Ashley Wardlow Named Executive Director at Botanical Garden of the Ozarks

Ashley Wardlow will take over as executive director of the Botanical Garden of the Ozarks on Dec. 18. (Greater Bentonville Area Chamber)

The Botanical Garden of the Ozarks announced Wednesday that Ashley Wardlow will be its next executive director, effective Dec. 18.

Wardlow has been interim president and CEO of the Greater Bentonville Area Chamber of Commerce since January 2022. The chamber plans to announce its new leader next week during the NWA Tech Summit, which begins Sunday in Rogers.

“I am honored to take the helm as Executive Director of the Botanical Garden of the Ozarks and am committed to nurturing the growth of this cherished institution,” Wardlow said in a news release. “The Garden represents what’s best for our region, serving for nearly 20 years as a source of inspiration, education and community enrichment.”

Sitting on 44 acres on the east side of Lake Fayetteville, the BGO includes 12 display gardens and the state’s only butterfly house. It opened in 2007 and attracts more than 70,000 visitors per year.

Lynn Carver, president of the BGO’s board of directors, said Wardlow’s skills in partnering with other organizations, community relations and outreach, and strategic planning will be assets to the nonprofit.

“She’s a leader that will be motivational and a real team builder,” Carver said. “We all look forward to working with her to achieve great things for the Garden.”

At the chamber, Wardlow administered $1.1 million in grant funding. She joined the chamber in 2020 as executive director of the NWA Tech Summit, increasing sponsorship giving and expanding access to it. She was promoted to executive vice president in 2021.

Before working at the chamber, she was a development officer at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, where she raised more than $1.8 million.