Davey Tree promotes Dan Herms to VP, GM of Davey Institute

The Davey Tree Expert Company has promoted Dan Herms to vice president and general manager of the Davey Institute.

In his new role, Herms will be responsible for Davey’s team of scientists and researchers embedded throughout North America, research and development, Davey’s ecosystem services group, corporate mapping, education and training and environmental programs. He will also prepare the Institute team as they move to Davey’s new SEED (Science, Employee Education and Development) Campus in Kent, Ohio, in the summer of 2025. 

“Dan’s impact on our scientific capacity and culture has been significant,” says Greg Ina, executive vice president, the Davey Institute and Employee Development. “Throughout his short time at Davey, Dan has had a great impact on the company, most notably his major role in the master planning process and development of the SEED Campus. I’m confident that Dan’s integrity, expertise and intellect make him the perfect candidate for this promotion within the Institute.” 

Herms has worked in the green industry for 40 years. He joined the Davey Institute in 2018 as vice president of research and development. Through this role, one of his responsibilities was continuing his research on effects of climate change on the green industry. He began his career in 1984 at Dow Gardens, a public garden and arboretum in Midland, Mich., where he directed the plant health care and research programs. From 1997-2017, Herms was a professor in the Department of Entomology at The Ohio State University, serving as department chair from 2012-2016.  

Herms earned his doctorate in entomology with a specialization in ecology and evolutionary biology from Michigan State University in 1991 while working at Dow Gardens. He received his bachelor’s degree in landscape horticulture in 1982 and master’s degree in 1984 with a double major in entomology and horticulture from The Ohio State University. He currently serves on the Board of Trustees of the TREE Fund, an organization that supports scientific research, education and scholarships in arboriculture and urban forestry, and chairs its Research and Education Committee.