Dave Barnett is the President & CEO of Mount Auburn. He serves as an ex officio member on all standing committees. Dave came to Mount Auburn in 1993 as the Director of Horticulture. In 1999 he became the Cemetery’s Vice President of Operations & Horticulture, and in January 2008 he was appointed Mount Auburn’s first Executive Vice President. He became Acting President on July 1, 2008 upon the retirement of former President William C. Clendaniel, and was appointed President & CEO on September 10, 2008. Dave was President of the American Public Gardens Association (APGA) from 2007 to 2009 and served on the APGA Board for a total of nine years. He was Chair of the Host Committee for the 2003 APGA Annual Conference held in Boston. He is currently President of the Horticultural Club of Boston.

Dave received his B.S. in Environmental Horticulture, summa cum laude, from the University of Connecticut; and an M.S. in Environmental Horticulture and a Ph.D. in Ecology from the University of California at Davis. Prior to coming to Mount Auburn, he served for eight years as Assistant Director at Planting Fields Arboretum in Oyster Bay, NY.