Portraits

Christy Smith

“I love Stanford’s open spaces, especially the Arboretum.  So many people seem to enjoy the cactus garden, and take the time to tell me. I feel very fortunate to be able to take care of this historic piece of campus.”

Christy Smith, Arizona Garden Coordinator and Manuscripts Accessioning Manager for Special Collections and University Archives

Christy Smith has been Stanford’s Arizona Garden Coordinator since 1999. She also works as the Manuscripts Accessioning Manager for Special Collections and University Archives, splitting the two positions 50/50. She manages a core group of about 15 volunteers—and a much larger group of occasional participants—who tend to the Cactus Garden. Christy has a degree from Yale, and teaches an annual class on Cacti and Succulents for the Foothill College horticulture program.

Her outside interests include gardening with her 5-year old daughter, playing with their two golden retrievers, hiking, and reading. “But reading is not really a hobby, it’s more like breathing.”

Photographed in the Arizona Garden on April 24, 2016.