BRAINERD — Trevor Pumnea of Priest River, Idaho, was recently appointed as the new executive director of the Northland Arboretum.
He replaces Candice Zimmermann, who moved to a new position.
Pumnea has an extensive background in parks and recreation, most recently serving as the director of Parks and Recreation of Blue Lake in California, a news release reported. He relocated to the Brainerd lakes area this past year with his fiancée Ashley, to begin their life where his family spent the last 30 summers vacationing.
His family owned the Sled Shed Polaris dealership in Aitkin, and he still has many relatives in the Garrison area, the release stated.
The new executive director earned a master’s degree in therapeutic recreation from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse and earned a Bachelor of Science in education from the University of Idaho-Moscow.
“We believe Trevor’s wealth of experience paired with his enthusiasm will lead the Arb into the future as it continues to achieve its goal of connecting our community to nature and protecting our natural environment.”Dan Lee, Northland Arboretum board chair
Pumnea is the former vice president of the Idaho Recreation and Parks Association and taught recreation, sport management and tourism courses at the University of Idaho for four years.
“Trevor is uniquely qualified to lead the Arboretum,” stated Dan Lee, Northland Arboretum board chair. “We believe Trevor’s wealth of experience paired with his enthusiasm will lead the Arb into the future as it continues to achieve its goal of connecting our community to nature and protecting our natural environment.”
Pumnea stated he was thrilled and honored to be joining the Northland Arboretum as its executive director.
“I am looking forward to bringing my enthusiasm and experience to the dedicated team of staff and volunteers,” he stated. “Together, we will continue to build upon the Arboretum’s success.”
A member-supported nonprofit organization, the Northland Arboretum’s 13-plus miles of trails fill over 400 acres in Brainerd/Baxter, behind the Westgate Mall.
For more information, visit northlandarb.org.
