Margaret Oakley has worked in the environmental field for fifteen years, forging connections between people and the ecosystems of Los Angeles. With a B.A. from UCLA, her career started in the Water Program of the Natural Resources Defense Council. She went on to study sustainable landscape design and founded Oakley Gardens in 2008, working on numerous residential design projects across Los Angeles County, with work featured by Garden Betty, Houzz, and the LA Times. She consulted for California State Parks, contributing to the design and implementation of the native wetland for the 2017 re-opening of Los Angeles State Historic Park, and also worked with community members to revamp the native gardens at Rio de Los Angeles State Park. She consulted for the California State Parks Foundation for eight years, educating community volunteers about biodiversity and habitat restoration. Margaret coordinated the Theodore Payne Foundation’s Native Plant Garden Tour from 2011-2020, and co-produced and co-hosted Season One of the experimental internet show Poppy Hour. Margaret has an art practice which explores the intersections of Art and Ecology. She earned her MFA in Studio Art from UC Irvine and is an Adjunct Professor in the Art Department at Santa Monica College.