Bullington Gardens, a non-profit horticultural education center and public garden, has appointed Tracy Calla as its new director of education, effective August 1, according to a press release.

Kara was selected to replace John Murphy, who retired from Brinton Gardens after 23 years, after an “extensive” research process led by Brinton Gardens leaders, Henderson County Public Schools, and members of the North Carolina Cooperative Union.

Calla is Senior Manager of School and Family Programs at the Marie Selby Botanical Gardens in Sarasota, Florida, and has worked as a greenhouse horticulturist for several years. With degrees in both theater and horticulture and nearly 20 years of professional horticultural experience, she is a certified guide-interpreter, trainer in national environmental education curricula such as Leave No Trace and Project Learning Tree, and a horticultural therapist. There is also. Kara is a firm believer in the value and importance of plants and the power of nature-based experiences for people of all ages.