New director of the UK Arboretum hopes to further informal education

Michael Wall has spent the last month getting used to Kentucky and getting to know the University of Kentucky Arboretum in his new position as the director of the arboretum.

Wall started the position on June 1 after an extensive career in museums and informal science education. The role oversees supervision of the arboretum, facilitates engagement with the community and helps develop strategies for fundraising and marketing.

Wall described himself as a “non-traditional candidate” for the job, as his background is in insects, not trees. He earned a doctorate in entomology — or the study of insects — at the University of Connecticut, alongside a bachelor and master’s degree in botany at Auburn University. Once his studies concluded, he took a job curating collections at the San Diego Natural History Museum.

Wall thought he would end up becoming a professor.

“There’s only so many jobs that someone with a Ph.D. in entomology can get,” Wall said.

Wall questioned whether he would go down the professorship route while working at the museum, until one day someone mentioned how he was taking on the same role as an educator on a much larger scale — it was just in the form of informal education rather than a structured environment.

The research definition of informal learning is “learning from experience that takes place outside formally structured, institutionally sponsored, classroom-based activities,” says a 2016 research study called “Informal online communities and networks as a source of teacher professional development: A review” by Maria Macià and Iolanda Garcia.

“You’re doing programs that are available to all the people of San Diego, and it changed my framework of how I thought about my job and what teaching means,” Wall said. “Then I really took a deep dive in informal science education.”

The skills necessary for his current role came when he moved into non-profit administration and research for the museum. He moved his way up and eventually became the vice president of science and conservation.

“I had gained a lot of that administrative oversight — strategy, fundraising, marketing, communications — that’s where I really built those skills,” Wall said.

Wall’s family lives on the east coast, so after 16 years in San Diego he knew he wanted to make his way eastward. He took a job as the executive director of the Balsam Mountain Trust in North Carolina — a 4,400 acre conservation easement.

While at the trust, Wall provided environmental education to the insular community within the 4,400 acres and surrounding areas. The education came about through public programs in tandem with libraries and schools, as well as the trust’s nature center and various clubs.

Wall then made his way to Kentucky this year. He said the natural beauty of the state is “underrated.”

“There’s a lot of really neat, niche habitats and stuff from a natural history perspective where it’s like, ‘oh, those are cool,’” Wall said.

The role of arboretum director appealed to Wall in multiple ways. Public gardens have always interested him due to his background in museums and love for the outdoors. The arboretum also being tied to a university spoke to his academic roots, and it allows Wall to explore interdisciplinary crossovers in the future.

“I like mashing things up,” Wall said.

The arboretum currently has a partnership with UK HealthCare through the “Walk with a Doc” program, where those wanting a break from their work day can come walk through the arboretum with a health expert to discuss health topics. Wall said he found interest in the program and is curious what else can come about through various partnerships with the university and community.

“I’m interested in exploring what our programming can look like to engage people in better physical and mental health through the power of green space and nature,” Wall said.

The UK Arboretum, State Botanical Garden of Kentucky was created in 1991 as a partnership between UK and the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government. The arboretum set out to showcase Kentucky’s landscapes and develop a resource for environmental research and conservation on land donated by the UK Agriculture Department.

The theme of the arboretum is a “Walk Across Kentucky,” Wall said. The arboretum confines the commonwealth’s seven physiographic regions into a 100 acre space. Wall sees this theme as an opportunity to help people develop a “conservation ethic,” or moral principles regarding preservation of the environment.

“There’s no greater way to develop a conservation ethic than to become familiar and in love with your surroundings,” Wall said.

Wall replaces interim director Scott Smith, who was named interim in 2024.