Kathryn Carlson
President
Kathryn Carlson is a Senior Product Manager for Worldwide Sustainability at Amazon, focused on building sustainability solutions. After graduating from Seattle Pacific University, she joined Amazon where she’s spent the last 12 years in roles across recruiting, trade-in, returns, physical stores, and AWS. She is a native of Kirkland, where she still lives today with her husband and miniature goldendoodle. Outside of work, she loves gardening and traveling.
Tere Kaulfus
Vice President
A lover of gardening who settled in the Pacific Northwest in 2014, Tere is a board member and past president of the Northwest Perennial Alliance (NPA). Formerly a physical therapist, Tere now devotes her time to community volunteering and leadership. She passionately leads the volunteer team at the NPA Perennial Border and manages NPA Plant Sales throughout the year. She serves on multiple BBGS committees, leads classes at BBG for adults, and assists with the Living Lab program. When she isn’t volunteering, Tere spends her time gardening at home, experimenting with vegan recipes, and enjoying time with her husband, Daniel, and their family.
Raymond Lai
Treasurer
Raymond Lai brings over a decade of experience in operational excellence, supply chain improvement, and cross-functional collaboration, with international exposure from having lived in Malaysia, Singapore, and the United Kingdom. He is currently a Senior Product Manager in Supply Chain Optimization Technologies at Amazon. A Cornell University graduate, Raymond also holds a master’s degree in logistics and supply chain management from Cranfield University in the UK and is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP). Passionate about community and the environment, Raymond speaks English, Mandarin Chinese and Spanish, and enjoys volunteering at the Bellevue Botanical Garden. In his free time, he also enjoys hiking throughout the Pacific Northwest, cooking dishes inspired by global cuisines, and tending to his collection of plants at home.
Heather Burkey
Secretary
Heather Burkey is a native of Seattle and graduated from UW with a BA in Business Administration. After working over ten years in tech-related fields, Heather switched gears and began volunteering in various capacities at her kids’ schools, including volunteer coordinator, track coach, parent association president, and ex officio school board member. In 2015, she joined the board of a global-brand retail fixture and kiosk company started by her dad in 1971, until its sale in 2017. Above everything else, her passion is working in her yard – or anyone else’s yard if they let her. Through all seasons, you can find her moving plants, making new garden beds, and fixing irrigation. Her other interests include pottery, basic silversmithing, and print-making.
Jody Anderson
Jody Anderson grew up on a wheat and lentil farm in the Palouse region of Northern Idaho. Degrees in psychology and counseling and raising a family temporarily took her away from the soil, but the Environmental Horticulture program at LWIT rekindled the passion. Now as a garden coach, Jody has a passion for helping her clients create beautiful gardens that work with the environment to infiltrate stormwater and create wildlife habitat around their homes.
Koni Braman
Koni Braman is a PNW native with a passion for the outdoors. She spent her childhood camping, boating, and downhill skiing across Washington and Idaho. She attended the University of Washington and has spent her career in Specialty Retail working for Starbucks, Amazon, and REI. In her current role at REI, she is responsible for Real Estate, Design, Construction, and Facilities. Koni currently divides her time between Mercer Island and Lake Chelan with her husband, Don, and yellow Labrador, Charlie. In her free time, Koni enjoys being on the water as well as hiking, camping, skiing, reading, and knitting.
Jim Livingston
Jim Livingston has had broad involvement with the Society and the Garden since 2017. He previously served on the board of directors from 2018 to 2021, is a current member of the Garden Development Committee, and is an active volunteer who has done extensive work in the Garden. Jim graduated with a BS in Computer Science and over the following 15 years, he was a software developer and development manager. In 1987, Jim moved with his family to Bellevue where he joined Microsoft in 1992, working in software development and system design, primarily in the Windows organization. After 20 years at Microsoft, Jim retired in 2012.
Miriam McCarthy
Miriam McCarthy was born in the Philippines, grew up in Hawaii, and settled in Washington after graduating from Seattle University. She left her job at an engineering firm to become a full-time mom when her daughter Marika was born. She was an involved volunteer at her children’s schools, church, and community organizations. Miriam started volunteering at the Bellevue Botanical Garden in 2019 with Garden d’Lights and later took the lead on the Aquarium Display. In 2023, she was one of the original volunteers who helped launch the Garden Greeter Program. In her spare time, you’ll find Miriam in the kitchen trying out new recipes or tending to her gardens. Her husband Steve describes her as “a frustrated suburban farmer.” She also enjoys watching sports — especially football and baseball — with her son Liam.
Lindsey Schwartz
Lindsey Schwartz has worked for Schwartz Brothers Restaurants since 1980 and currently serves as Executive Chair of the company. He also serves on the boards of several companies in the restaurant, CPG food, and technology industries, as well as advising others in those fields. He has also served on nonprofit boards in the local community. Lindsey has a BA in Business Administration from the University of Southern California. He loves sports and the outdoors and has enjoyed many walks in the Garden over the past decade with his family, and especially his parents.
Elaine Woo
Elaine Woo grew up in Yakima surrounded by those who loved the natural world. She was an undergraduate at UC-Berkeley and later received a Master of Education Degree and Principal Certificate from the University of Washington. As Head Teacher, Principal, and District Program Manager, she collaborated with Seattle parents, district staff, local scientists, community leaders, and university science education professors to help secure funding to develop and implement a science program to bring high quality professional development and materials support for K-5 teachers. She joined the Board of Directors in 2023. In her spare time, she likes snow skiing, gardening, and traveling.
