Howard Pollack joined the Board of the Gardens in 2020 after first volunteering in the Gardens—primarily pulling weeds and learning the art of pruning trees. Since then, he has served on the Finance, Human Resources, and By-Laws Committees and is currently Chair of the Buildings and Grounds Committee. He also served a term as Vice President, a role he counts as a particular highlight of his board service.

​​In his professional life, Howard worked as a psychotherapist. Gardening became a welcome and grounding counterbalance to that deeply mental and emotional work. What began as an experiment in transforming a small backyard overrun with nasturtiums and weeds became a lasting passion. Upon retiring and moving to Fort Bragg with his wife, he sought both community and meaningful contribution, leading him to volunteer at the Gardens. The connection quickly took root.

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Howard is especially fond of the way the Gardens unfold—from the structured perennial borders at the entrance to the untamed drama of the Pacific coastline. Among his favorite plants are the prostrate fir with its striking blue cones, the graceful weeping katsura, the magnolias in bloom, and, of course, the glorious rhododendrons.

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He serves the Gardens out of a deep belief in giving back to the community he calls home—and because the beauty of the place is, quite simply, magnificent.