Michael Potapov

Michael joined the board of Trees Lexington in 2019. While he began his relationship with trees by sprouting acorns in a windowsill as a child, learning from Dave Leonard and Stacy Borden among others in the last several years has proven invaluable to his improved understanding of planning, planting, and caring for young trees. As a volunteer, Michael especially enjoys planting trees with school students as part of the Planting with the Principal program, mulching trees while listening to a book or a podcast, and pruning young trees to ensure optimal structure for a long and successful life. He also serves as the Chair of the Lexington Tree Board, an entity aiming to serve as a bridge between the community and city government, while advocating for best practices for trees.

Professionally, Michael offers investment advisory and management services through his firm, Burl Investment Management, LLC, which he founded in 2022. Throughout his 20+ year career, he’s invested during ebullient and depressed market conditions and analyzed a variety of businesses. Michael is a CFA charterholder.

Additional community engagement includes membership on the boards of the Bluegrass Land Conservancy, Chamber Music Festival of Lexington, and the Bluegrass Community Foundation’s Investment Committee.