About DC Natives

DC Natives supports a healthy climate by increasing pollinator habitats and creating the local beauty we believe every resident deserves.

DC Natives is a step by step approach to creating habitats. Every small project contributes to a beautiful, aggregated whole. DC Natives hopes these gardens will foster a love of gardening and a deeper understanding of the environmental significance of pollinators. We offer the gardens as a vehicle to help bridge communities, underscoring the shared environment that connects us and the importance of collaboration to improve it.

Our Team

DC Natives is a city-wide collaboration. We respond to local need and the direction of our neighborhood partners.

Thorne Rankin

Thorne is a DC native with many years of experience in landscape design and project management. She brings a broad knowledge of the local natural environment, the importance of pollinators and has witnessed the evolution of many local neighborhoods.

Board of directors

Our board includes community leaders, gardening enthusiasts, and environmentally-minded advocates.

Noorjahan Akbar

A resident of Washington, DC since 2014, Noorjahan is a communications and advocacy expert with more than a decade of work in nonprofits advancing human rights. She was drawn to DC Natives because of the organization’s commitment to build community as well as beauty in the city. Noorjahan lives in ward 4 where she grows a native pollinator garden to keep alive the memory of her father who instilled a love of nature in her from a young age. Her other hobbies include hiking with her dog Suki, reading novels that make the heart ache, and browsing plant shops.

Josh Bayard

Josh Bayard is a resident of Historic Anacostia in Ward 8. Josh has always been drawn to the outdoors whether that be in the water, hiking in the mountains, or trekking through the hills, deserts, and prairies. Josh has built and maintained a home garden in Anacostia, has worked in various community gardens, and volunteers with the National Park Service as a Weed Warrior in Anacostia Park. Josh is a member of the Anacostia Garden Club, a DC Master Gardener, a DC Master Naturalist, and Certified Pollinator Steward from the Pollinator Partnership. He hopes to educate members of the community and reconnect them with the soil, so that vegetable and pollinator gardens become more common & food insecurities are reduced.

Lia Cheek

Lia Cheek has been a resident of Deanwood since 2018 and works as the Senior Director for Eastern region at The Wilderness Society and recipient of the Mardie Murie Rising Leaders Award. Lia is a returned Peace Corps Philippines volunteer and is excited to contribute to her community through serving on the DC Natives board. Lia loves spending time outside and can be usually found in her garden, with a book, or planning her next trekking, traveling, or diving adventure

Synta Keeling

Synta Keeling, a Virginia native, is a longtime resident of Ward 7’s Capitol View neighborhood. Having worked for the federal government for more than fourteen years, her professional background includes work in Asian American civil rights, immigration, labor, and administrative law. A lifelong gardener, she has a passion for community development in Anacostia River communities, sustainable practices, urban agriculture, and native pollinator gardens. Before joining the board, Ms. Keeling served as a DC Natives Block Captain where she enjoys working with other DC residents to install pollinator gardens that beautify the District and help to create a resident led carbon sink District-wide.

Julie Lawhorn

Originally from North Carolina, Julie Lawhorn has lived in northeast Washington, DC for over ten years. Julie started planting flowers around her apartment building with cuttings shared by friends and family. She enjoys learning the names of native pollinator plants, sharing plants, and meeting neighbors through DC Natives. Julie has over fifteen years of experience in government and non-profit positions.

Hollis Luzecky

Hollis is a DC resident and environmental lawyer. She is an enthusiastic nature lover and enjoys sharing this passion with others. She is also a DC Natives Block Captain in Ward 5 and a DC Master Gardener.

Rodrick West

Rodrick West has been a resident of the Capitol View neighborhood in Ward 7 since 2018 and works in healthcare finance as a Senior Financial Analyst at Georgetown University Hospital. He is a master gardener and a Riversmart Homes Ambassador. In 2024, he was the recipient of the DC Watershed Champion Award from the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay. As an avid gardener he has helped to foster a sense of community in his neighborhood and inspired his neighbors to get outside to grow gardens of their own.

Advisory Board Members

Our board is supported and advised by community leaders, industry experts, and advocates aligned with DC Natives mission and vision.

Zerline Hughes

Zerline Hughes Spruill lives in Ward 7, steps from the nation’s only national park devoted to aquatic plant life, is a member of the Eastland Gardens Civic Association, the Eastland Gardens Flower Club, and has served as a DC Natives block captain since 2020. She comes to DC Natives with a background in journalism and social justice communications having worked with grassroots, local, and national organizations as communications director. Zerline is also a published writer and Zumba Fitness instructor.