Meet Our Team
Lara Lau-Schommer
Executive Director
Development & Strategy
Lara is dedicated to community-driven sustainability. With degrees in Political Science and Plant Biology, she brings extensive experience in green initiatives, urban farming, and public spaces. Lara’s collaborative leadership unites gardeners and environmental organizations to foster sustainable living. Based in Minneapolis, she balances professional dedication with family life, enjoying time with her husband and son while nurturing her own garden and community spaces.
Rebecca Swee
Communications + Marketing Director
Becky earned a B.A. in communications and journalism, wrote cutlines for National Geographic magazine and then managed membership communications and marketing at Seattle’s Woodland Park Zoo before joining MSHS in 2017. She is the editor of Northern Gardener® magazine.
Mary Riehle
Office Manager + Volunteer Coordinator
Until November 2022, Mary and her partner Joe Riehle ran Rolling Hills Ranch, a garden center and 60-member CSA, from their 9-acre farm in Corcoran. Though they have sold their farm and business, Mary retains a strong interest in all things hort. An active soprano soloist and cantor with several Twin Cities churches and choral organizations, she often walks her rescue dog, Milo, on the streets and trails around Lake Johanna.
Erik Bergstrom
Marketing Manager +
Digital Strategist
Erik hails from Richfield, Minnesota, where he lives with his wife, dog, two cats and a variety of outdoor critters. For the last decade, Erik has worked in digital marketing on both the client and agency side. His interest in gardening arose when he became aware of the need for more pollinator habitats around our urban areas. The first native plants he ever put in his yard came from two Pollinator Paks™.
Anna Marhefke
Programs + Marketing Coordinator
Anna moved to the Twin Cities from Ashland, WI, where she studied Sustainable Community Development and Sociology at Northland College. In the north woods, she gained an appreciation and understanding of the need for more sustainable food systems and public spaces in urban environments. She is passionate about cooking, eating, reading and being an intentional member of her community.
Clara Fuehler
QVS Fellow
Clara is excited to join the Northern Gardener team as this year’s Quaker Voluntary Service Fellow. Clara calls the North Carolina Piedmont home, and looks forward to this new season learning the landscape of the Twin Cities. A recent graduate of Guilford College, Clara can be found enjoying long walks, touring the art museums, and drinking a good cup of coffee. She will be serving as the community outreach and education associate..
Netanya Sadoff
Education + Marketing Support Intern
Netanya is a senior studying environmental communications and horticulture at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. A lifelong plant enthusiast, Netanya grew up gardening with their mother in their backyard in Eagan, Minnesota, before eventually going on to purchase their first community garden plot at the young age of 17. In college, they acquired an appreciation for small-space and container gardening as they adapted to their new apartment life. Professionally, Netanya strives to use creative communication strategies to make the world of gardening more accessible and welcoming to all. Some of their favorite garden-related topics include gardening history, backyard ecology, perennials, and edible landscaping. Besides gardening, Netanya enjoys spending their time birdwatching, foraging for mushrooms, trying new recipes in the kitchen, and watching nature documentaries with their cat.
Key Collaborators
Rose Daniels
Northern Gardener®
Creative Director
Rose heads a creative studio that focuses on design and art direction for clients like Bon Appetit magazine and Lakewinds Food Co-op. She loves tending to her houseplant jungle.
Debbie Lonnee
Northern Gardener®
Horticultural Editor
After earning a B.S. in Horticulture from the University of Minnesota, Debbie spent first 13 years managing a large Twin Cities garden center. For the last 30 years, she’s worked at Bailey Nurseries, first as a production coordinator working primarily with the perennial and bedding plant crops, as well as roses and woody plants. In January 2015 she became their Product Development Manager, responsible for Bailey’s new breeding farm in Georgia as well as working with breeders around the world, bringing new plants to Bailey brands.
Susan Barbieri
Northern Gardener®
Copy Editor
Susan has been a features editor, copy editor and writer for a variety of publications, including the Star Tribune, Minnesota Monthly and Pioneer Press. A native of Zone 6 (Detroit), her newspaper career took her to Zone 10 (San Francisco) and Zone 9b (Orlando). She inherited a green thumb from her grandmother, who had the most glorious garden in Black River Falls, Wis., when Susan was growing up. When she’s not chasing off rabbits, researching rabbit-resistant plants, and applying rabbit repellents, Susan works on filling her large St. Paul yard a few plants at a time.
Betsy Pierre
Ad Sales Manager
Betsy is a pro when it comes to all things advertising. If you own a greenhouse, landscape nursery, floral design, landscape design or green service business, Betsy can help you find the most effective channels to market your services to our growing northern gardener community.
Amy Bjellos
Ad Trafficker
Coming soon!
Joe Luca
Northern Gardener® Newsstand Consultant
Coming soon!
Jennifer Halcrow
Grantwriter
Coming soon!
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