledge of this beautiful yet harsh growing environment.

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Diane Byers

Board Member at Large

I moved to Summit County in 2016 from northern Virginia and took the CSU Master Gardener class for a crash course in high desert gardening. My volunteer hours for that program were spent at Breckenridge Alpine Gardens where I continue to garden, learn, and share with other gardeners the challenges of our short but glorious summers at high altitude.

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Susan Sebastian

Secretary

Herb and I moved from the Houston area eight years ago to our home in Summit Cove where I quickly started gardening.  I relish the climate here but regret the short and intense growing season.  Nevertheless, I make the most of our short season by growing most my veggies, including numerous greens, asparagus and carrots, in three above ground boxes with covering at my home.  I also have a plot at Leslie's Community Garden in Dillon.  I harvested collard and kale through December last year!  Nothing beats home grown veggies, especially at current prices for organic vegetables at the grocery store!  I maintain a number of gardens at my home featuring roses, bulbs, native shrubs and perennials.  I have over half an acre bordering on the national forest and am making good progress towards an all-native landscape, except for my flower gardens which have some non-native perennials.

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