Madena moved to the Mojave Desert from Los Angeles in 2016 for her dream job; managing MDLT’s Native Plant Restoration Nursery, Mojave Desert Seed Bank, herbarium, and living collections. She has over fifteen years of experience working with California native plants and has always had a fondness for desert plants. Prior to joining MDLT, she was director of horticulture at the Theodore Payne Foundation for Wild Flowers and Native Plants, where she oversaw their nursery, seed program, bulb program, and