Press Room

Mark Wourms, Executive Director
Mark Wourms, PhD, is the Executive Director of Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest. He is a lifelong “tree-hugger” both literally and metaphorically.

Whitney Wurzel, Education
Whitney Wurzel, fondly known as “Ranger Whitney,” is the Bernheim Education Director, and is instrumental in planning Bernheim’s informative, fun and varied nature-based education programs.

Claude Stephens, Outreach & Regenerative Design
Claude Stephens is the Children at Play Network Director and is also Bernheim’s Facilitator of Outreach and Regenerative Design. He is a free play champion, is piloting the region’s first Forest Kindergarten, and spearheaded the creation of Bernheim’s Edible Garden, an applicant to the Living Building Challenge.

Andrew Berry, Natural Areas
Andrew Berry is the Bernheim Forest Manager, overseeing environmental stewardship and land conservation efforts of Bernheim’s 15,000-acre natural area. From controlled burns to stream restoration to invasive species removal, Andrew oversees best practices in land protection. Andrew works closely with researchers from across the country and around the world who seek out the biologically diverse healthy large forest block for their studies.

Wren Smith, Interpretive Programs Manager
Wren Smith is Bernheim’s Interpretive Programs Manager. A Kentucky Naturalist of the Year recipient, she helps visitors immerse themselves in nature, creates faeries out of natural materials, and trains volunteers in the nationally-recognized Volunteer Naturalist Program.

Eric Garris
Eric has been a horticulturist at Bernheim since 2006, where he shares his passion for growing, studying, and teaching others about plants and gardening. He holds a B.S. degree in Environmental Biology from the University of North Alabama, is an ISA Certified Arborist, and a Kentucky Certified Nurseryman. He lives in Magnolia with his wife and two children, where they propagate fruiting trees and shrubs on their farm.