Dr. Sarada Krishnan
Dr. Sarada Krishnan is Director of Horticulture and the Center for Global Initiatives at Denver Botanic Gardens where she is responsible for directing the design and maintenance of the horticulture displays and collections, and for developing and leading global projects.
Sarada has a Bachelor of Science degree in Horticulture from India, where her focus was on tropical horticulture. She has a Master of Science degree in Horticulture from Colorado State University, with a research focus on the propagation of native Colorado flora, specializing in plant tissue culture. Her doctorate research at University of Colorado, Boulder, focused on the conservation genetics of wild coffee (Coffea spp.) in Madagascar. She was at CSU from 1987-1989 working under the advisement of Dr. Harrison Hughes. She worked in the tissue culture lab on the 3rd floor of the Shepherdson Building and assisted Dr. Hughes with his Plant Propagation lab. She now serves as faculty affiliate in the Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture.
Sarada owns coffee plantations in the Blue Mountains of Jamaica. She serves on several local, state and national boards. In December 2016, Sarada was nominated to serve on USDA’s National Genetic Resources Advisory Council. In collaboration with the Global Crop Diversity Trust and World Coffee Research, she serves as the coffee expert in the development of the Global Strategy for Conservation of Coffee Genetic Resources, to be released soon.
She has two grown children aged 24 and 21, one of them a graduate of CSU with a degree in Economics. As a Colorado resident for 30+ years, she enjoys the CO outdoors and is passionate about local wildflowers and hiking. This winter season, she took up skiing after a hiatus of almost 25 years. Sarada loves traveling and exploring other cultures and landscapes.