Board of Trustees & Executive Management Team

Pat Covey

Chair

Trees have long been front of mind for Pat Covey. During his 32-year career at The Davey Tree Expert Company, Covey worked in finances, operations and systems management as the organization grew to become a giant within the green industry. Now the President and CEO of Davey Tree Expert Company, Covey oversees one of the largest employee-owned companies in North America. Covey said he’s excited to see The Davey Tree Expert Company make more connections with its local Ohio community. The Davey Tree Expert Company recently partnered with multiple professional sports teams, including the Cleveland Cavaliers, Cleveland Guardians and Pittsburgh Penguins, to plant trees in areas of greatest need.

According to Covey, there’s a tremendous overlap in the missions of The Davey Tree Expert Company and the Arbor Day Foundation as they both work to highlight the value of trees to people and the environment. Covey has completed multiple terms on the Arbor Day Foundation’s Board and has been chair of the board since 2021.

Crayton Webb

After stops in journalism, politics and corporate communications, Crayton Webb now works as the owner and CEO of Sunwest Communications, a public relations firm in Dallas. The firm has seen recent growth through acquisition and Webb said it’s been both challenging and fun to onboard new team members into the Sunwest culture and facilitate the transition of clients.

Webb first connected with the Arbor Day Foundation as a corporate partner through his previous role as vice president of corporate communications & social responsibility for Mary Kay Cosmetics. Through the partnership Mary Kay helped plant 100,000 trees in the Bitterroot National Forest. Webb said when he was asked to join the Arbor Day Foundation’s board in 2017 it was a “no-brainer.”

Webb said he and his wife work to share their love of nature with their four children.

Denise Naguib

A longtime champion of the environment, Denise Naguib has worked to further sustainability efforts for nearly three decades. She’s spent 17 of those years with Marriott International where she currently serves as vice president of sustainability and supplier diversity. In her role, Naguib is helping implement a climate strategy for the company and guide Marriott toward its goal of cutting its food waste in half by 2025, among other things.

Naguib said she’s seen the impact of the Arbor Day Foundation’s work firsthand for many years as a corporate partner and it felt like a natural fit when she joined the board of trustees in 2020. She said trees are a critical part of the Earth’s ecosystem, bringing countless benefits to people. Naguib is also a board member of The Ocean Foundation, Sheridan School and WEConnect International.

Ernesto Herrera

A global changemaker in forest restoration and conservation, Ernesto Herrera Guerra has been the executive director of Reforestamos Mexico for more than 20 years. The organization is focused on furthering sustainability in Mexico through trees and forests. Reforestamos was recognized as a National Forest Merit Award winner by the federal government of Mexico. Reforestamos Mexico seeks to connect the private sector to local communities, municipalities and entrepreneurs to escalate a positive impact on trees and forests. Before taking on his role with Reforestamos Mexico, Herrera was the Ecology Manager at Grupo Bimbo.

Herrera joined the Arbor Day Foundation’s board of trustees in 2020 and hopes to aid the Foundation in expanding its international reach. Herrera is the chair of the Meso America International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Regional Committee. He is also chair of the Central America and Mexico Chapter for the Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs (ANDE) Steering Committee

Mak Azadi

Mak Azadi has spent much of his career in the tech world, using his experience in finance and strategy to guide multiple organizations through periods of immense growth. While working as the chief operating officer of the chat app Discord, the company grew from a team of 100 to 600 and amassed over $300 million in revenue — up from $14 million. In 2022, Azadi left Discord to become the chief operating officer of the Boys & Girls Club of the Peninsula in California where he helped lead a merger with two other clubs. The club now serves nearly 4,000 kids in the area.

Azadi joined the Arbor Day Foundation board in 2022, soon after his start at the Boys & Girls Club of the Peninsula. He hopes to help further the Foundation’s mission to plant, nurture and celebrate trees.

Robert Ruano

Robert Ruano is the President of Ecostrata Services based in Coral Gables, Florida. Since 2010, he has helped cities, nonprofits and developers build partnerships and secure more than $20 million in grants for infrastructure and service projects. Before starting his business, Ruano spent seven years working for the city of Miami as Director of Grants and Sustainability. During that time, he helped establish Miami as a Tree City USA through the Arbor Day Foundation. This is where he witnessed the transformative effects of urban tree plantings. He joined the Foundation’s board in 2019.

In addition to his business and family, Ruano is active in other organizations. He was previously a member of the National Urban and Community Forestry Advisory Council and helped develop a 10-year plan for urban forestry across the nation. Ruano is also on the Advisory Board of Nevada Plants, a community forestry nonprofit, and helped in the founding of Bike Walk Coral Gables.

Leslie Weldon

Vice Chair

Leslie Weldon is a veteran senior executive within the United States Department of Agriculture. Over the past 40 years she has led local, regional, and national Forest Service land management, forestry, fish, wildlife, and recreation programs and policies in Washington State, Oregon, Montana, and Washington, DC. Her more recent roles have focused on ensuring an empowered, diverse and inclusive workforce where all USDA employees can thrive as public servants. Leslie is a lifelong champion for connecting people and communities to nature.

Leslie has been a long-time reforestation partner with the Arbor Day Foundation and joined the board in 2018.

Danielle Crumrine

A leader in urban forestry, Danielle Crumrine’s environmental work is deeply rooted in the Pittsburgh community and beyond. Crumrine has served as Tree Pittsburgh’s executive director for 15 years and works to build understanding around the importance of urban tree canopies. Through that work, Crumrine led the effort to help the city of Pittsburgh develop its first tree equity plan.

Crumrine first connected with the Arbor Day Foundation in 2015 as the president of the Alliance for Community Trees. Crumrine led the organization’s merger with the Foundation, a critical first step in developing the now-global network of community tree planters.

Crumrine was named a top 40 under 40 environmental leader across the state of Pennsylvania by the Pennsylvania Environmental Council. Before joining Tree Pittsburgh, Crumrine was the founding Board President and Executive Director of Allegheny Cleanways.

Ellen Shultzabarger

Ellen Shultzabarger has worked within the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) for 19 years. She is the Pennsylvania State Forester and director of DCNR’s Bureau of Forestry. In her role, Shultzabarger oversees the management of more than 2 million acres of State Forest lands and promotes forestry and forest conservation within Pennsylvania. In her time as State Forester, she has prepared the organization for increased recreation on forest lands, expanded the bureau’s urban forestry work, and restructured the bureau and staffing to meet the needs of today’s forests and the people that rely on their values and resources.

Shultzabarger said trees create positive impacts that live on for decades and she was drawn to the Arbor Day Foundation’s commitment to maximizing that impact. Shultzabarger joined the Foundation’s board in 2022.

Ken Munson

Kenneth Munson has been involved in the sustainable management of global forests for more than three decades. During his time in the forest products industry, Munson promoted development and responsible-use forestry through projects in the United States and worldwide including Brazil, China, New Zealand, France, Poland, Mexico and Russia. Munson is now an independent advisor and strategist in leadership development, forest operations and investments. He’s committed to sharing his knowledge and experience of the forestry sector with the students in the Leadership Academy at Oregon State University as an affiliate faculty member, and as an adjunct professor at the Moscow School of Management SKOLKOVO, directing a forest-sector leadership program.

Munson said he’s seen firsthand how trees and forests can transform communities through a range of benefits. Munson is now serving his second term on the Arbor Day Foundation board.

Mark Johnson

Mark Johnson is currently the CEO of a law firm in Phoenix. Before that, Johnson was the CEO of a Phoenix-based multi-national loan serving company that serviced sustainability and hospitality market sector clients.

Johnson first partnered with the Arbor Day Foundation while working as the Chief Hospitality Officer for Wyndham Destinations. Johnson believes the Foundation’s work is “one of the best defenses” against the effects of climate change.

Johnson joined the Arbor Day Foundation board in 2019.