Wichita’s Botanica gardens will have a new director starting in July

Dawn Hewitt has been named the new director of Botanica, the Wichita Gardens, replacing Marty Miller, who held the role for 15 years before retiring last summer.

The city announced Hewitt’s hiring in a news release Friday. She’ll start work overseeing Botanica’s 18 acres of gardens on July 11.

Hewitt was previously director of operations for the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in Austin, Texas, and has 20 years of nonprofit experience.

“Botanica is a wonderful example of a garden being a space where nature and art intersect, creating beautiful views and places of discovery,” Hewitt said in the release. “I look forward to working together with the staff, board, volunteers and City to make it shine even brighter as a place for memories to be made and a love for nature and plants to be fostered.”

Hewitt holds a master’s degree in art history with a focus on museum studies from Texas Christian University and a bachelor’s degree in Art History from The University of Texas.

Before joining the Wildflower Center, she managed special events at the Blanton Museum of Art and served as director of development at the Arc of the Capital Area, both in Texas.