SEATTLE, Wa. – March 19, 2026 – Seattle Botanic Gardens announced today the appointment of Dr. Christina Owen as its inaugural Chief Executive Officer.
“Dr. Owen brings rare credentials: she’s a research scientist, a seasoned nonprofit leader, a community builder, and a visionary who believes in the power of gardens to bring people together,” said Maribeth O’Connor, Board President. “After conducting a national search for a highly qualified and talented executive to lead this new initiative, the Board is excited and ready for what lies ahead.”
Dr. Owen holds a Ph.D. in plant evolution and genetics from the University of Washington, grounding her leadership in deep scientific fluency that informs every dimension of her work, from collection stewardship to conservation research strategy to science communication and education.
Since 2021, Dr. Owen has served as the Director of UW Botanic Gardens. During her five years, she worked quietly yet diligently to build on the relationships, trust, and organizational momentum needed to accomplish the establishment of Seattle Botanic Gardens, something that had eluded Seattle’s garden community for nearly a century.
Before entering the public garden world, Dr. Owen spent more than a decade at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation as a Senior Program Officer in Agricultural Development. She managed a $28 million initiative to investigate and develop practical solutions for whitefly superabundance in East Africa, work that had direct implications for food security for millions of smallholder farmers. She supported innovative approaches to agricultural pest and disease surveillance, cultivated co-funding ventures with public agencies in both the US and UK, and contributed to helping shape the Gates Foundation’s broader Research & Development strategy for Agricultural Development.
This philanthropic chapter gave Dr. Owen a systems-level understanding of how science, funding, community need, and institutional design must work together to produce lasting impact—and an appreciation for the kinds of structural and strategic changes that make transformation possible.
Seattle Botanic Gardens was formally established in January 2026, when the Arboretum Foundation and the University of Washington Botanic Gardens agreed to come together under a single nonprofit structure after 90 years of collaborative partnership. The agreement brings together the robust fundraising, advocacy, and volunteer network of the Arboretum Foundation with the horticultural expertise, public programming, and conservation research of the UW Botanic Gardens.
“We have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to build something extraordinary for Seattle—a destination botanic garden that provides an exemplary visitor experience, meaningful research, and truly inclusive access to some of our city’s most treasured green spaces,” said Dr. Owen. “I am deeply honored by the Board’s confidence and cannot wait to work alongside this community.”
About Seattle Botanic Gardens
Seattle Botanic Gardens cares for the Washington Park Arboretum, Seattle Japanese Garden, and Center for Urban Horticulture—bringing together world-class plant collections, cutting-edge research, and vibrant public programming. As a nonprofit organization, in partnership with the University of Washington, Seattle Parks and Recreation, and Tribal Leaders, we are dedicated to bringing plants and people together to cultivate a more sustainable, inspired, and just community.
More information about Seattle Botanic Gardens, and its future, will be revealed in the coming months.
Media Contact
Kristina Ciari, Interim Communications Director, Arboretum Foundation
