Born in Nashville, TN 1969; "Naturalized" Texan 1981
Writer, Speaker, Environmental Educator, Green Living Guru, Native Plant Specialist, Green Marketing Strategist, Business Manager
Work History
2002-Present Nativedave.com!
Creates and maintains all written content of blogs, articles, marketing campaigns, and much of web content and business correspondence.
Has and continues to create and deliver hundreds of speaking programs about native plants, sustainable landscaping and living, our mobile odyssey.
Assists the designer during the design process and coordinates packages from initial contact through delivery.
Creates and manages office systems in an energy- and resource-efficient, chemical-free environment.
Pursues mission of making positive changes through activism and participation. Involved in several volunteer projects including school gardens, non-profit organizations and Habitat for Humanity.
2003 hiatus, Nursery Assistant/Inventory Specialist with The Gourd Garden And Curiosity Shop, Santa Rosa Beach, Florida.
Responsible for stocking and tracking inventory of plants and other nursery items, and curiosity shop wares, as well as selling them. The Gourd Garden was an iconic shopping destination beloved by locals and tourists. It was featured in several national and local magazines (I was a the "model" in one article) and specialized in native coastal plants.
1999-2002 Collin College, Plano, Texas
Recruitment Coordinator/Adjunct Faculty. Primary function as recruitment coordinator was to deliver numerous programs to prospective and new students. Audiences included high school students, parents, and members of the community of all ages. Assumed leadership roles on the Education Committee of the Plano Chamber of Commerce and a trade organization, and represented the college district in the Collin County Hispanic and Wylie Chambers of Commerce. As adjunct faculty, taught all levels of developmental writing to college-age students.
Skills
Writing
Public Speaking
Basic computer proficiency: Word, Excel, Publisher, Powerpoint; also, Quickbooks for business
Social media savvy: actively use Facebook, Twitter, Blogger
Knowledgable of native plants, environmental topics relevant to Texas, sustainable landscaping and living.
Awards
2006 Urban Forestry Council Award, Project Post Oak, City of Denton
2007 D Magazine Flower Power and Best Native Plants and Landscaping Awards, Best of Everything edition
2006-2010 City of Dallas Water-Wise Landscape Contest winners
2007 Florida Native Plant Society 1st place Residential Landscape Design Award
2007 Environmental Steward Award, City of Plano
2011 Leadership Support Award, Keep Denton Beautiful
2001-Present Numerous Yard of the Month recognitions in various cities across DFW
Notable Projects
Schroeder Park, Lockhart, Texas
Park Meadows Prairie Restoration (Private Residence), Dallas, Texas
Prairie Creek Baptist Church, Plano, Texas
Denton Recycling Facility, Denton, Texas
Copano Bay Coastal Gardens (Private Residence), Rockport, Texas
Project Post Oak, Denton, Texas
Notable Presentations/Workshops
2011 Keep Texas Beautiful Conference: Co-presenter with Aimee Bissett, Program Manager of Keep Denton Beautiful, about successful partnerships between public and private entities
2011 Denton Redbud Festival: Presenter about sustainable landscaping for Denton County, TX
2007 Texas State Universty-San Marcos: Presenter about water conservation by way of sustainable landscaping
2006 City of Plano Community Awards: Keynote speaker about combining environmentalism with volunteerism
2003-present Various chapters of Native Plant Society of Texas, Master Gardeners, local garden clubs, Earth Day/green living events, and other community-focused events and programs: Presenter and Co-presenter with David A. Ilfrey, Jr. about native plants, sustainable landscaping and living, and our mobile odyssey.
Education
1988 Plano East Senior High, Plano, Texas
1996 Collin College, Plano, Texas Associate of General Arts
1998 Texas State University-San Marcos, Texas Bachelor of Arts, English, with minor in Spanish. Also completed The Honors Program and was one of three finalists for commencement speaker.