We are proud to shine a light on something we believe is worth celebrating: the women who are doing the hands-on, boots-in-the-soil, data-in-the-spreadsheet work of conservation at Southern Highlands Reserve. Our team reflects a growing truth — that women are more engaged in environmental sciences and landscape architecture – and we are grateful to work alongside each of them.
Jan Hardin: Communications & Engagement Manager
Jan Hardin joined Southern Highlands Reserve in May 2026 as our Communications and Engagement Manager, and she brings with her a career that has been rooted in environmental science from the start. Jan has a degree in Environmental Conservation from the University of Colorado. Before coming to SHR, Jan built a successful career in the recycling sector — work that required the same combination of mission, community, and persistence that conservation demands. Her interest in native plants has been a constant thread throughout, and it was her love of the Southern Appalachian Mountains that drew her to put down roots in this region. In her role, Jan stewards our voice across newsletters, social media, events, and visitor communications — helping ensure that the people who care about this place feel genuinely connected to its work. Away from the office, Jan’s favorite pursuits include hiking with hound dogs, live music, and yoga.
Vera Volin: Gardener
Vera Volin comes to us from Georgia, where she was a Horticulture Groundskeeper at Chattahoochee Technical College. She earned a degree in Applied Science in Horticulture from Chattahoochee Tech and is an active member of the Georgia Native Plant Society. That combination — rigorous horticultural training and a deep, personal investment in native plants — makes her exactly the kind of gardener SHR is built around. In addition to being a lifelong gardener, Vera is also a fungi enthusiast (aka a mycophile), forager, hiker, amateur photographer, and cook. She loves spending time at home with her cat. We are grateful she found her way to our mountain.
Emily Cobb: Seasonal Gardener
Emily Cobb grew up in Concord and now calls Cullowhee home. She graduated from Western Carolina University in late 2025 with a Bachelor of Science in Natural Resources, and she has been an indispensable part of our horticultural team ever since. Emily’s academic grounding in ecology, combined with her hands-on approach to the living collection, makes her exactly the kind of practitioner conservation needs: rigorous, curious, and genuinely in love with the work. Away from the garden, she is a percussionist and an avid birder. When she is not behind a kit, you will likely find her somewhere on a mountain trail with binoculars around her neck, adding to her bird list.
Pricilla Ruiz & Laura Harvey: Summer Interns
This summer we are joined by two interns who bring energy, curiosity, and a genuine love of this work.
Pricilla Ruiz is back for her second season at Southern Highlands Reserve, and we could not be more excited to have her. A native of Brevard — just down the mountain from us. She is going into her third year at NC State University studying Horticulture Science and Landscape Architecture, and the blend of scientific rigor and design sensibility she is developing there is already evident in her work at the Reserve. When she is not in the garden, you can find her relaxing by a body of water or carving down snowy slopes.
Laura Harvey joins us for the first time this summer, coming to us from Georgia where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science and a minor in English from Georgia College and State University. Laura brings hands-on experience from her time as an intern at Lockerly Arboretum — one of Georgia’s finest public gardens — so she arrives at SHR with a genuine feel for what it means to care for a living collection. Laura enjoys reading, hiking, and taking photos of plants and mushrooms. We are delighted to welcome her to the mountain.
We are proud of this team. We are proud of what it represents. And we look forward to introducing these remarkable women to many of you throughout the season.