The Morris Arboretum announced last week that it had hired William G. Cullina to take over as The F . Otto Haas Executive Director starting on July 8. Cullina will succeed Paul W. Meyers, who served the arboretum for over 43 years, with 28 of those years as Executive Director.

Cullina was the CEO of the Coastal Maine Botanical Garden in Boothbay before coming to the arboretum. He has hosted lectures and published books based on his extensive background in public garden leadership and horticulture. As a part of accepting the position of executive director, he will relocate to the farm house on Morris Arboretum’s Bloomfield Farm with his wife, Melissa, and their three children.

In a statement, Marie D. Witt, Vice President of Business Services at the University of Pennsylvania, and Ellen Nalle Hass, chair of the arboretum’s Advisory Board of Managers, thanked the staff who conducted the search for Cullina. The arboretum is part of the University of Pennsylvania.

“We wish to express our profound gratitude to the members of the search committee who devoted their time and talent to interviewing an exceptionally qualified group of candidates,” Witt and Hass said. “The committee’s focus, insight and passion for the selection process was critical to its success. We are also deeply appreciative of the expert services of Kittleman, the executive search firm who guided the committee through this process.”