Destynnie K. Berard - (Author D. K. Berard)
I am a lifelong naturalist who believes a good sense of humor is essential to staying happy. After traveling the United States for several years, I settled in New England, falling in love with the diverse landscape the Northeast has to offer.
My focus is on native plants and their ecosystem relationships. These habitat interactions with other branches of life often brings me to other areas of study and research as well.
While I have had an interest in botany for as long as I can remember, traveling made it difficult to truly explore as a profession until I settled in New England. I come from a career background in enterprise marketing and communications, which provides me with a unique perspective of the conservation industry.
Connect:
Instagram | iNaturalist | Flickr | E-mail
Memberships:
- New England Botanical Society
- Botanical Society of America
- Society for Ecological Restoration
Certifications:
- Native Plant Studies – Native Plant Trust
- Understanding Plants – Tel Aviv University
Languages:
- English – Fluent
- German – Basic Conversational
Training:
- Animal Rehabilitation – Cape Wildlife Center
- New England Native Plant Monitoring – Native Plant Trust
Additional Experience:
- Plant Conservation Volunteer – Native Plant Trust
- Educational Nature Walk Leader – Sudbury Valley Trustees
- Educational Nature Walk Leader – Lincoln-Sudbury Adult Education
- Herbarium Volunteer – New England Botanical Society, Harvard University
- Outreach Committee Member – New England Botanical Society
Previous Experience
Native Plant Trust
Conservation Intern (2023-2023)
- Database administration; management of conservation datapoints
- Aerial habitat mapping, field reporting and surveying, plant identification
- ArcMap GIS mapping; biotic interactions reporting; conservation outreach
Technical SEO, Copywriter
Take Two Labs, LLC (2020-Present)
- Web design on WordPress, Shopify, Unbounce, Clickfunnels, and others
- Established client-facing documentation on technical SEO solutions
- Created method of auditing websites’ health based on Google algorithms
Regional Conservation Advocate
Various (2020-Present)
- Nature walk leader for Sudbury Valley Trustees, Lincoln-Sudbury Adult Education
- Harvard Herbarium filing assistant for New England Botanical Society
- Plant Conservation Volunteer; survey lead for Native Plant Trust
- Animal rehabilitation training through Cape Wildlife Center
Director of Content & Conversion
Ulku Logistics Inc. (2017-2018)
- Managed and delivered content services for enterprise clients
- Managed team of copywriters to produce brand-specific, engaging SEO content
- Execution of deliverables; search engine optimization & conversion rate optimization
Operations Manager, Technical SEO
McGuffin Enterprises (2016-2017)
- Determined marketing strategy for client accounts
- Managed Technical SEO and Copywriting team
- Provided consultation services for SEO and branding
Copywriter, Editor
Various (2016-Present)
- Professional development training for English grammar and reader engagement
- Focus in copywriting to engage readers while optimizing for search engines
- Experienced in web and print copy, white papers, business proposals & case studies
🔴 Creation of HerbSpeak – 2016
Festival Salesperson
Various (2015-2017)
- Managed vendor inventories & booth presentations at festivals across United States
- Provided sales demonstrations: live painting, juggling toys, hair jewelry, wax sculpture
- Entry ticketing services for festivals; assisted in building structures on-site
Event Coordinator & Consultant
Independent (2012-2015)
- Assisted coordination of regional art events and activities
- Provided consulting services to vendors, art dealers on booth presentation and display
- Provided consulting services to independent artists on marketing and selling artwork
Traditional Media Artist
Independent (2010-2015)
- Most notable work featured in Palazzo Albrizzi (Venice, Italy)
- Worked closely with traditional media materials including paint, clay, resin, & fabric
- Semi-abstract conceptual works encouraged mindfulness in nature