Meet our Board of Directors
Our Board provides the leadership to accomplish the mission of our Foundation and sets priorities in pursuit of our vision. When not performing Foundation duties, you will find them in the gardens and at various Master Gardener events.
President
Ettore Castellente
Ettore is a retired career fire chief and paramedic with 34 years of service and currently serves as a fire commissioner in Douglas County. He graduated from his MG basic training and internship in 2018. He is a current co-coordinator for the Bridge of Friendship Japanese Garden in East Wenatchee. Ettore is currently serving as president on our Foundation Board.
Vice President
Linda Morse
Linda is a retired high school teacher. Born and raised in Leavenworth, Linda recently moved back to the Wenatchee area. Her previous gardening experience was in Kingston, Washington where she was the plant sale chair for 6 years. Linda loves traveling, exploring the backwoods trails and roads, and anything to do with plants and gardening. Linda is currently serving on the Foundation Board as vice president.
Treasurer
Stephenie Santa Cruz
Stephenie Santa Cruz is a nurse with a passion for gardening and teaching. She has tended a backyard garden for 4 years and runs a small grow room for seedlings that she uses to trade for other seedlings. She enjoys researching gardening strategies, including reading books and watching videos to help troubleshoot problems in her garden. She is impressed with the public education/community education-based approach of the Program. She looks forward to working and volunteering in the community with others who share her love of gardening. Stephenie is currently serving as treasurer on the Foundation board.
Secretary
Marilee Smith-Lorenson
Marilee became interested in gardening after moving into a new home surrounded by dirt that desperately needed a plan. She learned through a series of classes offered by Master Gardeners to make that dirt into good soil and plant the right plants in the right places and became a Master Gardener herself in 2022 with still very much to learn. She’s a part of the 3rd Saturday education committee and helps with Natives ’n More at the Community Education Garden. She is serving as secretary on the Foundation Board.
Director At Large
Position 1
Debbie Fisch
Debbie has been actively learning about the Master Gardener program by volunteering for seeding, transplanting, and helping with the plant sale as well as working in the Farmers Market booth, the Waterville Fair, the Community Education Garden, and the Plant Diagnosis Clinic. She is looking forward to learning more about the program as a whole while serving on the Foundation Board.
Director At Large
Position 2
Diane Lee
Diane Lee is recently retired and new to the Wenatchee valley. Her experience with gardening has been a hobby and she now wants to learn the science associated with growing and have less trial and error! Her passion is flowers but she is interested in container gardening and growing in small places. Diane serves on the Foundation Board as director at-large.
Immediate Past President
June McCann
June became a Master Gardener in 2012. The first project she worked on was Homer’s Garden, a garden dedicated to the man who had the idea for an education garden. June has worked on many projects in the past 10 years, been coordinator for the Native Plant Garden and now is in charge of the Butterfly Garden. June is currently serving on the Foundation Board as past president.