Henderson County Cooperative Extension is excited to welcome Greg Stivland to our staff. Greg is the new Director of Bullington Gardens. Greg started on June 1, 2026, and will oversee all operations at the privately owned non-profit garden that is open to the public. Henderson County Cooperative Extension is one of only two counties in the state that is associated with a botanical garden of this nature.
Greg comes to us from the Durham Public School System where he was a Pediatric Occupational Therapist. In this role he evaluated student’s abilities and worked with a multidisciplinary team to develop student education plans. He provided direct and consultative therapy services as well. He established a horticultural therapy program there in two elementary schools and three high schools.
In Greg’s new role he will serve as the leader at Bullington and coordinate fundraising, marketing, budgeting and event planning for the garden as well as many other tasks. Greg received his BS in Occupational Therapy from East Carolina University and went on to achieve an MS in Business Administration at Pfeiffer University. He serves as the current President of the Carolinas Horticultural Therapy Network and is a member of the American Horticultural Therapy Association.
As part of his duties at Bullington, Greg will serve as a member of the Henderson County Cooperative Extension staff as an agricultural agent. Henderson County Cooperative Extension is proud to be able to provide a large percentage of the support for this position and to have Greg as a member of our staff. He brings a wealth of talent and experience to this position.
As a longtime admirer of Bullington Gardens, Greg has a great enthusiasm and passion for the mission and beauty of the garden. He has been making trips to the area to visit Bullington for many years. During that time, he has become acquainted with the programs and events and brings a true personal investment with him to this job.
Prior to his work with Durham Public Schools, Greg spent 18 years as a Pediatric Occupational Therapist (OT) and Business Manager for Developmental Therapy Associates in Durham where he provided direct OT services in a clinical setting as well as contract services to students in several school systems. He also spent four years in the Moore County School System as a Pediatric OT.
Greg has a unique skill set that involves therapy, business and horticulture. These are all attributes that will serve him well in this new position. We invite you to visit Bullington Gardens and meet Greg. You will find that he has a real vision for taking Bullington Gardens to it’s next phase. We are excited to have Greg join our staff.
