Nebraska City, Neb. –- Preston Cole, City Forestry Service Manager for the City of Milwaukee, Wis., has been named the Chair of the Board of Trustees of The National Arbor Day Foundation, and William P. Kruidenier, Executive Director of the International Society of Arboriculture, has been named Vice Chair. Cole and Kruidenier began their two-year term during the weekend of National Arbor Day, April 28.
Cole assumed management of Milwaukee’s urban forest in 1991, after serving as Parks Superintendent for the City of St. Louis. He earned a bachelor of science degree in Forest Management from the University of Missouri-Columbia, and is a member of the International Society of Arboriculture, the Society of American Foresters, the National Urban and Community Forestry Advisory Council, the Urban League, NAACP, 100 Black Men, and many other civic groups. The author of numerous articles on forestry issues, he has also been widely recognized for his contributions to the forestry profession, which include serving on the editorial board of the Journal of Forestry, and being a member of the Board of Directors for American Forest.
Kruidenier has headed the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) since 1987. The ISA is a scientific and educational organization devoted to the dissemination of knowledge in the care and preservation of ornamental trees. Before serving at ISA, Kruidenier was city arborist and planting and design coordinator for the City of Urbana, Ill. He holds bachelor and master’s degrees from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and is active in many professional and civic organizations, including the National Urban and Community Forestry Advisory Council, which he chaired from 1991-1995.
“We’re delighted to have the leadership of Preston Cole and Bill Kruidenier on our Board of Trustees,” said John Rosenow, Arbor Day Foundation president. “They bring years of expertise in forestry and conservation, as well as a strong personal commitment to our work.”
The National Arbor Day Foundation is a nonprofit education organization dedicated to tree planting and environmental stewardship.
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