Kathy Harrington

Plant Sales Chairperson & Board Member

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Kathy Harrington serves on the SCNPS Upstate Board of Directors as the Chairperson for the Plant Sale Standing Committee.. Outside of the South Carolina Native Plant Society, Harrington is a retired pharmacist and mother of two daughters.

In addition to her leadership roles within SCNPS, Kathy also volunteers on the Greenhouse Gang, a group responsible for the propagation of several thousand plants a year from seed, cuttings, or rootings. She also volunteers on the Society’s Maintenance and Operations Team which looks after plants in the nursery once they are mature enough to leave the greenhouse

Kathy’s Backstory:

In 2016, Kathy started visiting the Upstate Greenhouse and purchasing native plants. From there, she became a volunteer and then decided she wanted to get more involved with the Society.

It was then that Kathy officially took on the role of Chairperson for the Plant Sale. The 2019 Plant Sale was the first year that she headed the event solo.

“I am glad that I did it, I learned a lot,” said Kathy.

Kathy’s career skills include knowing the nuts and bolts of inventory control. Combining those skills with additional expertise in marketing and information systems, Kathy is well suited to the task and does an outstanding job of coordinating our plant sales.events to run smoothly.

Several hundred people usually show up to the plant sale and Harrington plays an integral role in helping to facilitate the process of helping people make an enjoyable time of selecting the right plants for the right place, check-out, load, and on their way.

Kathy’s has a dedication to continuous improvement and she’s been a pivotal leader during the Coronavirus in ensuring the Society continues to provide this valuable service to our community.  She is currently spearheading the implementation of the SQUARE.COM platform for order processing and payment that has proven a tremendous benefit this year.  . The sales events are staffed by volunteers dedicated to the mission statement of the South Carolina Native Plant Society. The goal in hosting plant sale events is to educate the community on the important conservation role of native plants, and in making these plants available.

“I have really enjoyed my interaction with customers, even though emails and calls,” Kathy says “They are so enthusiastic about plants and typically will show up with all sorts of wagons, their kids, and dogs creating a lively environment while they’re shopping around for plants. .”

In her time working with the plant sale, Harrington has been able to meet people from students to landowners who end up walking away with truckloads of plants.