Staff

Becky Rice was hired as executive director in December 2007. She has an undergraduate degree in Business Finance and graduate work toward a Masters in Business Administration from the Carlson School of Management. She brings a background in fund development and finance with more than twenty years in nonprofit management positions - most recently working with community organizers at MICAH. Becky built her first raingarden after a neighbor shared the information he'd received at a Metro Blooms Raingarden Workshop.

Michael has a Bachelors in Environmental Design and a Masters of Landscape Architecture from the University of Minnesota's College of Design. Previous to his work with Metro Blooms, Michael was a landscaping contractor. His built work has been featured on HGTV's Curb Appeal, the 2009 Anchor Block Product Catalog, and at the Walker Art Center. Michael designs raingardens, presents raingarden workshops, and provides oversight for Metro Blooms raingarden installation projects, including the Powderhorn Lake: Neighborhood of Raingardens. In his free time, Michael enjoys kayaking on the Mississippi River and Lake Superior.

Bryan graduated with his Masters in Landscape Architecture from the University of Minnesota. He received top honors for his Master’s Thesis Project on repurposing old iron-ore infrastructure for the 21st century. He has a BS in Environmental Policy and Natural Resources from the University of Minnesota as well, studying water quality and sustainable development issues in China. Bryan served an internship at the Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources as a Wetland Monitoring intern and served with the National Park Service as an Air Quality Monitoring intern in the Smoky Mountains. He also worked for the Metropolitan Design Center, working on stormwater and streetscape improvements for Dayton, MN and the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood in Minneapolis.

Sam holds Master’s degrees in landscape architecture and urban planning with a focus on low impact development, garden design, and stormwater modeling. Sam formerly worked at the Washington Conservation District designing stormwater best management practices (BMP), native plantings, and shoreline restorations. Sam also has experience facilitating design and planning workshops, coordinating public participation efforts, and creating maps, planning documents, and project reports.

Deborah was hired as administrative assistant in June 2008. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education and has completed post-graduate work towards licensures in Special Education and Family Education from the University of Minnesota. She has 20+ years experience working as a professional educator in both public and private settings and formerly worked full time for the St. Paul Public Schools as a teacher in Special Education. This background as an educator serves her well in collaborating with team members and responding to staff and client needs. Deborah enjoys learning about gardening and recently installed a raingarden to manage the stormwater on her property. She has interests in music, yoga and enjoys the outdoors.

Barbara joined the team in July 2011. She had been serving on Metro Bloom’s Fundraising Committee since 2010. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Social Work from Luther College. Her strong business background was put to good use as a Regional Manager for the past 17 years for a multi-site retail operation. Responsibilities ranged from site selection, store roll-out, marketing, hiring, customer relations and getting 130 employees to work every day. Additionally, her work with donor solicitation, special event logistics and volunteer management for various non-profit organizations have been a part of her life since relocating from Chicago 25 years ago. She embraces all the seasons with competitive sailing to cross country ski races to picking flowers in her garden!

Nick joined Metro Blooms in October of 2011 as a MN Greencorps Member, which is an Americorps program through the MPCA. He studied Environmental Science and Reconciliation Studies at Bethel University. His professional journey has brought him from the U of M's Cedar Creek to Belize, where he worked with CCSP, a study abroad program pertaining to ecology and sustainable development. Between these he has developed a passion for unveiling the intricate connections between people and land. His work at Metro Blooms will organize and map existing storm water management plans, design and implement a raingarden education program with Minneapolis schools, as well as assist in kindling engaging community outreach. Keep an eye out for the Metro Blooms blog... word has it he's got a lot to post. Also... his favorite plants are Big Blue Stem and Wild Lupine!

Colleen is completing dual Masters degrees in Landscape Architecture and Urban & Regional Planning at the University of Minnesota. She received a merit award for her capstone project designing green infrastructure for a downtown Saint Paul brownfield. While a student she has also worked with the City of Saint Paul Planning department on Central Corridor projects; with the Center for Urban and Regional Affairs on conservation development; and with the National Park Service on the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway. Prior to life as a graduate student Colleen worked eight years with the U.S. Peace Corps, including two years as a volunteer in Turkmenistan teaching health and environmental education. Her family owned and operated O'Dell landscaping in North Minneapolis. She is working with Metro Blooms on researching the feasibility of a regional green infrastructure maintenance program.