The Upstate Chapter is thrilled to welcome three new Board-level members.
- Lauren Winter will be our new Membership Chair.
- Heather Philips is joining the Program Committee and will be transitioning into Chairing that committee in 2024.
- Likewise Phillip Adams is currently “shadowing” our Treasurer and will be assuming those duties in 2024.
We welcome them all aboard!
- Lauren Winter
will be our new Membership Chair. She lives in Greenville with her husband Neil and two-year-old daughter, Ada. She moved here in 2019 from Portland, Oregon to be closer to family, and loves calling it home. She worked as a clothing designer and small business owner for nearly ten years, designing and sewing womenswear under her own name, until she closed the business in 2022 to focus on being a mom.
Lauren loves rollerblading and reading (her favorite book is Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell) and gardening. New to the gardening world, she is passionate about providing habitat for the wildlife around her. That passion led her to learn about the benefits and beauty of native plants, and she’s excited to be a part of the Native Plant Society!
- Heather Phillips
is joining the Program Committee and will be transitioning into the Program Chair role in early 2024. Heather is a Western Tennessee native who has lived all over the Southeast for the last 20 years. She holds a degree in Media Arts & Design from James Madison University and works at Tiller, Inc. as a Customer Success Manager and Product Owner. She is a seasoned event planner, having been the Lead Organizer for the Charlottesville Vegetarian Festival and the Executive Director of the Charlottesville Earth Week Eco Fair for two seasons during 2015-2017.
Her love for plants began in middle school when she started helping her parents run a landscaping business. Her interest in native plants blossomed when she learned how important they are for environmental protection and sustainability.
When Heather’s not out in the yard weeding garden beds or planting natives, you’ll find her out backpacking in the Blue Ridge Mountains.
- Phillip Adams
is currently working with our Upstate Treasurer, Jon Heiliger, to learn about the role; he will take the position over in 2024.
Phillip is a born and raised SC Native from Goose Creek. He attended Clemson University, studying bio-engineering and biochemistry before finally settling on computer science. At Clemson, he says, “I was fortunate to be a member of Tiger Band for some of the best years of Clemson football! And, I was also an active member of the national co-ed service fraternity, Alpha Phi Omega. The group organized tons of volunteer events that certainly kept us busy; I loved every minute of it!”
Since graduating in 2019, Phillip has been working as a remote employee for a bank, but he sorely missed getting involved in volunteering. After attending the Upstate Chapter’s Spring Native Plant Sale this year at Conestee Park, he decided to sign up to get involved. “I’m still learning about everything but I’m excited about helping out however I can!”
We are so grateful to you all, Lauren, Heather, and Phillip. Welcome to the SCNPS family!
