Climate & Sustainability

Leah Dowty: Championing student opportunities in marine and plant life 

Longtime volunteer and supporter of UC Santa Cruz, Leah Dowty, recently made a planned gift in memory of her parents, Don and Margene Burgoyne, which will establish endowed funds in support of student internships at the Seymour Marine Discovery Center and the Arboretum and Botanic Garden.

August 31, 2026

By Haneen Zain

For over 30 years, Santa Cruz has been home to Leah, and for her, supporting the University of California, Santa Cruz is simply an extension of supporting her community. The university is woven into the fabric of the county, driving world-class research, enriching community life, and creating unique opportunities for those who live and work here.  

Leah Dowty is a longtime supporter of UC Santa Cruz, volunteering over 720 hours of her time to the Seymour Marine Discovery Center and over 10 years of service at the Arboretum. Most recently, Dowty extended that generosity into her estate planning, creating a planned gift that will support student opportunities at both the Seymour Center and Arboretum in memory of her parents, Don and Margene Burgoyne. 

“They were the ones who inspired my love of learning by exposing my brother and I to the cultures of the world, encouraging us to stay curious and to seek a higher education,” Dowty said. 

Knowing what a huge difference Don’s degree in Agricultural Chemistry made in their lives, Don and Margene wanted the same opportunity for their kids. They set up college funds for both Leah and her brother who graduated from UCLA and Leah who would go on to graduate from UC Santa Barbara. 

“I want that spirit to live on through this gift,” Dowty said, “and I want to know that these organizations will thrive in this community, along with UC Santa Cruz and its students for generations to come.”

Dowty’s planned gift will establish two funds: the Don and Margene Burgoyne Endowment for the Seymour Marine Discovery Center and the Don and Margene Burgoyne Endowment for the Arboretum and Botanic Garden. Both institutions are self-funding and rely on contributions to continue their essential work.

The endowment for the Seymour Marine Discovery Center will provide flexible funding for the center’s student worker and internship programs. The endowment for the Arboretum will also support student worker and internship programs with the goal of inspiring students to pursue careers in agriculture and plant-related fields. 

Dowty emphasized that her generosity, both through her time and treasure, is a natural extension of her personal love for the ocean, marine life, the marine sciences, and for the environment. 

At the Seymour Center, Dowty was intrigued by how close the visitors got to marine life through the hands-on exhibits, from the touch tanks to the towering blue whale skeleton, Ms. Blue, to the live dolphin tank. That proximity to marine life, paired with the center’s hands-on volunteer opportunities, drew Dowty deeper into the world of marine science. She eventually became a docent, leading visitors and their families on tours, answering questions, and sharing her growing knowledge of marine animals and the current research the university was participating in. 

“When you become a docent and actually take people on tours, you’re constantly learning and keeping up with the latest scientific research,” Dowty said. “It’s a rewarding experience to have visitors and their families observe marine life up close and it gives them the opportunity to ask questions. Hopefully you’re influencing them to pursue more information, or to think about the environment and why it’s so important to preserve it.”

Dowty’s connection to the Arboretum stems from her lifelong love of gardening. After discovering the volunteer program, she found an outlet that deepened that passion learning about succulents, California native plants and other plant life from the knowledgeable staff and fellow volunteers. They also taught me about crafting with plants; making wreaths, dish gardens and terrariums.

Dowty’s decades-long career in philanthropy, beginning at the UC Santa Barbara Foundation and continuing at institutions like the Santa Barbara Museum of Art, shaped how she approaches her own giving. Through that work, she came to see philanthropy as a way to bring people together over shared goals. She learned that by giving steadily over time, even in small amounts, donors could help achieve big outcomes, and that belief guided much of her giving over the years through consistent, annual contributions. 

Over time, her career also shaped how she thinks about donor recognition and creating a legacy by giving, an idea that carries through in her more recent planned gift honoring her parents.

Dowty’s father, Don, was a World War II veteran, drafted into the army at 18 years-old and deployed to work as a medic in Europe and North Africa. Her mother, Margene, worked as a bank teller, and when Don returned from his tour in 1945, they married. Don took advantage of the newly passed GI bill, enrolling in Iowa State University and completing a Master’s degree in agricultural chemistry in less than five years. He was the first person in the Burgoyne family to earn a college degree and began his career in Delaware with the E.I. Dupont Corporation, Agricultural Division.

The Burgoynes moved often, based on Don’s assignments, and Don was on the road often serving growers and farmers in 7 western states including Idaho, Oregon, Washington, California, Arizona, Utah and Hawaii. The Burgoyne family spent 4 years in Hawaii where Don had clients in the Sugar Cane and Pineapple industries. In Hawaii Leah developed her interest and love for the ocean and sea life that would last her a lifetime.

After graduating from UC Santa Barbara, Dowty took a job as an administrative assistant for the newly formed UC Santa Barbara Foundation, working alongside the Foundation’s newly hired director of development. Though she had no prior background in philanthropy, she had the opportunity to sit in on the training program being built for the Foundation’s new development staff. That experience became her hands-on introduction to the field. From there, she moved into a role as a development officer at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art.

Along the way, life brought her north to the Gilroy and Morgan Hill area, closer to family. As soon as she had the opportunity, she made her way back to the coast, a place she’d always been drawn to, eventually settling in Santa Cruz, a decision she has never regretted.

“Santa Cruz has its own personality,” Dowty said. “I can’t really describe exactly what that means, but it’s a special place. I’m very grateful for the opportunity to make my home here and to make a difference in the community through my gift.”

The Seymour Marine Discovery Center and Arboretum & Botanic Garden at UC Santa Cruz rely on donor and volunteer support to continue essential programs. Learn more about getting involved with the Arboretum and the Seymour Center.