Holly Beer

Garden- and place-based education professional with an M.S. in Leadership for Sustainability Education and hands-on horticulture and ecological restoration experience.

Background spans developing and facilitating garden-based classroom curriculum, native ecosystem and watershed restoration, greenhouse/horticulture operations, and community and volunteer engagement — with additional program budget and vendor coordination experience to support the full lifecycle of a green schoolyards program, from design and funding through outdoor learning delivery.

Intern & Student Volunteer at Learning Gardens Laboratory (2024-10 – Present)

• Developed garden-based classroom curriculum as part of graduate coursework, connecting outdoor learning activities to core subject lessons for K-12 students.
• Developed an outreach plan and supported program events and logistics; built a grant-writing toolkit that standardized the proposal development process, reducing ramp-up time for future applications.
• Co-wrote two successful grant proposals totaling $175K in support of regenerative agriculture programming, continuing engagement beyond the internship term to support long-term fundraising strategy.

Crew Lead at Mad Hatter Garden Designs (2018-02 – 2018-09)

• Led a small landscaping and garden maintenance crew, coordinating daily work assignments and organic land care practices across client sites.

Landscaper at Amaranth Organic Gardening (2013-03 – 2014-03)

• Provided personalized organic gardening and landscaping services to 25 local residential clients, applying organic and regenerative growing practices across diverse home landscapes.

Sales & Inventory Assistant at Koida Greenhouse (2014 – 2015)

• Supported day-to-day greenhouse and horticulture operations while designing and implementing a facility-wide recycling station network, achieving up to a 50% reduction in landfill-bound waste.

Conservation Intern at West Multnomah Soil & Water Conservation District (2012 – 2012)

• Monitored native plant restoration projects and designed a pollinator-friendly planting plan; conducted water quality and forest condition surveys, compiling findings into conservation and management reports.

Forestry Intern at Ash Creek Forest Mgmt (2011 – 2012)

• Performed plant population surveys, site assessments, and native seed harvesting/propagation at active restoration sites.

Program & Budget Coordination at Yost Grube Hall Architecture (2018 – 2021)

• Established materials diversion systems for sample materials and office supplies; compiled reporting data for a JUST Label accountability application.

Program & Budget Coordination at Stumptown Coffee Roasters (2015 – 2017)

• Managed accounts payable and vendor invoicing while leading a company-wide sustainability audit; earned the company's Sustainability at Work award.

Program & Budget Coordination at PAE Consulting Engineers (2008 – 2010)

• Authored the firm's Green Team mission statement and led a waste-reduction initiative that cut paper waste 80% and food waste 60%.

M.S. in Leadership for Sustainability Education – Portland State University

Graduate Certificate in Sustainability – Portland State University

A.A.S. in Horticulture – Clackamas Community College

B.A. in English – University of Arkansas