The Team

Rachel – Director of Organic Management 

Rachel grew to love plants in the forests of West Michigan, tagging along on hikes and field trips with her botanist father. She followed her passion for restoration in college studying biology, environmental studies and Spanish. She spent her summers researching birds, working with a restoration nonprofit, teaching high schoolers about urban sustainability efforts, playing basketball with friends and enjoying the great outdoors. Coming from a long line of educators, Rachel’s passion for teaching translates into her work with clients—she wants everyone, of all ages, to learn to pay attention and interpret the world around them. 

Rachel has been working as the Organic Management Director at Confidence Landscaping for two years after initially learning California ecology from teaching outdoor education in the mountains of Santa Cruz. She also works with California Native Garden Foundation as a volunteer leader and garden maintenance technician and returns to Michigan in the summer to lead a high school internship program in urban restoration. She is an avid hiker, camper, backpacker, beach volleyball and basketball player and lover of all things green. 

Marybeth – Organic Land Management Technician

Marybeth grew up in Michigan, where she spent the winters looking forward to spring gardening with her dad. She went on to pursue a degree in environmental studies at Calvin University out of a desire to find a career that would enable her to do something meaningful for the planet. During undergrad, she worked part-time at a local nursery and garden center, where her interest in plants blossomed into a deeper knowledge of gardening practices which she went on to apply in a variety of residential landscaping/fine gardening gigs over her summer breaks.

After moving to California, she got involved in volunteering with the California Native Garden Foundation, where she was introduced to the incredible biodiversity that California landscapes hold and the importance of restoring harmony in nature through native and ecologically sound gardening. She brings her hands-on experience and a growing understanding of sustainable gardening to the Organic Management team at Confidence, where she is grateful to work each day knowing that she is affecting positive change for the planet through organic gardening and client education.

B.A. Environmental Studies
2+ years Landscaping Experience

Ana – Organic Management Technician

Ana was born and raised in West Michigan, where she earned her B.S. in Biology and a minor in Spanish at Calvin University in 2021. She worked as a volunteer in her mother’s greenhouse, where she watered, played and learned to love plants. As an undergraduate, she spent her summers working for a non-profit initiative, where she worked in the design and implementation of a variety of green infrastructure projects. This grew her interest in environmental justice, community engagement and the importance of ecologically friendly landscape designs.

Ana is especially passionate about the use of native plants, and published her first peer reviewed journal article on the “Relative Success of Native Plants in Urban Curb-cut Rain Gardens” (Dec. 2021). She offers her fresh expertise to Confidence, and is excited to work and influence the incredibly diverse California landscapes.

B.S. Biology with honors
2+  years Landscaping Experience