Our Board

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Jessica Klein

Jessica brings over 20 years of passion, education, and community leadership to her role as Founder and Board President of Project Arboretum. Dedicated to preserving green spaces and connecting people with the green world, Jessica is also the owner of Hobart Farms Nursery, where she helps individuals, schools, and community centers design and plant thriving home gardens. Her deep roots in community horticulture and nonprofit work include co-founding the Master Gardener Groceries Program and sitting on school boards. While Hobart Farms Nursery boasts a wide variety of trees, shrubs, and houseplants, Jessica’s true love is rare heirloom produce and unusual edible plants. She walks the talk on her own organic vegetable farm, trialing hundreds of heirloom varieties to preserve rare cultivars. Jessica uses this hands-on research to teach locals how to choose resilient varieties for our distinct Pacific Northwest climate. Her work is profoundly inspired by a lifelong passion for the native plants, animals, ecological habitats, and Native cultures of the PNW.   

Jane Laredo

 I was born and raised in the southeast, U.S., and lived there until I joined the Marine Corps at 19 years old. I served as an active duty Marine for ten years. While in uniform, I lived all over the country and the world, moving every 1-2 years for the duration of my service. I got out in 2020 and started bouncing around the country on my accord. I started in Washington, D.C., then Manhattan, NY, then Los Angeles, California., and finally Washington state.

I moved to the west coast not knowing a single person for a few thousand miles in any direction. Project Arboretum has granted me one of my most treasured communities and continues to fill my cup every day that I put effort into it. I love the people I have met through PA, and am constantly so inspired and excited by the work there is to do around every new corner. I love learning more and more about the incredible people that PA allows me to cross paths with, and I am honored to get to call these folks my friends. 

At the moment, I’m a full-time student, studying music. When I’m not in class or playing outside, you can usually find me working at Hobart Farms Nursery!