Bob Byers

Bob Byers joined FWBG | BRIT in October 2020 as Assistant Director and Vice President of Horticulture and was named Executive Vice President in 2021. He brings more than 26 years of public gardens experience serving continuously as Fort Worth Botanic Garden Director since 2015.

Previous experience includes working as a landscape architect in Wisconsin, Florida, Alabama, and Arkansas before a 21-year career as the Director of Operations and Associate Executive Director for Garvan Woodland Gardens in Hot Springs, Arkansas. Bob also taught design, planting design, plant materials, and agricultural engineering at the University of Arkansas.

Prior board service includes several plant societies, including the Old Garden Rose Committee of the American Rose Society. For the American Public Gardens Association, Bob has served as chair of the College and University Gardens and the Planning and Design Sections. Career publication and presentation topics range from plant conservation and climate change to home gardening and landscape design.

While he loves music and earned a Bachelor of Music Education degree, Bob also earned a Master of Landscape Architecture degree from Louisiana State University building upon a childhood love of gardening and plants working alongside his parents in the family garden. He enjoys growing vegetables and flowers in his Willow Park home garden and learning more about the large and varied Texas flora.