Jesse Turner

Jesse Turner, son of Southern Highlands Reserve director, John Turner, has been a member of the Reserve design and implementation team from the first days of the project. By virtue of being a landscape architecture student at North Carolina State University while the Reserve was in its formative stages, Jesse was able not only to bring a youthful perspective but also the influence of his professors and associates to the Reserve. Jesse, who was instrumental in the physical and conceptual foundation of the Southern Highlands Reserve, spent many hours with his father and other members of the advisory team exploring the Reserve and weighing the many avenues to the way forward.

Early on, Jesse and a fellow student, Shawn Hatley, traveled across the United States visiting botanical gardens to gather ideas and best practices to use for the fledgling Southern Highlands Reserve.

Jesse helped develop the Southern Highlands Reserve plant accessions records database and continues to contribute with technical professional support.

Jesse holds a bachelors degree in Landscape Architecture from North Carolina State University. His past experiences include extensive involvement with community organizations both in the US and abroad. More recently, he played a key role in the design and implementation of the award winning North Carolina Museum of Art in Raleigh NC. Currently Jesse works as an independent consultant (JTLA) and is a Landscape Architect for the　Natural Learning Initiative   at NCSU. Currently, Jesse and his family live in Durham, NC. He continues to play an active role in the development of the Southern Highlands Reserve.