Dawn Vaessen has been a high school social studies teacher for the past 10 years with the Calgary Catholic School District. She earned her BA. and B.Ed. from the University of Saskatchewan. In 2006, Dawn completed the Master Gardener training program at the Calgary Zoo under the tutelage of horticulturalist and CBC radio personality, Jeff De Jong. Alongside Namaka Ridge Tree Farm, Dawn developed two successful gardening seminars in the Spring of 2007.