After four years without an executive director, the Western Colorado Botanical Gardens has finally filled the position.

David Brown, 42, of Battlement Mesa officially starts the job Monday, May 12.

Lack of funding and major debt kept the nonprofit from filling the paid executive director’s position, said Bob Suydam, president of the gardens’ volunteer board of directors. The board of nine to 11 members has been acting as the executive director in the interim.

“We’ve done what we’ve had to do because we haven’t been able to afford to do it any other way,” Suydam said.

Funding from Ashley Furniture Homestore and Bill Haggerty’s Hikes in a Bottle financed the position.

Brown was chosen out of 40 applicants, Suydam said. His professional background is in business, wellness and consulting, and he’s worked in program development at both Community Hospital and the Grand River Hospital District in Rifle, Brown said.

He has also served on boards for nonprofits like Rotary Club, United Way and Boys & Girls Club in Arizona before moving to Colorado three years ago, he said.

Brown is married, has two dogs, and said he enjoys outdoor sports, gardening, camping and traveling. He will eventually move to Grand Junction, he said.

Brown will oversee all operations for the gardens and report directly to the board of directors. As far as the gardens’ finances and fundraising goes, Brown said he plans to attack things head-on.

The Daily Sentinel has reported the gardens’ financial setbacks through the years, including a failed river irrigation system, city construction projects that may have deterred visitors and increasing utility bills that left the nonprofit hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt.

In 2007, the city of Grand Junction stepped in and purchased all of the land owned by the gardens and one building. The gardens now lease the land and own most of the on-site buildings.

Suydam said the gardens were in a “horrible financial state” but that the group is now debt-free and has $100,000 in the bank.

Brown said his main goal for the gardens is to grow the business.

“No pun intended,” he joked.

He said he first needs to organize and find his way around his new office. In the long term, he said would like to work closely with the board and develop a strategic plan for the success of the gardens.

“I think the people of Grand Junction are just going to see things getting better and better here,” Brown said.

For more information on the gardens and their planned summer activities, go to www.wcbotanic.org or call 970-245-9030.

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E-mail Samantha Stiles at sstiles@gjds.com.