Clara Gaona

An integral part of the SHR family, Clara Gaona describes working at the Southern Highlands Reserve as a pleasure .... “to be surrounded by nature and working with friends.” Clara has been here since the beginning. She planted the first plant in the Core Park, a hydrangea at Vaseyi Pond.

Originally from California, Clara has lived in western North Carolina  for the past 14 years, in the Silversteen Community, where she and her husband, Jack Owen, have always grown the tallest, sweetest corn, the biggest and reddest tomatoes, taters the size of small watermelons and beans that nearly ran to the next county.

Blessed with an infectious smile and a sweet manner, Clara is always a pleasure to work with. Proud of a job well done, she likes nothing better than to work on a project until she has polished and preened it to perfection.