Arboretum Staff

Mark Schneider – Executive Director

Mark became the Executive Director of the Iowa Arboretum in the fall of 2011, after working for 32 years at the Virginia Zoo in Norfolk, Virginia.  One of his accomplishments there was to work with his staff to develop the zoo into a botanical garden. He also focused on creating educational garden spaces, establishing environmental conservation projects and starting garden programs for people with special needs.

He earned an undergraduate degree in horticulture from the University of Delaware and a Master’s degree in Human Resource Development from George Washington University. He also has a Master’s degree in Public Administration from Old Dominion University in Norfolk.

Mark lives in Ames with his wife Phyllis.  They have two children.

David McKinney – Curator of Collections and Grounds

David graduated from Colorado State University with two undergraduate degrees in horticulture and a master’s. His work history includes coordinating demonstration gardens with CSU, working with Colorado Extension, and being a horticulture specialist with the Denver Zoo. He has been working in this industry for over ten years and is a very active member of the Perennial Plant Association, AmericanHort, and various other groups.

David joined the Iowa Arboretum and Gardens in 2022.

Kevin Lantz – Horticulturalist

Kevin has spent the past 41 years with the Iowa Arboretum working as a horticulturist, taking care of the grounds, and overseeing weddings. He graduated from Iowa Lakes Community College with an AAS degree in Horticulture. He grew up in Pomeroy but now resides in Boone. His family continues to be big supporters of the Iowa Arboretum and spend as much time as they can volunteering. In his down time, Kevin enjoys going fishing, nature, and traveling.

Heather Bass – Membership Manager

Heather graduated from Iowa State University with a B.S. degree in Horticulture and worked at a few different locations before joining the Arboretum in 2001. Heather began working at the Arboretum as a horticulture specialist, managing the greenhouse and working on the grounds.  She moved on to work as the gift shop manager and office manager before becoming the membership manager in 2024.  In her free time, Heather enjoys spending time with her husband and two boys at their home in Ames.

Doug Lang – Bookkeeper

Doug graduated from Mt Mercy College in Cedar Rapids with a degree in Accounting/Business/Marketing and from Kirkwood College in Cedar Rapids with a degree in Computer Programming.  He was 20 years old when he first started working in accounting and finance.  He retired from Case New Holland/CNH Industrial America Inc. in May 2021.  

He enjoys spending his free time with his wife, 4 children, and 8 grandchildren including 5 grand dogs.  Other activities include fishing/camping/riding motorcycles and bicycles.   Doug and his wife live in Polk City. 

Doug started working at the Arboretum in February of 2024.

Kim Anderson – Venue & Marketing Coordinator 

Patrick Schmidt – Natural Resource Technician

I’ve lived in Ames most of my life and have always loved spending time outdoors and educating others about the environment.  Connecting people with nature is essential to protect our environment. I interned at the Arboretum last summer and am thrilled to be back at Tree House Village.

My education has been nontraditional but has given me a unique perspective. I graduated from Ames High in 2016, took a few semesters at DMAC, and then attended Hawkeye Community College to study Professional Photography. COVID-19 impacted my education, but I graduated in 2021 with a Liberal arts(aa) degree. In 2022, I came to ISU to study forestry, specializing in urban forestry. I am currently taking a break from coursework to get field experience.

I’m an outdoor enthusiast and love spending my free time hiking, gardening, and taking photographs.

I have a beautiful Siberian cat named Caspian, and on my days off, you can find me hiking, exploring the farmers’ market with my girlfriend and friends, playing disc golf, or gardening.

Fatima Najar – Trial Program Coordinator

Fatima graduated from Iowa State University with a B.S. in Forestry with an emphasis in conservation. Fatima’s passion for nature and knowledge made exploring out of forestry easy. Now working for the Iowa Arboretum and Gardens, Fatima has begun her horticulture journey and aims to become comfortable identifying plants, taking good care of them, and learning how they can benefit the landscape. Because of Fatima’s many interests, her long-term goal is to further her experiences in different fields to get an all-around understanding of what conservation looks like and how to communicate the importance of sustainability to audiences of all ages.
Fatima enjoys hiking, reading, and making desserts in her free time.