Speaker Bios

Steve Grantham, Up With Trees

Steve Grantham is the executive director of Up With Trees. He has served in this role since July of 2014 and previously held the position of director of operations for six years. He is a Certified Arborist and serves on the board for the Oklahoma Urban and Community Forestry Council.

Jenny Gulick, Davey Resource Group | Matt Stenger, Taking Root | Liz Jacob, Natorp's Nursery

Jenny Gulick is a business developer and senior consulting urban forester responsible for assisting governments, businesses, utilities, and nonprofit organizations with various project development and implementation plans specializing in urban forestry, park management, and land development programs. Jenny has more than 30 years of experience and joined Davey Resource Group in 1999 after a successful career in municipal government. She has managed and been a key contributor to a wide variety of local and national urban forestry projects.

Matt Stenger is the executive director of Taking Root. He has a degree in interpretive services and has been working as an outdoor educator and naturalist in the Cincinnati area for nearly 20 years. During this time he has been involved in conservation, habitat restoration, and land management work as well educating future generations about the importance of conserving green space. Matt's passion for nature education and conservation is evident in his personal and professional life. In 2011, his boundless curiosity led him on a continent-wide search for birds to photograph and observe. He is profoundly committed to sharing that passion through his presentations, photography and writing.

Thais Perkins, TreeFolks

Thais Perkins is the executive director of TreeFolks, Inc., and has more than 10 years of experience in environmental research, environmental policy, and organizational management. Her experience includes environmental policy for the City of Austin, management of the Environmental Science Institute at UT–Austin and the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Research Program at Southeastern Louisiana University, research in forest ecology in Oregon and Lousiana, and an M.S. in Forest Ecology from Oregon State University.

Michael Hawkins, Canopy

Michael Hawkins has been the program director at Canopy for six years. Prior to that, he worked as a consulting utility forester as well as at Our City Forest in San José and the Million Trees NYC initiative with the New York Restoration Project. Michael participated in his first neighborhood tree planting at the age of 10.

Rachel Comte, Northern KY Urban & Community Forestry Council

Rachel Comte is a project manager for Davey Resource Group based out of the greater Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky metropolitan area. She is responsible for managing large, high-end urban forestry consulting projects (master plans, management plan development, and UTCs). Rachel was in strategic marketing consulting the first 10 years of her career then moved into urban planning and arborculture. She is an ISA Certified Arborist and a board member of the Northern KY Urban & Community Forestry Council.

Molly Wilson and Nate Faris, Keep Indianapolis Beautiful

Molly Willson has worked at Keep Indianapolis Beautiful since 2009. In 2012 she received her Arborist Certification from the International Society of Arboriculture. Molly plants trees with neighborhoods around Indianapolis and has worked with hundreds of students through the KIB Youth Tree Team over the last six years.

Nate Faris has worked for Keep Indianapolis Beautiful for the past 11 years. During that time, he initiated KIB's Youth Tree Team program and is now the organization's director of community forestry. Nate is a Registered Consulting Arborist, an ISA Board Certified Master Arborist, and serves as president of Faris Tree Consulting.

Mario Yanez, Permaculture Design International

Mario Yanez is passionate about the possibility of growing a Life-sustaining culture in the Greater Everglades, his home bio-region and beyond. He is an ecologist, organic farmer, teacher and activist, sharing his vision of the necessary transition toward growing ecologically sustainable and resilient human communities everywhere. In his practice as permaculture designer, he is applying permaculture design principles at various scales, implementing regenerative productive landscapes, organizations, enterprises, and social systems.

Aileen Driscoll, Bloomington Community Orchard

Aileen Driscoll is the partner planting manager and serves as a board member with the Bloomington Community Orchard. She also attends Indiana University and is vice president of the Bloomington Community Orchard at IU student group. Aileen has been a volunteer with the Orchard since 2014.

Leslie Berckes, Trees Forever

Leslie Berckes works at Trees Forever, a nonprofit organization highly active in starting, implementing, and sustaining community projects. In her role, Leslie serves as a program manager for several statewide programs, including the TreeKeepers volunteer training program, working with volunteers and organizations on projects such as tree plantings, tree care education, native prairie plantings, roadside enhancements, and more.

Joe Stavish, Tree Pittsburgh

Joe Stavish, community education coordinator for Tree Pittsburgh, develops and implements educational programming and outreach initiatives to educate and engage residents around tree care, planting, and advocacy. He builds community relationships that promote and support Tree Tenders® across neighborhoods. Joe holds a B.S. in Natural Resource Management with an emphasis in Environmental Education from Slippery Rock University.

Allegra Mautner, Friends of the Urban Forest

Allegra Mautner organizes and runs the weekly volunteer tree care events at Friends of the Urban Forest. She holds a degree in Professional Forestry from UC Berkeley and is an ISA Certified Arborist. She has seen many aspects of the forestry industry, including making maps for the USGS, surveying plots at Blodgett Forest Research Station, reading tree rings, inspecting utility lines, and maintaining young trees in San Francisco. She has a passion for learning, teaching, and social justice.

Michael Dugan, Openlands

Michael Dugan brought his passion for protecting and enhancing urban green spaces to Openlands in 2014 as the forestry coordinator. Previously working for the New York City Parks Department, he led community groups and volunteers in natural area stewardship and urban forestry projects as well as performing forest restoration in support of the MillionTreesNYC Initiative. Michael has also spent time as a gardener and environmental educator.

Angie DiSalvo, Portland Parks Urban Forestry

Angie DiSalvo manages citizen science, education, and public outreach projects for Portland Parks Urban Forestry, including Portland's first complete street tree inventory. Prior to Portland Parks, Angie worked as the program manager for the World Forestry Center, advising and teaching international researchers on forestry projects . She holds an M.S. in Forestry and an M.Ed. in Counseling from Northern Arizona University as well as a B.S. in Environmental Science from Wright State University.

Dan Lambe, Arbor Day Foundation | Jan Davis, USDA Forest Service | Dr. Ann Bartuska, USDA

Dan Lambe is the president of the Arbor Day Foundation, founded in 1972, which has grown to become the largest nonprofit membership organization dedicated to planting trees, with over one million members, supporters, and valued partners. Dan leads the strategic development of programs and partnerships through which the Foundation strives to educate, recognize, and empower people to plant, nurture, and celebrate trees.

Jan Davis is Assistant Director in the Cooperative Forestry Program of the USDA Forest Service. As the National Program Leader for the Forest Service's Urban and Community Forestry Program, she works with state forestry agencies, leverages partner resources, and builds coalitions. Prior to coming to the Forest Service, she worked for the Texas Forest Service for 17 years. As a Cum Laude graduate from Stephen F. Austin State University, she holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Forest Management.

Dr. Ann Bartuska is the deputy undersecretary for USDA's Research, Education, and Economics (REE) mission area. She comes to REE from the USDA Forest Service, where she was the deputy chief for Research & Development, a position she has held since January 2004. She recently served as the acting USDA deputy undersecretary for Natural Resources and Environment from January to October of 2009 and was the executive director of the Invasive Species Initiative in The Nature Conservancy. Prior to this, she was the director of the Forest and Rangelands staff in the Forest Service in Washington, DC. She is an ecosystem ecologist with degrees from Wilkes College (B.S.), Ohio University (M.S.), and West Virginia University (Ph.D.).

Bill Kincius, City of Indianapolis | Dave Forsell, Keep Indianapolis Beautiful

Bill Kincius is the manager of urban forestry for Indianapolis DPW. He currently serves as president-elect of the Indiana Chapter of the ASLA and recently served as president of the Indiana Urban Forest Council. Previous work experiences have been with private practice firms, local municipalities, and private institutions of higher education. Bill enjoys utilizing his background as a licensed landscape architect and certified arborist to better the urban environment and encourage greater collaboration between arborists and designers.

Dave Forsell has been President of Keep Indianapolis Beautiful since 2003. In that time, KIB has launched its nationally recognized NeighborWoods and Youth Tree Team programs; partnered in the Lilly Day of Service; and redeveloped a vacant and contaminated warehouse into its green headquarters -- one might even say the best office in Indy. For Dave, every day is definitely different, but he is always focused on how KIB can grow its impact for people, communities, and the environment.

Phillip Rodbell, USDA Forest Service

Phillip Rodbell is the program leader for Urban and Community Forestry in the U.S. Forest Service Northeastern Area, located near Philadelphia, PA. He provides leadership in federally funded action to plant and improve community trees and forests in the Midwest, New England, and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. Phillip is a Certified Arborist and has an M.S in Forestry from North Carolina State University and a B.S. in Forest Resources from the University of Washington in Seattle.

Greg Mast, TreeFolks

Greg Mast manages the NeighborWoods and Urban Orchards programs for TreeFolks in Austin, Texas. He has an M.S. in Geography from Texas State University and is an ISA Certified Arborist. Greg works to connect people with their environment through education, volunteerism, and free trees.

Amy Bell, Groundwork Studio

Amy Bell is the principal of Groundwork Studio, a landscape architecture firm focused on site design integration and community building through strengthening sense of place. Amy's goal as a landscape architect is to improve the connections we have to our surroundings in order to improve ecological literacy, resiliency, community, and stewardship. Amy holds a master's degree in Landscape Architecture from the University of New Mexico, is a licensed landscape architect in New Mexico and Texas, and became an ISA Certified Arborist in 2015.

Stephanie Foster-Miller & Alan Siewert, Ohio Division of Forestry

Stephanie Foster-Miller is a 1992 graduate of Purdue University with a B.S. in Forestry/Urban Forestry option. She's been the Northwest Ohio regional urban forester since 1998, assisting communities in 19 counties with their urban forest management by providing technical and organizational tree care assistance, administering the Tree City USA program, and managing the development and delivery of the Ohio Tree Commission Academy. She's active in the Ohio Chapter of ISA and Society of American Foresters who honored her as a Fellow in 2011.

Alan Siewert earned his B.S. in Urban Forestry from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point in 1984. Alan's been a regional urban forester for the Ohio Division of Forestry since 1990, where he assists communities in 11 northeast Ohio counties in managing their urban forest resource. Alan has been active in ISA in Ohio and internationally. He is an accomplished speaker and educator on various urban forestry and arboriculture topics and is the co-author of the awarding-winning Ohio Tree Commission Academy.

Lydia Scott & Lindsay Darling, The Morton Arboretum

Lydia Scott is the director of the Chicago Region Trees Initiative and manager of the Community Trees Program at The Morton Arboretum. She leads a collaboration of leading organizations and agencies in the seven-county Chicago region to preserve, protect, and enhance the urban forest to improve quality of life for humans and wildlife. She has 20 years of experience in the municipal setting, making her well aware of the challenges and problems associated with managing an urban forest. Lydia has a master's degree in Environmental Science from the University of Illinois.

Lindsay Darling is a GIS analyst in Indianapolis, IN. Lindsay received her master's degree in Plant Biology and Conservation from Northwestern University and The Chicago Botanic Garden. She is primarily interested in urban ecology and climate change adaptation. Her work focuses on using big data and technologies to help natural resource managers, municipalities, and other stakeholders create more productive, healthy, and resilient urban ecosystems.

Holly Dentner, Missouri Department of Conservation

Holly Dentner is the forestry field program supervisor for outreach and communications at the Missouri Department of Conservation. She joined the department in June of 2015. Holly has spent more than 18 years in state government public information positions, including the Department of Economic Development, the Missouri State Library, and the Department of Transportation. She has extensive experience in media relations, communication strategies for statewide campaigns, and publication development. Holly has her bachelor's and master's degrees in English.

Dr. Susan Day, Virginia Tech University

Susan Day is an associate professor of urban forestry at Virginia Tech. She is the project leader for Urban Forestry 2020, a national initiative funded by the National Urban and Community Forestry Advisory Council to examine the urban forestry profession. Dr. Day's research also focuses on managing urban soils to enhance tree growth and longevity, particularly in the context of managing stormwater and soil carbon. She holds a B.A. from Yale University, an M.S. from Cornell University, and a Ph.D. from Virginia Tech.

Jennifer Henaghan, American Planning Association | Kevin O'Hara & Lori Robertson, National Recreation & Parks Association

Jennifer Henaghan works with American Planning Association members and partners to research, educate, and promote planning practice that creates greener, more sustainable communities. In 2015, Jennifer joined APA in a dual role as its deputy research director and Green Communities Center manager. There, she is building partnerships, developing programs, and expanding the reach of the Green Communities Center. Prior to joining APA, Jennifer gained extensive experience in community and economic development as a planner for local governments within the Chicago area.

Kevin O'Hara is the National Recreation and Park Association's (NRPA) vice president of urban and government affairs, where he oversees NRPA's federal advocacy efforts with Congress and the Administration. He also leads the organization's efforts to promote parks and recreation agencies as leading problem solvers in American cities. Kevin lives in Washington, DC, with his wife and son and proudly serves on the steering committee of the Sustainable Urban Forest Coalition.

Lori Robertson is the director of conservation for NRPA, overseeing its conservation portfolio and fundraising. With a science education background, Lori has spent her career working to connect young people with the natural world in order to build a next generation of environmental stewards. She came to NRPA from the Student Conservation Association, where she led SCA's national engagement strategy and launched its ConSERVE® initiative focused on providing urban residents with service, learning, and recreation opportunities in local parks. She is a graduate of the 2016 American Express Leadership Academy and a student at Georgetown University.

Josh Behounek, Davey Resource Group | Paul Johnson, Texas A&M Forest Service

Josh Behounek is the coordinator of urban forestry services for the Davey Resource Group throughout the Eastern U.S. and an adjunct professor at the University of Missouri. Josh is an ISA Certified Arborist, Municipal Specialist, and is Tree Risk Assessment Qualified. He is on the ISA test committee, past-chair of Missouri Community Forestry Council, and has participated in three Tour Des Trees events. He has experience inventorying, climbing, planting, pruning, mulching, spraying, writing about, and hugging trees!

Paul Johnson graduated with a degree in Forestry from Oklahoma State University and has been a radio talk show host, newspaper columnist, Extension horticulturist, university adjunct instructor, and plant health care specialist. He is an ISA Board Certified Master Arborist, Municipal Specialist, is Tree Risk Assessment Qualified, and serves on the ISA board of directors.

Dr. Erika Svendsen, USDA Forest Service

Erika Svendsen is a research social scientist with the USDA Forest Service, Northern Research Station, and Team Leader for the New York City Urban Field Station. The station is a space to conduct research, cultivate ideas, and foster collaboration among scientists and practitioners focused on urban ecological and social issues. Erika's focus is environmental stewardship as it relates to new forms of governance, social resilience, and human well-being. She is the co-author of a recent book on Civic Engagement and Environmental Stewardship: How Planting Trees Strengthens the Roots of Democracy. She is a recipient of the Forest Service Chief's Award for engaging urban America and an Early Career Scientist Station Award recognizing her co-development of STEW-Map, a tool for mapping and visualizing stewardship groups in complex social-ecological systems. Erika is a graduate of Yale University School of Forestry and Environmental Studies and Columbia University's Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation.

Jad Daley, Trust for Public Land

Jad Daley is Vice President and Director of Program Development at The Trust for Public Land and holds the endowed position of Martha Wyckoff Fellow. Jad served on the Rockefeller Foundation's Design Advisory Group for the HUD National Disaster Resilience Competition, the federal Landscape Conservation Cooperative National Council, and co-founded the Forest-Climate Working Group. He has helped author multiple pieces of federal legislation, including the Community Forest and Open Space Program enacted as part of the 2008 Farm Bill. Jad is a graduate of Brown University and Vermont Law School where he earned an M.S.E.L. degree (summa cum laude). He has a long history as a competitive athlete, having represented the United States on four occasions in international duathlon competitions and twice earning top-150 finishes in the New York City Marathon.

Barbara Deutsch, Landscape Architecture Foundation

Barbara Deutsch, FASLA has served as Executive Director of the Landscape Architecture Foundation since 2009. She brings ten years of award-winning marketing experience from IBM before becoming a landscape architect. This experience was influential in the development of LAF's strategic research initiative called The Landscape Performance Series. Prior to LAF, Barbara served most recently as an Associate Director for BioRegional's OnePlanet Communities program in Washington, DC to deliver Zero Carbon, Zero Waste, Livable communities. In addition she served as Senior Director of Casey Trees, where she was principal investigator for the award-winning EPA Grant titled "The Green Build-out Model: Quantifying the Stormwater Management Benefits of Trees and Green Roofs in Washington, DC." Barbara earned a BS in Commerce from the University of Virginia, a Master's in Landscape Architecture from the University of Washington, and was awarded a Loeb Fellowship at the Harvard Graduate School of Design.

David Rouse, American Planning Association

David Rouse is the managing director of research and advisory services for the American Planning Association in Washington, DC. He is a certified planner and registered landscape architect with over 30 years of experience in community planning, design, applied research, and implementation. A recognized expert on green infrastructure planning and design, David is a member of the Sustainable Urban Forests Coalition steering committee.

Silas Kyler & David Hildreth, Tiny Chair Pictures

Silas Kyler is an Arizona native who lives in Tempe with his wife and three young children. "Silas" is derived from the Latin "silva" meaning "wood or forest", so it seems fitting that throughout his life Silas has been drawn to the love of trees and wood as a material. With a background in film and corporate video, he also has passion for telling stories through film, and has merged the two interests in the documentary "Felled - A documentary film about giving new life to fallen urban trees."

David Hildreth is a filmmaker who lives in Tempe, Arizona with his wife and daughter. He starting making videos with his friends in Junior High school and never stopped. After film school David worked on concert films and advertising seen around the world, all the while looking for stories to tell in documentary films of his own. After learning about the fate of many trees that blow down in monsoon storms and the passion with which people are using them for art, he knew he had found the subject for his feature length directorial debut.

Dr. David Nowak, USDA Forest Service | Scott Maco, The Davey Institute

Dave Nowak is a team leader with the USDA Forest Service, Northern Research Station in Syracuse, NY. His research investigates urban forest structure, health, and change, and its effect on human health and environmental quality. Dr. Nowak has authored more than 250 publications and leads teams developing software tools to quantify ecosystem services from urban vegetation (e.g., UFORE and i-Tree programs).

Scott Maco is the Director of Research and Development at the Davey Tree Expert Company. His focus has been on applied research and development of urban forest assessment and management tools that provide a better understanding of trees' environmental benefits and how they are managed for. Among other duties, Scott leads development of the i?Tree Tools software suite.

Kelly Tucker, Environmental Protection Agency | Jessica Franzini, New Jersey Tree Foundation

Kelly Tucker is an environmental protection specialist with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Wastewater Management. Kelly has served as a member of the State Revolving Fund Branch since 2005, where she is the staff lead on Clean Water State Revolving Fund project eligibility, nontraditional projects, and the green project reserve. She holds a master's degree in Environmental Management from Duke University and a B.S. in Environmental Science from the University of Delaware.

Jessica Franzini joined the New Jersey Tree Foundation in 2009. She directs the Foundation's tree planting program in Camden, facilitates the TreeKeepers workshop series, and oversees community projects throughout the state. In March 2011, Camden Mayor Dana Redd recognized Jessica as a "Woman of Purpose." Jessica proudly sports a David Hasselhoff air freshener in her work truck from the hit show Bay Watch.

Karen Zumach, Tree Trust | Jeff Hafner, Rainbow Tree Care

Karen Zumach is the director of community forestry for Tree Trust in Minnesota. She is responsible for the planting and distribution of nearly 3,000 trees per year to parks, schools, and private residences throughout the Minneapolis/St. Paul metro area. Karen also serves as vice president of the Minnesota Shade Tree Advisory Committee (MN's Urban Forest Council) with the role of promoting outreach, advocacy, and partnerships to improve our community forests.

Jeff Hafner is the director of municipal consulting for Rainbow Treecare, where he helps cities across the country develop, adopt, and implement emerald ash borer management plans. He is an ISA Certified Arborist and a member of the American Society of Consulting Arborists. As a board member of the Minnesota Shade Tree Advisory Committee representing the Minnesota Society of Arboriculture, Jeff works to raise awareness of the importance of community forests and the devastating effects of the emerald ash borer.

Dr. Kathleen Wolf, University of Washington

Kathy Wolf is a research social scientist at the College of the Environment, University of Washington, and holds a joint appointment with the USDA Forest Service, Pacific NW Research Station. She conducts social science research to understand the human dimensions of urban forestry and urban ecosystems. Dr. Wolf aims to discover, understand, and communicate human behavior and benefits as people experience nature in cities and towns and is interested in how scientific information can be integrated into local government policy and planning.

Dr. David Nowak, USDA Forest Service

Dave Nowak is a team leader with the USDA Forest Service, Northern Research Station in Syracuse, NY. His research investigates urban forest structure, health, and change, and its effect on human health and environmental quality. Dr. Nowak has authored more than 250 publications and leads teams developing software tools to quantify ecosystem services from urban vegetation (e.g., UFORE and i-Tree programs).

Lance Kramer, Meridian Hill Pictures

Lance Kramer, CITY OF TREES Producer, is a co-founder of Meridian Hill Pictures and multidisciplinary storyteller with a background in documentary filmmaking, education, journalism, and community organizing. A respected arts leader in the Washington, DC, documentary community, Lance received the 2014 DC Mayor's Arts Award, has served two terms as board member of Docs in Progress, and is a current DC Commission on the Arts & Humanities Individual Arts fellow.

Brigitte Orrick, Tree Care Industry Association

Brigitte Orrick is the workforce development director for the Tree Care Industry Association (TCIA). She develops arborist and urban forestry workforce sectors in communities to support and develop academic and training programs for the tree care industry. Her background in forestry and higher education helps connect employers, educators, and workforce development entities to improve accessibility to jobs in the green industry. Brigitte joined TCIA in January of 2016, with 14 years of experience in higher education and industry.

Dr. Sarah Mincey, Indiana University

Sarah Mincey holds a Ph.D. in Environmental Science from the School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University Bloomington, where she is faculty. Dr Mincey's research is broadly focused on social-ecological systems and natural resource management, specifically in urban and community forests. Her research seeks to understand the interplay between collective action, institutions, and biophysical outcomes related to sustainable community and urban forest management with a particular focus on the role of greening nonprofits and neighborhoods.

Dr. Susan Day, Virginia Tech University

Susan Day is an associate professor of urban forestry at Virginia Tech. She is the project leader for Urban Forestry 2020, a national initiative funded by the National Urban and Community Forestry Advisory Council to examine the urban forestry profession. Dr. Day's research also focuses on managing urban soils to enhance tree growth and longevity, particularly in the context of managing stormwater and soil carbon. She holds a B.A. from Yale University, an M.S. from Cornell University, and a Ph.D. from Virginia Tech.

Elise Schadler, Vermont Urban & Community Forestry Program

Elise Schadler received her B.A. in Anthropology from Indiana University before joining the Americorps National Civilian Community Corps for a year. She then spent three years directing a community-based tree planting program in Camden, NJ, with the NJ Tree Foundation and eventually ventured north to pursue her graduate degree in Natural Resource Management from the University of Vermont. She has worked for the Vermont Urban & Community Forestry Program since 2012 and coordinates technical assistance to communities for the program.

Shawn Freedberg, DeepRoot, LLC | Lance Davisson, The Keystone Concept | Tim Maguire, Ecosystem Sciences

Shawn Freedberg is the director of business development for DeepRoot Green Infrastructure, LLC. Shawn was trained as a landscape architect and has more than 15 years of experience in the field, where he has created and explored the implications of the urban landscape on its inhabitants. Working on low-impact development projects throughout the United States, Shawn has developed a deep understanding of not only how to design for sustainability but also the social, political and financial aspects of people-centered design.

Lance Davisson has been coordinating Treasure Valley Canopy Network activities since 2012. He drove the strategic alliance discussed in this presentation and has written and presented about their work on numerous platforms. The network is involved in a number of activities in addition to informing strategic investments in sustainable landscapes, including energy conservation, clean air, and urban tree canopy links to human health.

Tim Maguire specializes in watershed and urban planning with an emphasis in stormwater and hydraulic modelling and GIS. With more than 20 years of experience, he has modeled urban runoff throughout the western United States and abroad. His watershed and stormwater knowledge aids public agencies, cities, and private entities in prioritizing places and actions in urban and rural watersheds to improve overall stream and community health. Tim is a Treasure Valley Canopy Network partner and is currently completing a sub-watershed assessment in Boise, ID.

Megan Whatton, The Nature Conservancy

Megan Whatton is the Urban Habitat Network manager for The Nature Conservancy. She previously worked as the eMammal biological technician and volunteer coordinator for the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in Washington, DC. In that role, she worked with scientists, partners, private landowners, citizen scientists, and volunteers to monitor mammal populations in the mid-Atlantic region and Florida. Megan received a B.S. degree from Ball State University and her master's degree in Environmental Science and Policy from George Mason University.

Jamie Kirby, Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation | Roberta L. Arnoux, University of Montana | Shari Bremner, Black Feet Community College

Jamie Kirby lives in Missoula, MT, and has a forestry degree from the University of Montana. She worked as a wildland fire prevention & education specialist before converting to urban forestry in 2008. She is a Certified Arborist, member of the International Society of Arboriculture, ISA Rocky Mountain Chapter, Society of Municipal Arborists, and on the editing committee for the City Trees publication. She also serves on the Montana Urban & Community Forestry Association and University of Montana Arboretum committee. Her name given by the Blackfeet Nation is 'Pine Woman.'

Roberta L. Arnoux is an enrolled member of the Blackfeet Tribe, born and raised in Glacier National Park/St. Mary, MT. She's always had an interest in trees. She's worked as an INCM in fire for many years and as a Reservist Operations Specialist for the Department of Homeland Security/FEMA. She is a Resource Conservation/Forestry major at University of Montana, currently working on an independent study called Trees for Indigenous Nations, bringing urban forestry curricula to educational institutions like Blackfeet Learning Academy and Blackfeet Community College. Roberta lives today in Florence, MT.

Shari Bremner graduated from Black Feet Community College (BCC) in 2009 with an associate's degree in Applied Science Business Management and Office Administration. She has worked at the college since 2008 and serves on several committees including both the Facility and Basketball Committees. Shari also serves as the President of BCC Staff Council. She is the co-advisor to the American Indian Business Leaders Club as well as Tree Campus USA council at the college.

Dr. Adam Berland, Ball State University

Adam Berland is an assistant professor of Geography at Ball State University. He studies the patterns and drivers of change in the spatial distribution of urban trees. He previously held a research position at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, where he studied the use of trees to control urban stormwater runoff. Dr. Berland holds a Ph.D. in Geography from the University of Minnesota.

Nate Faris, Keep Indianapolis Beautiful, Inc.

Nate Faris has worked for Keep Indianapolis Beautiful, Inc. (KIB) for the past 11 years. During that time, he initiated KIB's Youth Tree Team program and is now the organization's director of community forestry. Nate is a Registered Consulting Arborist, an ISA Board Certified Master Arborist, and serves as president of Faris Tree Consulting.

Ned Brockmeyer, Keep Indianapolis Beautiful, Inc.

Ned Brockmeyer has been with Keep Indianapolis Beautiful since 2014. Prior to that, he spent eight years in various aspects of youth development. Ned is responsible for the day-to-day logistics of the Youth Tree Team at KIB and is responsible for the hiring and continuing employment of 90 youth per year, as well as directing the youth in their work, determining what maintenance must be done, and tracking it.

Tricia Bethke, The Morton Arboretum

Tricia Bethke is the forest pest outreach coordinator for Illinois. Her position is funded by a cooperative grant with USDA APHIS, and responsibilities include statewide training of key stakeholders on invasive forest pest identification, regulations, quarantines, and reporting protocols. Tricia also coordinates and instructs youth forest pest detection programs and coordinates the Openlands TreeKeeper training program at The Morton Arboretum. The Openlands TreeKeeper program trains and deploys volunteers to plant, care for, and maintain healthy trees.

Dan Staley, Analemma Resources, LLC

Dan Staley studied urban forestry at the University of California–Davis and studied Urban Planning, specializing in urban ecology, at the University of Washington. He has written several trade magazine articles on drones and tree care and solar power and trees. In 2015, he conducted the largest workshop ever held on drones and tree care.

Lindsey Purcell, Purdue University

Lindsey Purcell is an urban forestry specialist and instructor in the Forestry and Natural Resources Department at Purdue University and has been involved in the community landscape and urban forestry industry for more than 30 years. As an ISA Certified Arborist, he has served Indiana communities as a landscape and tree professional in municipal and private enterprise. His educational background includes an A.S. in Horticulture from Vincennes University, a B.S. from Purdue University School of Agriculture, and an M.Ed. from Indiana State University.

Gregory Cooper, Duke University

Greg Cooper is a student at Duke University in the Nicholas School of the Environment, studying for dual master's degrees in Environmental Management and Forestry.

Eve Pytel, Delta Institute | Jenny Gulick, Davey Resource Group | Travis Miller, Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Council of Governments

Eve Pytel manages the Delta Institute's programs focusing on sustainability, new markets, and waste material. Before joining Delta, she served the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus in Chicago as the director of environmental initiatives and led the Clean Air Counts Program. Eve has won numerous awards and published numerous papers, including several on the devastating effects of emerald ash borer. She earned a master's degree in Urban Planning and Public Policy from University of Illinois at Chicago and received a B.A. in liberal arts from St. John's College in Annapolis, MD.

Jenny Gulick is a business developer and senior consulting urban forester responsible for assisting governments, businesses, utilities, and nonprofit organizations with various project development and implementation plans specializing in urban forestry, park management, and land development programs. Jenny has more than 30 years of experience and joined Davey Resource Group in 1999 after a successful career in municipal government. She has managed and been a key contributor to a wide variety of local and national urban forestry projects.

Travis Miller is the regional planning manager for the Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Council of Governments.

Eric North, University of Minnesota

Eric North is an urban forestry research fellow at the University of Minnesota Department of Forest Resources and is an ISA Certified Arborist. He teaches classes in Arboriculture and Dendrology, and his current research is on the resilience of urban trees (boulevard and park plantings) to urban environments. Eric is a board member of the Minnesota Shade Tree Advisory Committee, founding member of the nonprofit, Brewing a Better Forest, a steering committee member for the Minnesota Shade Tree Short Course, and a member of the St. Paul tree advisory panel.

Mark Ambrose, North Carolina State University

Mark Ambrose received his M.S. in Forestry from North Carolina State University, with a focus on growth and yield modeling and tropical forests. Since 1999, Mark has worked at NC State conducting cooperative research with the U.S. Forest Service's Forest Health Monitoring Program. He has focused on discovering long-term trends in forest mortality and analyzing patterns of tree diversity in urban forests.

Rachel Holmes & Chris Chandler, The Nature Conservancy | Halida Hatic, Center for Interfaith Relations

Rachel Holmes is the healthy trees coordinator for The Nature Conservancy (TNC). In addition to urban forestry, Rachel has a background in youth development, having worked for several youth-based nonprofit organizations prior to joining TNC in 2014 -- when she started the Conservancy's first field-based urban conservation professional development program. Rachel holds a Master of Forestry from the Yale School of Forestry and the Environment, a Master of Divinity also from Yale University, and a B.S. from Rutgers University.

Chris Chandler is an ISA Certified Arborist and a Louisville native. He holds a B.A. in communications from the University of Louisville and has experience serving as project manager and business developer for Louisville-based ecological consultants. His professional background has given Chris an ability to work with private landowners, government agencies, volunteer organizations, and other partners on a variety of urban forest restoration projects already underway in Louisville. He currently leads TNC-Kentucky's first urban conservation program.

Halida Hatic serves as the director of community relations for Louisville-based nonprofit Center for Interfaith Relations. In this capacity, she facilitates interfaith dialogue among faith leaders on a variety of social justice matters -- including environmental stewardship -- and coordinates the annual Festival of Faiths. Committed to the well-being of Louisville residents, Halida serves on the Louisville Sustainability Council. She has a B.S. from University of New Hampshire and an M.A. in Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning from Tufts University.

Mark Majewsky & Dr. Brett Butler, USDA Forest Service | Gretchen Riley, Texas A&M Forest Service

Mark Majewsky has been with the USDA Forest Service, Forest Inventory & Analysis (FIA) program for 25 years, working throughout most of the Midwest and currently overseeing field work across Michigan, Minnesota, and North Dakota. For the past three years he's been coordinating the development and implementation of the Urban FIA program with a large team from across the country, including many state cooperators. He holds a B.S. in Natural Resources Management from State University of NY College of Environmental Science and Forestry.

Dr. Brett Butler is a national and international expert on forest ownership who has authored more than 100 articles and reports on the subject. As part of the U.S. Forest Service, Northern Research Station, Forest Inventory and Analysis program, he coordinates the National Woodland Owner Survey and co-directs the Family Forest Research Center. He earned his B.S. from the University of Connecticut and his Ph.D. from Oregon State University.

Gretchen Riley serves as partnership coordinator for Texas A&M Forest Service, providing coordination and assistance for various urban forestry programs. She holds a master's degree in Forestry from Texas A&M University, is an SAF Certified Forester and an ISA Certified Arborist. She spent nine years as an ecological consultant in Florida, focusing on natural resource preservation and development mitigation. Gretchen is an author and folk artist who likes to feature trees in various media.

Peter MacDonagh, Kestrel Design Group

Peter MacDonagh is the director of design + science for Kestrel Design Group, Inc., specializing in state-of-the-art ecological restoration, urban forestry, stormwater planning, and green roof technologies. He has more than 30 years of experience providing ecological and sustainable site design for stormwater management, lake and river restoration, natural areas management plans, botanical inventories, urban forests, green roof installations, and mining reclamation. Peter is a Registered Landscape Architect and a Fellow of the American Society of Landscape Architects.

Jeff Stava, Tulsa Community Foundation

Jeff Stava supports the George Kaiser Family Foundation's work in overall civic enhancement, placemaking, and beautification. Jeff currently serves as chief operating officer for Tulsa Community Foundation and executive director of Tulsa's Gathering Place LLC. He has spent most of his career in business and most recently as president/CEO of Outdoor Innovations. He is a 1991 graduate of Baylor University with a Bachelor of Business Administration in operations management.

Mark Bays, Oklahoma Forestry Services

Mark Bays is a forestry graduate of Oklahoma State University (1982). He has worked for the USDA Forest Service and has been self-employed as a consultant. He has worked for Oklahoma Forestry Services for the past 26 years, where he has been helping communities across the state appreciate the value, benefits, and services trees provide. He helps Oklahoma solve tough environmental issues through proper tree planting and maintenance programs. Since 1996, he and many others have helped with the rescue and recovery of the "Survivor Tree" at the Oklahoma City National Memorial.

Meridith Perkins, Davey Resource Group

Meridith McAvoy Perkins has spent 15 years promoting healthy urban forestry management and connecting people to the many benefits of trees. Meridith has worked as an urban forestry consultant and a state urban forestry coordinator. These experience gave her a solid understanding of the industry's framework and partners as well as key challenges and opportunities. Now, as the urban forestry consortium manager for Davey Resource Group in Missouri, Meridith meets the demand for high-quality, cost-effective tree management with collaborative solutions.

Colby Sattler, Western Reserve Land Conservancy

Colby Sattler is the urban forestry and natural resources project manager for the Western Reserve Land Conservancy in Cleveland, OH. He leads urban reforestation efforts across greater Cleveland, conducts workshops on proper tree care and maintenance, and assists on projects as diverse as invasive species removal, native plant installation, and tree inventory. Colby is a Certified Arborist and has a background in silvicultural research in the Pacific Northwest and utility forestry work in Ohio, New Jersey, and Texas. He is currently focused on increasing the urban tree canopy of greater Cleveland and inspiring area residents to become Certified Tree Stewards through a Conservancy-led effort.

Erin Oliverio, City of Charlotte, NC

Erin Oliverio has been the tree canopy program manager for the City of Charlotte for three years. Striving to meet City Council's goal of 50 percent canopy by the year 2050, she plants and gives away thousands of trees each year in partnership with the local nonprofit TreesCharlotte. In addition, she manages the Urban Forest Master Plan that guides the community to achieve the "50x50" goal. Erin holds a degree in geography from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, is an ISA Certified Arborist, is ISA Tree Risk Assessment Qualified, and is a North Carolina Certified Environmental Educator.

Josh Behounek, Davey Resource Group

Josh Behounek is the coordinator of urban forestry services for the Davey Resource Group throughout the Eastern U.S. and an adjunct professor at the University of Missouri. Josh is an ISA-Certified Arborist, a Municipal Specialist, and is Tree Risk Assessment Qualified. He is on the ISA test committee, past-chair of Missouri Community Forestry Council, and has participated in three Tour Des Trees events. He has experience inventorying, climbing, planting, pruning, mulching, spraying, writing about, and hugging trees!

Serda Ozbenian, National Recreation and Park Association | Kathryn Hunninen, Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy

Serda Ozbenian manages various conservation programs and develops new programs for the National Recreation & Park Association. She has extensive experience with the human dimensions of conservation and has worked with vulnerable communities internationally and domestically to build capacity and raise awareness about sustainable development and natural resource protection. She was a 2015 Fulbright Fellow, holds an M.S. in environmental science and policy from George Mason University, and was selected in 2010 as an Emerging Wildlife Conservation Leader.

Kathryn Hunninen is a park management professional and environmental educator with 12+ years of experience in working with communities to bring trail and ecological restoration projects to life and leading environmental education and volunteer programs for all ages. As senior manager of special initiatives for the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy, Kathryn works closely with community partners to plan for and implement park improvement projects and leads education initiatives in community-based settings, including the Pittsburgh Parks Prescription program. Kathryn holds a Bachelor of Arts in human ecology and a Master of Science in parks & resource management and environmental education.

Dr. Christine Carmichael, University of Vermont

Christine Carmichael completed her Ph.D. in forestry at Michigan State University in March 2017 and is now a Postdoctoral Associate at the University of Vermont's Gund Institute for Environment and Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources. Her dissertation research focused on understanding perspectives of city residents and staff of a nonprofit organization on a street tree planting program in Detroit, Michigan. Dr. Carmichael's graduate education included a specialization in gender, justice, and environmental change as well as a graduate certificate in community engagement. Her expertise is in improving outcomes for collaborative governance approaches in urban and community forestry.

Katie Lautar, Baltimore Green Space

Katie Lautar is the program director of Baltimore Green Space, where she directs programming related to green space preservation and forest patches. She came to this work through her love of nature and communities. Katie has more than 15 years of experience in community organizing, nonprofit program design, and educational program development, which informs her focus on collaborative community-led project development. She earned a master's degree in environmental education from Lesley University, while living outdoors in different bio-regions. Her bachelor's degree in elementary education and peace studies was earned at Goucher College.

Dr. Kimberly Kasper, Rhodes College

Kimberly Kasper is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Anthropology and Sociology with a specialization in anthropological archaeology. Her first master's degree in anthropology was obtained from Florida State University and her second master's degree in environmental archaeology and paleoeconomy was acquired from Sheffield University. Her Ph.D. in anthropology was completed at UMass, Amherst. Her research and teaching focuses on the ecological and cultural legacy of plants.

Tim Porter, City of Charlotte, NC

As city arborist since 2016, Tim Porter oversees the group responsible for planting and maintenance of city trees, permitting, and ordinance enforcement and manages the city's Tree Canopy Preservation Program. He has experience with urban forestry, tree canopy management, tree risk assessment, and government and nonprofit work and holds a master's degree in forest and natural resources management from SUNY ESF. He is an ISA Certified Arborist and municipal specialist and is a board member of the North Carolina Urban Forestry Council.

Dr. Burney Fischer, Indiana University-Bloomington, School of Public & Environmental Affairs

Burney Fischer is a clinical professor emeritus specializing in urban and community forestry. He joined Indiana University in 2005 after 15 years with the Indiana Division of Forestry, where he served as the state forester and director. At the School of Public & Environmental Affairs, Fischer teaches classes on urban forestry and conducts research on urban and community forestry practices and issues, forest resource policy, state government management, and collaborative forestry.

Ian Leahy, American Forests | Larry Wiseman, CenterLine Strategy

Ian Leahy has served as the director of urban programs at American Forests for four years. He helps various cities build their urban forestry programs, implements catalytic restoration projects, develops national communication products, and serves on the Sustainable Urban Forests Coalition. He is a Certified Arborist who previously worked as the state urban & community forestry coordinator for the District of Columbia and owned a landscape construction company in Michigan. He studied natural resource policy and management at Cornell University.

Larry Wiseman was the founding president and CEO of the American Forest Foundation for nearly three decades. He also served as chair of the National Urban and Community Forestry Advisory Council. He is currently a senior advisor to the Sustainable Urban Forests Coalition and a fellow at Virginia Tech's Center for Leadership in Global Sustainability. Through CenterLine Strategy, Larry creates and implements innovative strategies for sustainability communications, multi-party coalitions, community relations, stakeholder outreach, and public affairs campaigns.

Michael Galvin, SavATree Consulting Group

Mike Galvin is the director of SavATree Consulting Group and a member of the team at the U.S. Forest Service Northern Research Station's Baltimore Urban Field Station where he works on the Baltimore Urban Waters Partnership, urban wood utilization efforts, and the Baltimore Ecosystem Study. Mike is a registered Consulting Arborist and is past president of the American Society of Consulting Arborists. His previous work includes a decade as supervisor of urban & community forestry for the Maryland Forest Service.

Dr. Cecil Konijnendijk van den Bosch, University of British Columbia

For two decades Cecil Konijnendijk has studied and taught on the role of trees and green space in cities and towns, based on his passion for maintaining our contact with nature in an increasingly urban world. His particular interests are green space governance, people-nature relationships, and cultural ecosystem services. He has always worked in close dialogue with decision-makers and practitioners. After employments in the Netherlands, the Nordic countries and Hong Kong, Cecil is now professor of urban forestry at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. Cecil has authored several widely read books about urban forestry and is editor-in-chief of the journal Urban Forestry & Urban Greening. He is also an incoming member of the ISA Board of Directors.

Dr. David Nowak, USDA Forest Service-Northern Research Station

Dave Nowak is a senior scientist and team leader with the USDA Forest Service-Northern Research Station in Syracuse, NY. His research investigates urban forest structure, health, and change and its effect on human health and environmental quality. He has authored more than 275 publications and leads teams developing i-Tree software tools to quantify ecosystem services and values from trees and forests.

Dr. Paul Ries, Oregon State University

Paul Ries is the director of the Graduate Certificate in Urban Forestry Program at Oregon State University and the principal consultant for Insightful Nature LLC, a natural resources consulting, communications, and training company. Paul holds both a B.S. and M.S. in natural resources and a Ph.D. in educational leadership. He has more than 30 years of experience in the natural resources and urban forestry fields, working at the state, local, nonprofit, and academic levels. For 2017-2018, he is serving as president of the International Society of Arboriculture.

Mark McPherson, Urban Forest Carbon Project | Dr. Greg McPherson, USDA Forest Service – Southwest Research Station | Walter Passmore, City of Palo Alto

Mark McPherson is a Seattle lawyer who has been active in urban forestry for many years. He drafted the first conservation easement for the City of Seattle Heritage Tree Program and was given a Founder's Award by PlantAmnesty of Seattle for his legal work in many cases involving urban trees. Prior to forming the nonprofit Urban Forest Carbon Registry, Mark practiced law, managed a business, and co-founded a web site. Mark has a law degree from Harvard. Mark served on the UF protocol work group at the Climate Action Reserve in 2013-2014.

Greg McPherson is an internationally recognized scientist who pioneered the quantitative analysis of urban forest benefit and costs. Greg leads the U.S. Forest Service's urban forest research unit in Davis, CA. Greg has published many articles and won numerous awards for his work. He speaks internationally on urban forest issues. As a scientist with the Forest Service, he is providing technical assistance on the quantitative issues in the development of urban forest carbon protocols. Greg worked on quantification methods for earlier protocols in California.

Walter Passmore studied natural resources and forestry at Cal Poly State University, San Luis Obispo. He has worked professionally with trees for more than 20 years: as a researcher for the U.S. Forest Service in the Sierra National Forest in California and in Starkville, MS; as the city urban forester in Dallas; and as the urban forester for Austin, Texas, where he managed the city's 300,000 trees. He has been the city forester for Palo Alto since 2012. Walter served on work groups for protocols at the Climate Action Reserve and the Urban Forest Carbon Registry.

Lance Davisson, Chair, National Urban & Community Forestry Advisory Council | Paul Ries, Co-chair, Sustainable Urban Forests Coalition

Lance Davisson serves as Council Chair for the National Urban and Community Forestry Advisory Council (NUCFAC). He has served on the Council since being appointed by US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Thomas Vilsack in 2012, representing communities with a population greater than 50,000. Lance is Owner and Principal Consultant for The Keystone Concept, LLC located in Boise, Idaho. He has been a natural resource professional for over 16 years working in urban and natural resource planning in both the public and private sector. Lance is an ISA Certified Arborist and has been a member of the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) and Society of Municipal Arborists (SMA) since 2008. In addition to his volunteer service to the Council, Lance has served on the PNW ISA Board of Directors since 2013 and is the current Chapter President.

Dr. Matthew Browning, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Matt Browning is an assistant professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he holds joint appointments in the Departments of Recreation, Sport, and Tourism and Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences. Matt studies how exposure to natural environments improves human health and well-being. His current research ties greenness around nursing homes to lower rates of depression and anxiety, greenness around schools to higher standardized test scores, and greenness around homes to lower health care spending. As the director of the Virtual Reality and Nature Lab, he is also studying the extent to which simulated nature exposure replicates the benefits of being outdoors in natural environments. He was trained in environmental studies and forestry sciences at both Yale University and Virginia Tech.

Susan Wirth, Dimensions Educational Research Foundation | Dr. Tamberly Conway, USDA Forest Service

Susie Wirth has spent more than 30 years in nature education. She served as Outreach Director for the Arbor Day Foundation & Dimensions Educational Research Foundation's collaborative Nature Explore program, a national initiative designed to help children reconnect with the natural world as an integral part of learning. She has presented nationally and internationally, keynoting at numerous conferences, and has written for national publications such NAEYC's Young Children. She also helped write Early Childhood Environmental Education Programs: Guidelines for Excellence.

Tamberly Conway serves as a partnerships, diversity, and inclusion specialist for the U.S. Forest Service Conservation Education Program in Washington, D.C., focusing on creating nontraditional partnerships to better serve diverse audiences.

Rob Keen, Forests Ontario

In 2014, Rob Keen assumed the role of chief executive officer of Forests Ontario after serving as CEO of Trees Ontario since 2011. Rob is currently leading the Forests Ontario team in sustaining and generating new partnerships and revenues to support and achieve its regreening mandate. Keen is a Registered Professional Forester who founded a forestry consultant business upon graduating from the University of Toronto in 1982. He has been involved in many facets of the forestry industry, primarily in the Great Lakes/St. Lawrence forest region.

Dr. Viniece Jennings, USDA Forest Service – Southern Research Station

Viniece Jennings is a research scientist with the USDA Forest Service, where she investigates the link between urban green spaces, human health, and well-being. Her articles strive to connect the dots between different disciplines to bridge knowledge gaps in a way that supports interdisciplinary teams. A recent document by the National Parks and Recreation Association recognized her article on green space and health disparities among top research to guide community decision-making. Prior to the USDA, she interned at the White House under the Obama Administration.

Emily Okallau, The Morton Arboretum

As stewardship coordinator for The Morton Arboretum's Community Trees Program, Emily Okallau engages residents as long-term volunteers to care for the trees in their communities. She recently completed her M.S. in Tanzania, working alongside small farmers to improve their yields by addressing their self-identified constraints. Emily appreciates the importance of connecting community members to their natural resources, including trees, and is enjoying the challenge of doing so in an urban setting.

Jana Dilley, City of Seattle, WA

Jana Dilley is the program manager for the City of Seattle's Trees for Seattle program. She supervises a small team focused on engaging Seattle's residents in planting and maintaining a healthy, thriving urban forest. Jana is an ISA Certified Arborist, a Municipal Specialist, and a graduate of the Municipal Forestry Institute who has been working in the urban forestry field for 15 years. She has dual master's degrees from the University of Washington in forest resources and public affairs and has published research centered on engaging residents in urban tree planting.

Suzannah DesRoches, TreeFolks, Inc.

Suzannah DesRoches serves as the urban forest programs manager for TreeFolks in Austin, Texas, where she oversees the organization's Urban Forestry & Education Programs. Suzannah directly coordinates the Ready-Set-Plant Program, through which volunteers plant 12,000 saplings annually in Austin's riparian zones. She has worked for Baton Rouge Green and the Louisiana Urban Forestry Council, and she holds a Bachelor of Landscape Architecture from Louisiana State University. Suzannah has a passion for sustainable agriculture and runs a microfarm at her home.

Kuldeep Singh, Sacramento Tree Foundation

Kuldeep Singh is the lead community forester at the Sacramento Tree Foundation and has worked for the organization since 2002. He coordinates tree planting and stewardship activities all over the region for the Sacramento Shade and Community Shade program in addition to leading tree care classes and workshops. He is a certified abortionist and previously served as the Manager of Forestry Research for the Department of Forests in Suva in the Fiji Islands. He holds an MBA from Central Queensland University in Australia and a bachelor's degree in Forestry from Papua New Guinea University of Technology.

Dr. Greg McPherson, USDA Forest Service – Southwest Research Station

Greg McPherson is a research forester with the USDA Forest Service's Pacific Southwest Research Station located in Davis, CA. He works with a team of scientists to measure and model effects of trees on energy use, urban heat islands, air pollutant uptake, carbon sequestration, and rainfall interception. Their research is helping justify investments in urban forest planning and management.

Mark Bays, Oklahoma Forestry Services

Mark Bays is a forestry graduate of Oklahoma State University (1982). He has worked for the USDA Forest Service and has been self-employed as a consultant. He has worked for Oklahoma Forestry Services for the past 26 years, where he has been helping communities across the state appreciate the value, benefits, and services trees provide. He helps Oklahoma solve tough environmental issues through proper tree planting and maintenance programs. Since 1996, he and many others have helped with the rescue and recovery of The Survivor Tree at the Oklahoma City National Memorial.

Dan Staley, Arbor Drone, LLC

Dan Staley is the Principal of Arbor Drone, LLC and is educated in urban forestry, urban planning, and urban ecology. He also is a licensed drone pilot. His applied research into urban forests and drones, trees and solar energy, trees and urban design, and urban forests and green infrastructure has appeared in the scholarly literature, proceedings, trade magazines, briefing papers, podcasts, webinars, workshops, and more.

Gretchen Riley, Texas A&M Forest Service

Gretchen Riley is the partnership coordinator for the Texas A&M Forest Service, providing coordination and assistance for various urban forestry programs. She holds a master's degree in Forestry from Texas A&M University, is an SAF Certified Forester, and is an ISA Certified Arborist. She spent nine years as an ecological consultant in Florida, focusing on natural resource preservation and development mitigation. Gretchen is an author and folk artist who likes to feature trees in various media.

Melanie Migura, City of Fort Worth, TX

Melanie Migura is a forester for the City of Fort Worth where she administers the tree removal and pruning contract for the Park Department. Melanie is transitioning into plan review, having coordinated the Citizen Forester and Tree Grant programs in prior years. She holds both a B.S. and M.S. in horticulture from Texas A&M University.

Michael Binkley, The Davey Institute

Mike Binkley currently manages technology development for a variety of research and development programs at The Davey Institute, a division of the Davey Tree Expert Company. This includes internal and external projects in terms of software and web development, Geographic Information Systems, and their associated hardware needs. Mike holds a bachelor's degree in natural resource conservation and a Master of Arts in geography. He has been with Davey for 20 years, has served as Adjunct Professor at Kent State University, and has also run a consulting business for 25 years.

Dr. Gerry Gray, Forest Conservation Leadership, LLC

Gerry Gray is a forest conservation leader and policy expert with nearly 30 years experience working on public policy issues in Washington, D.C. He has been at the forefront of efforts to advance community forestry in the United States, helping local partners in urban and rural communities develop and share stories with national policymakers. Gerry is currently a co-chair of the Sustainable Urban Forests Coalition. He holds a Ph.D. in forestry from the University of Minnesota and both a master's degree in forest science and bachelor's degree in English from Yale University.

Karen Firehock and Andrew Walker, Green Infrastructure Center, Inc.

Karen Firehock directs the Green Infrastructure Center (GIC), which maps, conserves, or restores natural resources in both wild and urban landscapes to create more resilient communities. She has authored numerous green infrastructure books such as "Strategic Green Infrastructure Planning: A multi-scale approach." Karen created the Healing Our Landscapes: Healing Our Veterans project and is a faculty member at the University of Virginia. She has a bachelor's degree in natural resources management and a master's degree in environmental planning.

Andrew Walker manages the implementation of local green infrastructure planning projects. He creates canopy maps, GIS models, and plans and provides technical assistance to local governments, regional planning agencies, communities, land trusts, and conservation groups. He also creates case studies, handbooks, and web content. He has a particular emphasis on using GIS to support urban and environmental planning applications, using those skills recently to help build a national model of forested landscapes.

Dr. Neely Law, Center for Watershed Protection

Neely Law, PhD, is the director of training at the Center for Watershed Protection, with more than 15 years of experience in the water resources field. Her technical area of expertise is applied research and development of stormwater and watershed management strategies. Neely's recent work at the Center has focused on development of monitoring plans and QAPPs, crediting protocols for urban BMPs at the state and federal levels, and advancing education and training programs in local communities.

Mathew Cahill, Massachusetts Department of Conservation & Recreation

Mathew Cahill is the Greening the Gateway Cities program manager for the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation. Mathew received his B.S. in natural resource management from SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry and is a Certified Arborist with the International Society of Arboriculture. Prior to joining the state, he worked nationally planting trees for urban forestry nonprofits in New York, California, Michigan, and most recently in Massachusetts on the Grow Boston Greener campaign.

Carla Short, City of San Francisco, CA | Dan Flanagan, Friends of the Urban Forest

Carla Short is superintendent of the Bureau of Urban Forestry within the San Francisco Public Works Department. She has been with the department since November 2004 and is responsible for management of street trees throughout San Francisco. She holds a master's degree from Yale University's School of Forestry and Environmental Studies and has spent 20 years working on tree and forest conservation both domestically and internationally.

Dan Flanagan is executive director of Friends of the Urban Forest, a nonprofit organization that helps individuals and neighborhood groups plant and care for street trees and sidewalk gardens throughout San Francisco. He is also a the chair of the City of San Francisco's Urban Forestry Council.

Sally Kellogg, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation

Sally Kellogg is the senior partnerships coordinator for urban forestry at the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. Her duties include administering the Tree City USA Program, working with volunteers and Tree Committees across New York State, and helping to educate a range of green professionals on current urban forestry practices and issues. Sally is a graduate of Stony Brook University with a degree in Environmental Science.

Mike McDaniel, City of Springfield, MO

Mike McDaniel began his urban forestry career in 2008, working for the Ozark Greenways trail system in Springfield, MO. After becoming the arborist for the Springfield public schools in 2011, he moved with his family to Joplin to become the city arborist in 2014. He recently returned to Springfield, MO, as the contract urban forester. Mike has a bachelor's degree in business/marketing from Missouri State University. He is an ISA Certified Arborist with a Tree Risk Assessment Qualification.

Melanie Migura, City of Fort Worth

Melanie Migura is a forester for the City of Fort Worth where she administers the tree removal and pruning contract for the Park and Recreation Department. Melanie is transitioning into plan review, having coordinated the Citizen Forester and Tree Grant programs in prior years. She holds both a B.S. and M.S. in horticulture from Texas A&M University.

John Parry, USDA Forest Service

John Parry works for the USDA Forest Service in Durham, NH, as the Urban Forestry Coordinator for the New England States and New York. He provides technical assistance, grant monitoring, and training on a variety of topics including forest inventory, tree risk and storm damage assessment, and reforestation. His prior experience includes 10 years as the urban forestry coordinator for the State of Indiana and 10 years of forest management work in the Midwest. John received a B.S. in forestry from Michigan Technological University and an M.S. from the State University of New York.

Philip Gruszka, Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy

Philip Gruszka advises the Conservancy and the City of Pittsburgh on horticultural and ecological issues facing Pittsburgh's parks. He is a graduate of the University of Illinois with a B.S. in forestry, the Davey Institute of Tree Sciences, and is an ISA-certified Arborist. He has 40 years of experience in tree planting and maintenance, managing historic landscapes, and developing management plans. Philip is a leader in testing trees for genetic diversity, with an emphasis on maximizing overall biodiversity within the urban forest.

Christina Gibson and David Simpson, Trees Atlanta

Christina Gibson serves as Canopy Conservation coordinator for Trees Atlanta, working with stakeholders across the city to protect Atlanta's urban forest. Christina is a native of Atlanta and has worked for Trees Atlanta since 2013 in the Forest Restoration and NeighborWoods programs. She is a Certified Arborist and has a master's degree in ecological design from the Conway School of Landscape Design. When she isn't speaking for the trees, she teaches permaculture design, studies herbal medicine, and enjoys playing in the north Georgia mountains.

Dave Simpson currently serves as Education Program coordinator for Trees Atlanta, where he provides leadership of Canopy Conversations and other educational programs for adults focused on ecology and the value of urban trees. Dave holds a master's degree in plant and environmental sciences from Clemson University and has more than nine years of experience working with nonprofits committed to education and environmental issues.

Erica Smith Fichman, Philadelphia Parks & Recreation

Erica Smith Fichman is the TreePhilly program manager at Philadelphia Parks & Recreation. She coordinates urban forestry-based community outreach, including tree giveaways, with the aim of increasing the tree canopy cover to 30 percent in all Philadelphia neighborhoods. She is an ISA Certified Arborist with a master's degree in environmental horticulture from the University of California-Davis and a bachelor's degree in biology from Haverford College. Her favorite tree is ponderosa pine.

Darrell Downey, PQ Partners, LLC

Darrell Downey is a mechanical engineer who has dedicated the last 20 years of his life to understanding and improving the process by which we irrigate trees. As an accomplished speaker, Darrell will engage and entertain the participants while causing light bulbs to flash and paradigms to shift.

Wolfgang Grunberg, Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management

Wolfgang Grunberg is a project coordinator at the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management where he works on urban community forestry and wildland fire projects. Trained in natural resource geographic information systems (GIS) and remote sensing at the University of Arizona, Wolfgang spent a couple decades on developing applied natural resource information systems for the University of Arizona, Arizona Geologic Survey, Arizona Game and Fish Department, and now Arizona Forestry. He still can't get enough of Arizona's big sky and public lands.

Robert Stanley, Tree Keepers, LLC

Growing up in Maine, Bob Stanley -- consulting arborist and owner of Tree Keepers®, LLC -- learned that trees provide much more than meets the eye. As he was growing up, Bob found that the trees cared for him and, along the way, he learned to care for them. With more than 30 years of experience in the care and management of trees, Stanley founded Tree Keepers®, LLC, in Easton, MD, to help property owners protect natural waterways like the Chesapeake Bay by caring for their trees. Tree Keepers®, LLC, serves the Chesapeake Bay Watershed, including the Eastern and Western Shore communities.

Jill Jonnes, Author, Viking Press | Nancy Buley, J. Frank Schmidt & So. Co. | Ian Leahy, American Forests

Jill Jonnes is a historian and author of six books, including most recently, Urban Forests: A Natural History of Trees and People in the American Cityscape. She founded the Baltimore Tree Trust and is a leader in the Baltimore Forestry Board's new citywide Flowering Tree Trails initiative.

Nancy Buley is the director of communications for J. Frank Schmidt & So. Co., America's largest wholesale tree nursery focused on urban trees.

Ian Leahy has served as director of urban programs at American Forests for four years. He helps various cities build their urban forestry programs and implement catalytic restoration projects, develops national communication products, and serves on the Sustainable Urban Forests Coalition. He is a Certified Arborist who previously worked as the State Urban & Community Forestry Coordinator for the District of Columbia and owned a landscape construction company in Michigan. He studied natural resource policy and management at Cornell University.

Phillip Rodbell, USDA Forest Service–Northeastern Area | Laura Clemons, Collaborative Communities | Dudley Hartel, Urban Forestry South

Phil Rodbell is a regional urban forester for the U.S. Forest Service–Northeastern Area in Newtown Square, PA. He provides leadership in federally funded action to plant and improve community trees and forests in the Midwest, New England, and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States.

Laura Clemons is a resiliency specialist with a diverse professional background. She enjoys working through complex issues around social vulnerability that consider the connections between climate change adaptation, disaster preparedness, disaster recovery, sustainable community planning, systems design, infrastructure upgrades, and community driven initiatives. Through her company, Collaborative Communities, she provides logistical support to communities and companies for sustainable, socially conscientious community revitalization.

Dudley Hartel is the science delivery coordinator for Urban Forestry South, the technology transfer center for the U.S. Forest Service-Region 8 (Atlanta, GA) and the Southern Research Station (Asheville, NC). His urban forestry experience is the result of 30+ years working as an urban forestry consultant and consulting arborist in the southeast U.S. He is a Certified Arborist and is Tree Risk Assessment Qualified (TRAQ). Dudley holds a bachelor's degree in Forest Management from Michigan State University and a Master of Forest Management degree from Clemson University.

Jack Gescheidt, Founder, The TreeSpirit Project

Jack Gescheidt is an environmental artist, photographer, activist, and creator of the world's largest collection of fine art photographs dramatizing the vulnerability of trees and forests -- and the human beings whose fate is intertwined with them. His images support a mission: to raise awareness of the crucial role of forests in Earth's ecosystem as well as in our personal lives. Jack travels and speaks on how trees are not only essential ecologically to our planet, but also for the psychological, emotional, and spiritual health of its human inhabitants.

James Clark, HortScience | Bartlett Consulting

Since 1991, James Clark has been a principal with HortScience, Inc., an arboriculture and urban forestry consulting firm, now a unit of Bartlett Consulting. Jim is a co-author (with Nelda Matheny and Richard Harris) of "Arboriculture: Integrated Management of Landscape Trees, Shrubs, and Vines." He has served on the Board of Directors of the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA), the Western Chapter of ISA, and the American Society of Consulting Arborists (ASCA). He is currently ASCA's representative to, and chair of, the Council of Tree and Landscape Appraisers.

Esther Cowles, Sustainable Forestry Initiative Inc.

Esther Cowles is responsible for the organizational management, strategic planning, and governance of Project Learning Tree, the environmental education program of the Sustainable Forestry Initiative. Previously, Esther worked as a senior research associate with PEER Associates, specializing in strategic planning, organizational development, collaborative processes, and program evaluation. Esther has worked as an educator, program designer, and executive director in the nonprofit sector for more than 25 years, with 17 years at New Hampshire Project Learning Tree.

Nolan Rundquist, Seattle Department of Transportation

Nolan Rundquist has served as city arborist for the Seattle Department of Transportation for nearly 20 years. He served on the Society of Municipal Arborists' committee that established the Municipal Specialist certification for the International Society of Arborists (ISA) and has also served on the ISA Test Committee and the Nominations and Elections Committee. During his tenure in Seattle, the Urban Forestry Section has made great strides to manage and improve the street tree population, including an update of the street tree ordinance and creation of a Street Tree Manual.

Nancy Sappington, Inland Urban Forest Council

Nancy Sappington is an ISA-certified arborist and a certified tree risk assessor. She has more than 20 years of landscape design and tree consulting experience, and she has written extensively about the landscape industry. Nancy serves as president of the Inland Urban Forest Council and represents the organization on the California Urban Forests Council. She is the 2014 recipient of the Volunteer of the Year award from the California Urban Forests Council.

Ian Leahy, American Forests

Ian Leahy has been director of urban forest programs at American Forests since 2014. Through the award-winning Community ReLeaf program, he has developed and implemented a theory of change model that helps cities nationwide build capacity for managing their urban forests. He has also helped advance the national movement through such products as the Vibrant Cities Lab. Prior to this, Ian served as the state urban and community forestry coordinator for the District of Columbia and studied natural resources policy and management at Cornell University.

Bethany Hannah & Jennifer Szeliga, Sacramento Tree Foundation

Bethany Hannah joined the Sacramento Tree Foundation in 2017 and oversees all aspects of its Urban Wood Rescue program. She is also the founder of The Smokey Generation, a project that shares stories about wildland firefighters. She is a former U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management hotshot firefighter and Emergency Medical Technician. Bethany has a unique background that meanders between wildland firefighting, consulting, teaching chainsaw workshops, and more. The common thread: she loves helping people and thrives on finding solutions to make this world a better place, even if it means going about it unconventionally.

Jennifer Szeliga is the director of urban forest renewal at the Sacramento Tree Foundation and has been with the organization since 2015. She facilitates the Foundation's restoration work, nursery team and the Urban Wood Rescue program, weaving these efforts together to create the best urban forest in the nation. Prior to coming to the Tree Foundation, she spent more than 16 years working with the AmeriCorps NCCC. Jennifer received her bachelor's degree in environmental studies and master's degree in organizational management.

Dr. Anne Fege, City of San Diego Community Forest Advisory Board

Anne Fege, Ph.D., MBA, is chair of San Diego's Community Forest Advisory Board, Adjunct Professor at San Diego State University, and retired Forest Supervisor of the Cleveland National Forest. Anne's natural resource career spans urban forestry, habitat conservation, wildland fire science and education, wilderness management, nature education, and research management. She is a lifelong Girl Scout, quilter, backpacker, and touring bicyclist.

Leigh Greenwood, The Nature Conservancy | Dr. John Kabashima, University of California Cooperative Extension Service | Kevin Turner, California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection

Leigh Greenwood has worked for The Nature Conservancy's Forest Health Protection Program since 2007. Her work focuses on bringing stakeholders together to achieve common goals in forest health, including managing the international Don't Move Firewood campaign and Firewood Outreach Coordinating Initiative. Leigh has a Master of Science in wildlife biology from the University of Montana in Missoula.

John Kabashima, MBA, Ph.D., is the Emeritus Environmental Horticulture Advisor for the University of California Cooperative Extension Service. John's research and extension programs have included the management of insects, diseases, and weeds in horticulture production systems and urban landscapes, biological control of exotic pests, water use and water use-related problems of landscapes, nurseries, municipalities and at the watershed level. John received his Bachelor of Science in agricultural biology from Cal Poly Pomona, and an M.S. in pest management from the University of California Riverside.

Kevin Turner is working as a forester II for Cal Fire. Kevin retired from Cal Fire in 2010 but was soon hired by University of California Riverside to help coordinate the Goldspotted Oak Borer Project. In 2017, Kevin returned to Cal Fire, where he continued to coordinate invasive pest issues in Southern California. Kevin is a California Registered Professional Forester and a Licensed Pest Control Advisor. He received a Bachelor of Arts in environmental studies from California State University Fresno.

Kelaine Ravdin, Urban Ecos

Kelaine Ravdin is an urban ecologist whose work focuses on recognizing and maximizing the role of nature in achieving sustainability. She has a background in urban forestry and landscape architecture and has pursued research in these fields as a Fulbright Scholar in Berlin and with the U.S. Forest Service. In her current work, she offers ecological and technological consulting to make our cities greener, more sustainable, and more environmentally sound.

Sarah Hines & Dr. Morgan Grove, USDA Forest Service

Sarah Hines has spent her career at the Forest Service linking scientists and scientific information with communities and decision makers. She works at local and regional scales to promote stewardship of everything from our National Forests to the local parks and forests in communities. She has worked for the Research & Development branch of the Forest Service in Philadelphia, Colorado, and Baltimore. Sarah received her Bachelor of Arts in biological anthropology from Harvard and M.S. and MBA degrees from the University of Michigan.

Morgan Grove is a social scientist and the Team Leader for the Baltimore Urban Field Station of the USDA-Forest Service. He has worked in Baltimore since 1989, with the Forest Service since 1996, and has been a Co-Principal Investigator in the Baltimore Ecosystem Study (BES) since its beginning in 1997. Morgan is the lead author for The Baltimore School of Urban Ecology: Space, Scale, and Time for the Study of Cities. He has a B.A. in Architecture and Environmental Studies, a M.F.S. in Community Forestry, and a Ph.D. in Social Ecology from Yale University.

Dan Lambe, Arbor Day Foundation | Beattra Wilson, USDA Forest Service | Ken Pimlott, California Department of Forestry & Fire Protection | Clay Rogers, The Irvine Company

Dan Lambe is the president of the Arbor Day Foundation, founded in 1972, which has grown to become the largest nonprofit membership organization dedicated to planting trees, with over one million members, supporters, and valued partners. Dan leads the strategic development of programs and partnerships through which the Foundation strives to educate, recognize, and empower people to plant, nurture, and celebrate trees.

Beattra Wilson is the Acting Assistant Director of Cooperative Forestry at the USDA Forest Service in Washington, DC. As national program leader of the Urban and Community Forestry Program, she oversees program administration, strategy and partnership development for national, regional and state urban and community forestry programs. She holds degrees in Urban Forestry and Public Administration.

Ken Pimlott is the Director of the California Department of Forestry & Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) and California state forester. Over his subsequent 29 years of service with CAL FIRE, he has held a variety of resource management and fire protection positions within the department. He served as co-chair of the 2010 Strategic Fire Plan Steering Committee and represents CAL FIRE on the California Fire Fighter Joint Apprenticeship Committee Board of Directors. He also served as past chair of the Council of Western State Foresters. Ken holds an Associate of Arts Degree in Fire Technology from American River College, a Bachelors Degree in Forest Resource Management from Humboldt State University, and is a registered professional forester.

Clay Rogers is the landscape manager for the Office Properties division of The Irvine Company in Irvine, California. He and his team manage approximately 32 million square feet of landscape and an urban forest of 50,000+ trees. Clay is a certified arborist and proud alumnus of Cal Poly–San Luis Obispo.

Jon Christensen, University of California, Los Angeles

Jon Christensen is an adjunct assistant professor in the Institute of the Environment and Sustainability, the Department of History, and the Center for Digital Humanities at UCLA. He is a journalist-in-residence at the Institute of the Environment and Sustainability, a founder of the Laboratory for Environmental Narrative Strategies in the IoES, and a senior fellow in UCLA's cityLAB. He is editor of LENS Magazine and an advising producer for KCET/Link's "Earth Focus" programming.

Angie DiSalvo, City of Portland Parks and Recreation–Urban Forestry

Angie DiSalvo is the outreach and science supervisor with Portland Parks & Recreation–Urban Forestry, where she manages citizen science, policy, and education programs. Her work focuses on improving tree canopy where Portlanders need it most: right outside their front doors. Some of her recent projects include street and park tree inventory, planting strategy, heritage trees, and permit compliance. Angie holds a Master of Science in forestry and a Master of Education in counseling from Northern Arizona University as well as a Bachelor of Science in environmental science from Wright State University.

Elliott Volin & Dr. Robert Fahey, University of Connecticut

Elliott Volin is a graduate student in the Department of Natural Resources and the Environment at the University of Connecticut. His research is focused on understanding continental-scale patterns in urban tree canopy and assessing drivers of inequity in urban tree canopy across socio-economic and biophysical regions.

Robert Fahey is an assistant professor in the Department of Natural Resources and the Environment at the University of Connecticut. His research is focused on better understanding how to promote resilience in urban trees and forests in relation to global change and other stressors. Bob has been involved in a number of urban forest-focused research projects including a lead role in the pilot Urban Forest Climate Change Response framework developed for the Chicago metropolitan region.

Sarah Anderson, American Forests

Sarah Anderson is founder & CEO of Lillie Leaf Solutions, LLC, a consulting firm that helps national urban greening stakeholders to develop new ways of addressing equity, access, inclusion, and justice in their work. Sarah's experience includes developing and administering national programs, managing constituent engagement for associations, and facilitating local and national professional development events. Most recently, Sarah serves as project lead for the Career Pathways initiative at American Forests. Sarah has a Bachelor's degree in Urban & Environmental Studies, a certificate in Geographic Information Systems from the University of Pittsburgh, and a Master's degree in Public Administration from Bowie State University.

Scott Paul, Taylor Guitars

Scott Paul is the Director of Natural Resource Sustainability for Taylor Guitars in El Cajon, CA.

Todd Appel, Quantified Ventures

As Chief Operating Officer for Quantified Ventures LLC, Todd Appel leads client delivery across all Quantified Ventures business verticals. Todd joined Quantified Ventures from IBM, where he was a leader in the IBM Smarter Cities Initiative, structuring complex projects to improve delivery of government health, transportation, public safety and education programs through predictive data analytics. He led strategy and business development for IBM's entry into the intelligent transportation market, and also led a global deal structuring team. Todd holds a Masters Degree in International Development from Columbia University's School of Public and International Affairs and a B.A. in Political Science from the University of California-Berkeley.

Dr. Patricia Winter, USDA Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Research Station | Elizabeth Skrzat, City Plants

Pat Winter is a research social scientist with the Pacific Southwest Research Station. She has a doctorate in psychology from Claremont Graduate University. Her research is focused on increasing environmentally responsible actions, managing natural resource recreation opportunities for a diverse public, trust between publics and managing agencies, perceptions of and reactions to risk, and increasing socioecological resilience.

Liz Skrzat is the executive director of City Plants, a nonprofit that works with the City of Los Angeles to plant and distribute 20,000 trees each year. She has dedicated much of her professional life to environmental causes and started with the program in 2012. During the past six years, Elizabeth worked to bring City Plants into the 21st century and diversify its revenue sources. She has played a principal role in raising $19 million for tree planting in Los Angeles.

Taveon Stenson, Onondaga Earth Corps

Taveon Stenson is an Assistant Crew Leader for Onondaga Earth Corps, a youth conservation program that engages youth in hands-on community and environmental service learning projects in Syracuse, NY. Crew members participate in urban forestry projects, such as tree inventories, neighborhood outreach, tree planting, and tree care.

Esther Cowles, Sustainable Forestry Initiative, Inc.

Esther Cowles is responsible for the organizational management, strategic planning, and governance of Project Learning Tree, the environmental education program of the Sustainable Forestry Initiative. Previously, Esther worked as a senior research associate with PEER Associates, specializing in strategic planning, organizational development, collaborative processes, and program evaluation. Esther has worked as an educator, program designer, and executive director in the nonprofit sector for more than 25 years, with 17 years at New Hampshire Project Learning Tree.

Walt Warriner, Warriner Associates

Walt Warriner works as a consulting arborist in Hawaii and southern California. He works with municipalities, developers, and contractors in the tropical and subtropical regions of the world to preserve mature trees during development. Aside from preserving specimen trees, Walt's goal is to encourage younger generations to play an active role in protecting our environment. He's a certified arborist, registered pesticide applicator, pest control advisor, qualified tree risk assessor, and certified urban forester. His education includes agriculture, accounting, and landscape architecture.

Dr. Eric North, University of Nebraska–Lincoln

Eric North is an assistant professor of practice at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, where he teaches classes in arboriculture, dendrology, tree biology, and urban forestry. Currently, his research is focused on the resilience of urban trees to urban environments. Eric is a local tree board member, a founding member of Brewing a Better Forest, an ISA-certified arborist, vice president of ISA's Arboriculture Research and Education Academy (AREA), a member of the ISA Science and Research Committee, and a lover of trees.

Cheryl Elgersma, Your Children's Trees @ University of California at Santa Barbara | Ken Knight, Your Children's Trees

Cheryl Elgersma is President of the student-led urban forestry organization, Your Children's Trees, at the University of California at Santa Barbara (UCSB), serving the UCSB campus and delivering educational outreach to the larger Santa Barbara community. Cheryl will graduate in 2018 with a degree in Environmental Sciences.

Since 2014, Ken Knight has served as volunteer president of Your Children's Trees, a 501 (c)3 nonprofit urban forestry organization serving Santa Barbara County. Between 2001 to 2014, Ken served as executive director of Goleta Valley Beautiful, an urban forestry and educational nonprofit responsible for planting and caring for more than 4,000 trees in public places. Ken has also been an independent registered consulting arborist, providing expert consulting services to more than 300 clients.

Mark McPherson, City Forest Credits | Thais Perkins, TreeFolks | Charlie Governali, King County, WA

Mark McPherson is a Seattle lawyer and business person who has been active in urban forestry for many years, including participation in the Urban Forestry protocol working group at the Climate Action Reserve in 2013-14. He drafted the first conservation easement for the City of Seattle Heritage Tree Program and was given a Founder's Award by PlantAmnesty of Seattle for his legal work in many cases involving urban trees. Prior to forming the nonprofit Urban Forest Carbon Registry (dba City Forestry Credits), Mark practiced law, managed a business, and co-founded a website. Mark has a law degree from Harvard.

Thais Perkins is the executive director of TreeFolks, Central Texas's urban forestry nonprofit. Her background includes an M.S. in Forest Ecology from Oregon State University and published ecological research from the Douglas-fir forests of Oregon and the cypress-tupelo swamps of southern Louisiana. She has extensive experience in environmental regulatory policy from her work at the City of Austin's Watershed Protection Department, and in nonprofit leadership and management. Thaïs also serves on the ACTrees Advisory Board.

Charlie Governali is a Land Conservation Projects Manager at the King County Department of Natural Resources & Parks. He and his team are working to advance a 65,000 acre land conservation initiative for the Seattle metro area and surrounding rural and resource lands. Previously, Charlie was an analyst and environmental projects manager at a global farmland and forestland investment management firm. He also conducted grant-funded work on ecosystem services modeling and natural infrastructure for water at the World Resources Institute and Stanford's Natural Capital Project. Charlie's academic training is in Ecology, with research focuses in forest disease dynamics and ornithology, and field experience across several continents.

Marisol Mata, American Public Gardens Association

Marisol Mata became the Plant Protection Program Coordinator for American Public Gardens Association in October 2017. Her work includes developing and coordinating the Sentinel Plant Network training workshops (a USDA-APHIS partnership), creating outreach and education materials for the Plant Heroes™ youth program, and developing forest health initiatives to increase public awareness on the consequences of pest and pathogen introductions (a USDA-Forest Service partnership). Marisol was born and raised in Tucuman, in northwestern Argentina. She holds a Licentiate Degree in Biological Sciences from the Universidad Nacional de Tucuman, and most recently earned her Masters in Science in horticulture at North Carolina State University.

Malia Nanbara, State of Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources, Division of Forestry and Wildlife

Malia Nanbara is the statewide service forester for the State of Hawaii Division of Forestry and Wildlife. She works with the private landowner forestry assistance programs throughout the state, including the Forest Stewardship Program, the Hawaii Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program, and the Forest Legacy Program. She has a degree in environmental studies from University of California Santa Cruz.

Rachel Malarich, Koreatown Youth and Community Center

Rachel Malarich is the environmental services manager for Koreatown Youth and Community Center. She has been working in urban forestry in the Los Angeles area for more than a decade, focused on serving and increasing tree canopy in high-need communities. She engages deeply on urban forestry policy issues facing the area, particularly through the City of Los Angeles's Community Forestry Advisory Committee. Rachel is also a Street Tree Seminar board member, an ISA-Certified arborist, and the former director of forestry for TreePeople.

Dr. Nora Davis, USDA Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Research Station

Nora Davis is a research social scientist at the Pacific Southwest Research Station, based out of the Los Angeles Center for Urban Natural Resources Sustainability. She has a Ph.D. in social ecology from the University of California–Irvine. Her current research focuses on the relationship between humans and the environment, and she is currently working with local government, nonprofits, and schools to develop research on preferences and messages related to urban tree canopy, urban nature and health, and a large-scale analysis of emotions in natural areas.

Melinda Jones, ReLeaf Michigan | Kevin Sayers, Michigan Department of Natural Resources

Melinda Jones is the executive director of ReLeaf Michigan, a statewide nonprofit tree organization. Melinda previously worked in various management positions at DTE Energy, from line clearance foreman to director of catastrophic storms, before assuming the her current position at ReLeaf Michigan. She is a founding member and has served in various positions with ReLeaf Michigan over the past 30 years. She has a Bachelor of Science in forestry from Michigan State University and is a recipient of the Sharon Lilly Award of Distinction from the International Society of Arboriculture.

Kevin Sayers has been the state urban and community forestry coordinator for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) since 2002. He is a graduate of Michigan State University with a master's degree in forestry. Kevin administers the state urban forestry program at the DNR in Lansing, which provides technical, educational, and financial assistance to communities and partners throughout the state. Prior to working for the DNR, Kevin worked in the tree nursery industry and with the City of Lansing.

Jennifer Greenfeld, New York City Department of Parks & Recreation

Jennifer Greenfeld is the assistant commissioner of forestry, horticulture, and natural resources for the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation (NYC Parks). In this role, she protects, restores, expands, and manages New York City's urban forest, natural spaces, and green infrastructure. Over the last 20 years at NYC Parks, Jennifer has led critical efforts to plant, care for, and study the urban forest of New York City.

Miranda Hutten, USDA Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Region | Dr. Heather McMillen, State of Hawaii, Division of Forestry & Wildlife | Denis Sene, Jr., American Samoa Community College Department of Agriculture, Community and Natural Resources

Miranda Hutten is the urban and community forestry program manager for the Pacific Southwest Region of the USDA Forest Service. Her goal is to further partnerships with states, cities, communities and nonprofit organizations to increase awareness of the importance of trees in sustaining healthy cities. Miranda is a graduate of the School of Environmental and Public Affairs at Indiana University with master's degrees in both natural resources management and applied ecology.

Heather McMillen brings a passionate, biocultural lens to her work. She is broadly interested in how diverse perspectives can improve our understanding of our reciprocal relationships with nature and offer insights on thoughtful ways of living in the world. Heather just began a position as the Hawaii urban and community forester and previously worked as a U.S. Forest Service research social scientist with the New York City Urban Field Station. Her formal training is in anthropology (Ph.D.), conservation biology, and ethnobotany.

Denis (DJ) Sene is from the island of American Samoa and is the current urban community forestry coordinator and acting forestry program manager for the Islands Forestry Program. He coordinates conservation education events, tree planting activities, watershed restoration, and more. DJ received his Bachelor of Science in natural resources and environmental management from the University of Hawai'i at Manoa and is currently enrolled in Oregon State University's Forest and Climate Change Certificate Program, planning to receive his master's degree in 2019. He is an active member of many local environmental groups such as the Le Tausagi Environmental Group, Land-Based Sources Pollution Group, and the Governors Climate Change Task Force. During his free time, DJ enjoys hiking and spending quality time with friends and family.

Michael Palat, West Coast Arborists, Inc.

Michael Palat currently works as an area manager for West Coast Arborists, Inc., overseeing public agency contracts in San Diego County. He is also an associate faculty instructor of arboriculture at Mira Costa College. He is the current chairman of the San Diego Regional Urban Forests Council and is active in the Professional Tree Care Assoc. of San Diego as well as the Western Chapter ISA. He is also a current board member for Tree San Diego, a local nonprofit. Mike holds a bachelor's degree in parks and recreation management from California University of Pennsylvania.

Cindy Blain, California ReLeaf | Viviana Franco, From Lot to Spot | Dr. Winifred Curran, DePaul University | Emi Wang, Greenlining Institute

Since joining ReLeaf in 2014, Cindy Blain has prioritized urban forest programs that bring health and economic benefits to underserved communities that have low tree canopy. With coalition partners, ReLeaf has brought significant California Cap & Trade funding to urban forest programs and is currently partnering with the tree care industry on workforce development in California. Her experience includes six years at Sacramento Tree Foundation and 10 years at Tandem Computers. She has a Bachelor of Arts from Rice University and an MBA from Georgia State University.

Win Curran is an Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Geography at DePaul University. As an urban geographer, her research has focused on understanding the effects of gentrification on the urban landscape, looking at labor, policing, education, environmental gentrification and the gendering of urban policy in New York, Chicago, London, and Mexico City. She is currently working on a book about gender and gentrification.

Viviana Franco is the executive director of From Lot to Spot in Los Angeles. She founded the nonprofit in direct response to lack of green space and the quality of life impact in low-income neighborhoods. She has a Master's degree in urban planning from UCLA and 10 years of experience in community planning.

Emi Wang is the environmental equity manager at the Greenlining Institute in Oakland, CA, engaging stakeholders around opportunities to access climate investments in communities of color and low-income communities, where the impacts of climate change and pollution hit the hardest.

Dr. Eric North, University of Nebraska–Lincoln | Graham Herbst, Nebraska Forest Service

Eric North is an assistant professor of practice at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, where he teaches classes in arboriculture, dendrology, tree biology, and urban forestry. Currently, his research is focused on the resilience of urban trees to urban environments. Eric is a local tree board member, a founding member of Brewing a Better Forest, an ISA-certified arborist, vice president of ISA's Arboriculture Research and Education Academy (AREA), a member of the ISA Science and Research Committee, and a lover of trees.

Graham Herbst is a native Nebraskan and graduate of the Horticulture Program at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. After working in the landscape and arboriculture industries, he moved to the Nebraska Forest Service to promote innovative urban forestry projects as the community forestry specialist for eastern Nebraska. Graham loves growing trees and food at home, connecting people and information through social media, and bringing the family out to plant trees and explore each corner of the state.

Matt Clinton, City of Rock Hill, SC

Matt Clinton has 21 years of professional urban tree experience, including 10 years as a park supervisor over grounds maintenance. In his 13 years with the City of Rock Hill, Matt has supervised development projects totaling more than $18 million, including the expansion of a 12-acre garden and 250-acre outdoor recreation center. Matt has a Bachelor of Science in forest resources with a minor in urban forestry from Clemson University and is a member of the International Society of Arboriculture, Trees South Carolina Board, and Katawba Valley Land Trust Board.

Todd Mistor, City of Detroit

Todd Mistor has a degree in forestry from Michigan State University and has worked for the City of Detroit for more than 10 years. Urban areas and urban living have always been been of particular interest, and Detroit has been a dynamic laboratory for observation and experimentation.

Dr. Paul Ries, Oregon State University

Paul Ries directs the Graduate Certificate in Urban Forestry Program at Oregon State University, where he teaches online courses in urban forestry and arboriculture. He is the principal consultant at Insightful Nature LLC, a natural resources consulting, communications, and training company. Paul holds Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in natural resources and a Doctorate in educational leadership. He has more than 30 years of experience in the natural resources and urban forestry fields and was president of the International Society of Arboriculture in 2017-18.

Karen Firehock, Green Infrastructure Center, Inc. | Lara Johnson, Virginia Department of Forestry

Karen Firehock directs the Green Infrastructure Center (GIC) which maps, conserves or restores natural resources in both wild and urban landscapes to create more resilient communities. She has authored numerous green infrastructure books such as Strategic Green Infrastructure Planning: A Multi-Scale Approach. She is a faculty member at the University of Virginia and has a Bachelor of Science in Natural Resources Management as well as a master's degree in environmental planning.

Lara Johnson is an urban and community forester with the Virginia Department of Forestry, working with groups to develop goals and projects for community-based forestry across Virginia. Prior to working for the Department of Forestry, Lara worked as a GIS consultant and an urban forestry specialist in Virginia. She holds bachelor's degrees in environmental science and environmental planning and policy as well as a Master of Science in forestry, all from Virginia Polytechnic and State University.

Amy Bell, Groundwork Studio | Jennifer Dann, New Mexico State Forestry

Amy Bell is principal of Groundwork Studio, a landscape architecture firm focused on site design integration and community building through strengthening sense of place. Amy's goal as a landscape architect is to improve the connections we have to our surroundings in order to improve ecological literacy, resiliency, community, and stewardship. Amy holds a master's degree in landscape architecture from the University of New Mexico, is a licensed landscape architect in New Mexico and Texas, and became an ISA-certified arborist in 2015.

Jennifer Dann is the urban and community forestry program manager for New Mexico State Forestry, working with communities statewide on education, planning, and management related to community forests. She has a master's degree in environmental management and planning with an emphasis in urban forestry and is an ISA-certified arborist.

Mark Ambrose, North Carolina State University

Mark Ambrose received his Master of Science in forestry from North Carolina State University, with a focus on growth and yield modeling and tropical forests. Since 1999, Mark has worked at NC State doing cooperative research with the USDA Forest Service's Forest Health Monitoring Program. He has focused on discerning long-term trends in forest mortality and analyzing patterns of tree diversity in urban forests.

Dr. Igor Lacan, University of California Cooperative Extension

Igor Lacan is a University of California Cooperative Extension Advisor for the San Francisco Bay Area, specializing in urban forestry. Focusing on urban trees and urban water, Igor develops research projects on emerging issues in urban landscapes, and produces extension materials that transfer findings from the University of California and other academic sources to the practitioners, while serving as a technical resource for landscape professionals, planners and architects, local governments, and tree-focused non-governmental organizations. Igor holds PhD, M.S., and B.S. degrees from the University of California, Berkeley (Go Bears!).

Dr. Adam Berland, Ball State University

Adam Berland is an assistant professor of geography at Ball State University. He studies the patterns and drivers of change in the spatial distribution of urban trees using field data and geospatial technologies. Dr. Berland holds a Ph.D. in geography from the University of Minnesota.

Kelaine Ravdin, Urban Ecos

Kelaine Ravdin is an urban ecologist whose work focuses on recognizing and maximizing the role of nature in achieving sustainability. She has a background in urban forestry and landscape architecture and has pursued research in these fields as a Fulbright Scholar in Berlin and with the U.S. Forest Service. In her current work, she offers ecological and technological consulting to make our cities greener, more sustainable, and more environmentally sound.

Marian Honeczy, Maryland Forest Service

Marian Honeczy has worked at Maryland Department of Natural Resources Forest Service since 1992, first as a regional urban forester and now as supervisor of the Urban & Community Forestry Program, where she oversees the implementation of four urban forestry laws. She is also responsible for the agency's volunteer program and for achieving the urban tree canopy goals of the 2014 Chesapeake Bay Agreement and the 2013 Forest Preservation Act. Marian received a Bachelor of Science in landscape architecture from Rutgers University.

Josh Behounek, Davey Resource Group

Josh Behounek is the coordinator of urban forestry services for the Davey Resource Group throughout the Eastern U.S. and an adjunct professor at the University of Missouri. Josh is an ISA-certified arborist and a municipal specialist and is Tree Risk Assessment Qualified. He is on the ISA Test Committee, is past-chair of Missouri Community Forestry Council, and has participated in three Tour des Trees events. He has experience inventorying, climbing, planting, pruning, mulching, spraying, writing about, and hugging trees.

Sandra Albro, Holden Forests & Gardens | Matt Gray, City of Cleveland | Joe Gregory, Davey Resource Group, Inc.

Sandra Albro leads an interdisciplinary team of city government and nonprofit organizations in the development and execution of novel urban greening strategies for stormwater management and neighborhood revitalization on urban vacant lots in Cleveland, OH; Gary, IN; and Buffalo, NY. She focuses on multi-agency cooperation and process innovations that promote systemic adoption of green infrastructure. Sandra is active in the community on topics related to urban greening and serves as co-chair of the Cleveland Tree Coalition.

Matthew Gray is the chief of sustainability for the City of Cleveland, responsible for advising city leaders on policies related to sustainability and for oversight of the Office of Sustainability. Matt coordinates the Sustainable Cleveland 2019 initiative, is responsible for implementing the Cleveland Climate Action Plan and the Sustainable Cleveland Municipal Action Plan, and for reducing the city's ecological footprint with solutions that also save the city money. Matt's Office of Sustainability was the lead City agency on the establishment of the Cleveland Tree Plan.

Joe Gregory is an operations manager for Davey Resource Group. Joe is a planner and urban forester by training and has coordinated numerous community forestry projects throughout the U.S. He writes urban and community forestry management plans, benefit analyses, and urban forest master plans for municipal and nonprofit partners and led the Davey Resource Group team that authored urban forest master plans for Pittsburgh, PA, and Cleveland, OH.

Dan Lambe, Arbor Day Foundation | Steve Koehn, USDA-Forest Service | David Lane, Ohio DNR-Division of Forestry | Frank G. Jackson, Mayor, City of Cleveland

Dan Lambe is president of the Arbor Day Foundation, founded in 1972, which has grown to become the largest nonprofit membership organization dedicated to planting trees, with over one million members, supporters, and valued partners. Dan leads the strategic development of programs and partnerships through which the Foundation strives to educate, recognize, and empower people to plant, nurture, and celebrate trees.

Steve Koehn is the Director of Cooperative Forestry programs for the USDA-Forest Service in Washington, DC. Prior to joining the Forest Service, Steve was state forester and director of the Maryland Forest Service. He served as the President of the National Association of State Foresters in 2009?2010 and has served on the Board of Directors for the American Forest Foundation and the Sustainable Forestry Initiative. Steve also served as an instructor at Johns Hopkins University on a range of forestry topics. Mr. Koehn received a B.S. in Forest Science from Penn State University, and he holds certificates from Yale University and Harvard University.

As Assistant Chief of the Division of Forestry, David Lane is responsible for the administration of forest operations, fiscal and law enforcement on more than 200,000 acres of state forest land. Dave has worked at ODNR since 2002 after earning his Associate of Science degree in Forest Technology and B.A. in Business Administration from Glenville State College. Dave also has a Master's degree in Forestry from West Virginia University. His previous positions with ODNR include Chief and Assistant Chief of the Division of Wildlife. Dave currently lives in Fayette County and enjoys hunting, fishing, and spending quality time with his family in the great outdoors.

On Jan. 2, 2018, Mayor Frank G. Jackson took the oath of office for his fourth term – making him Cleveland's longest serving Mayor. Mayor Jackson is a lifelong resident of the Central Neighborhood where he began his career in elected office as City Councilman. He is a graduate of Cleveland Public Schools, Cuyahoga Community College and Cleveland State University, where he earned his bachelor's, master's and law degrees. He began his public service career as an Assistant City Prosecutor.

During his time in office, Mayor Jackson has been an advocate for building equity and opportunity for all Clevelanders in all neighborhoods. He has supported the investment of more than $265 million in Cleveland's neighborhoods since 2007, on streetscapes, recreation facilities, and other capital improvements and working with the public sector to encourage more than $7 billion in private development in Cleveland. Through Sustainable Cleveland 2019, a 10-year initiative to build a sustainable regional economy, encourage sustainable business practices and reduce environmental impact, Mayor Jackson is transforming the economy of The Forest City.

Sarah Anderson, American Forests

Sarah Lillie Anderson leads American Forests' Tree Equity Programs, which equips urban forestry stakeholders to build and retain a diverse, qualified and representative workforce. Previously, she ran Lillie Leaf Solutions, LLC, a firm that helped urban greening stakeholders address equity, access, inclusion and justice in their work. Sarah's experience includes developing and administering national urban forestry programs, managing constituent engagement for urban tree and city park associations, and facilitating local and national conferences.

Diana Sette, ISA Certified Arborist & Ecotherapy Facilitator

Diana Sette was most recently the Tree Corps Manager and Arborist Educator at Holden Forests & Gardens, overseeing a unique 19-week arboriculture workforce development program that blends hands-on training with classroom curriculum in partnership with numerous public-private organizations. Diana is an ISA-Certified Arborist currently pursuing Tree Risk Assessment Qualification and is a certified permaculture designer and teacher with a dynamic background in agroecology, community engagement, and holistic education.

Greg Michel, Onondaga Earth Corps

After a decade in Japan, Greg Michel returned to Central New York to as the Executive Director of Onondaga Earth Corps (OEC) in Syracuse. Since 2007, Greg has championed community and environmental initiatives, such as the launch of Syracuse's first urban farm, advising the City of Syracuse on its sustainability initiatives, training hospital workers in green practices, and supporting educators by integrating environmental education in to their curriculum. Over the last 10 years under his leadership, OEC youth have gone from playing a minimal support role in community tree planting to playing a primary leadership role in everything urban forestry, from mulching and weeding, to structural pruning and master planning. Greg is an ISA Certified Arborist and a NYSNLA Certified Nursery & Landscape Professional.

Esther Cowles, Sustainable Forestry Initiative, Inc.

Esther Cowles is responsible for the organizational management, strategic planning, and governance of Project Learning Tree (PLT), the environmental education program of the Sustainable Forestry Initiative. Previously, Esther worked as a senior research associate with PEER Associates, specializing in strategic planning, organizational development, collaborative processes, and program evaluation. Esther has also worked as an educator, program designer, and executive director in the nonprofit sector for more than 25 years, with 17 years at New Hampshire PLT.

Derek Lirange, Worcester Tree Initiative, a Program of Tower Hill Botanic Garden

Derek Lirange came to work for Worcester Tree Initiative in May 2013 after graduating from UMASS-Amherst with a degree in Urban Forestry. As the community forester for WTI, Derek spends much of his time coordinating youth employees in the summer months and community volunteers throughout the year to plant trees, care for trees and understand the value of trees in our urban community.

Ian Leahy, American Forests | Dr. David Nowak, USDA Forest Service, Northern Research Station | Dr. Stephen Matthews, Ohio State University, School of Environment and Natural Resources

Ian Leahy has overseen American Forests' urban programs since 2014. He developed the award-winning Community ReLeaf program through a change model that helps cities nationwide build capacity for managing their urban forests. He also led development of the Vibrant Cities Lab and launched Tree Equity and climate-health initiatives. Prior to American Forests, Ian served as the state urban and community forestry coordinator for the District of Columbia. He studied natural resources management and city planning at Cornell University.

Dave Nowak is a senior scientist and team leader with the USDA Forest Service, Northern Research Station in Syracuse, New York. His research investigates urban forest structure, health, and change and its effect on human health and environmental quality. He has authored more than 300 publications and leads teams developing the i-Tree software suite that quantifies the benefits and values from vegetation. Dr. Nowak holds a Ph.D. from the University of California-Berkeley.

Stephen Matthews is Associate Professor of Wildlife Landscape Ecology in the School of Environment and Natural Resources at Ohio State University and also holds an affiliation as an ecologist with the U.S. Forest Service Northern Research Station. Organized under two general themes, his research focuses on climate and land use change influences on biodiversity, and he has worked extensively within urban systems to understand relationships between urban forests and wildlife.

Carly Ziter, Concordia University

Carly Ziter is an assistant professor of urban ecology in the Biology Department at Concordia University. Her research program centers on the ecosystem services concept as a lens through which to ask ecological questions related to sustainability, policy, and practice. Her recent work falls primarily into three themes: (1) measuring the effects of current and historical land-use on urban ecosystem service provision; (2) understanding biodiversity-ecosystem service relationships; (3) connecting urban ecology and planning for more sustainable cities.

April Rose, City of Austin

April Rose monitors Austin's forest heath and engages with stakeholders to develop strategies that enhance urban forest resilience. She has prior experience in consulting arboriculture, nonprofit leadership, and municipal forestry.

Shea Zwerver, Pennsylvania Department of Conservation & Natural Resources | Tyler Stevenson, Ohio DNR–Division of Forestry

Intrigued by the human-nature relationship from early on, Shea Zwerver pursued a BA in Psychology with a minor in Landscape Studies from Smith College and a MES from the University of Pennsylvania. Over the last 2½ years, Shea has worked on Pennsylvania's urban forestry program, TreeVitalize, with Pennsylvania's Dept. of Conservation and Natural Resources, working on projects that build awareness of the value of trees, promote environmental stewardship, and address challenges communities face in urban forestry.

Tyler Stevenson administers the state urban forestry program for the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Division of Forestry, based in Columbus. His background in municipal, consulting, and utility forestry led him to become an ISA Board Certified Master Arborist, with TRAQ qualification, and most recently the president of the Ohio Chapter of ISA. Tyler holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Forestry from Virginia Tech and a Master's in Forest Resources from Penn State.

Dan Lambe, Arbor Day Foundation | Jon Utech, Cleveland Clinic | Frank Monteleone, The Davey Tree Expert Company

Dan Lambe is the president of the Arbor Day Foundation, founded in 1972, which has grown to become the largest nonprofit membership organization dedicated to planting trees, with over one million members, supporters, and valued partners. Dan leads the strategic development of programs and partnerships through which the Foundation strives to educate, recognize, and empower people to plant, nurture, and celebrate trees.

Jon Utech develops strategies for the Cleveland Clinic that connect environmental stewardship to Cleveland Clinic's health care mission. He directs a Clinic sustainability program covering energy demand reduction, recycling, LEED, climate resilience, green supply chain, water reduction, engagement and reporting. Jon has more than 18 years of corporate strategy and planning experience and 10 years of corporate sustainability program and renewable energy experience prior to joining Cleveland Clinic in 2013.

Frank Monteleone is the national Sales Manager for the Davey Tree Expert Company, with more than 30 years of hands-on experience in the green industry. Frank came to Davey from a successful, family-owned landscape business, where he learned the industry from the ground up and came to appreciate the values of honesty, hard work, and delivering on a promise. In addition to ensuring customer service from his Davey team, Frank participates in several professional associations, such as IREM, BOMA, NOSHE and ASHE.

John Henderson, Park Rx America | Robert Corletta, DC Department of Transportation Urban Forestry Division

John Henderson is the executive director of Park Rx America and is a Certified Parks and Recreation Executive, attorney, and city planner with more than 25 years of experience in parks and recreation. John earned a Juris Doctor degree from The John Marshall Law School, a bachelor's degree in Community Planning from the University of Cincinnati, a Certificate in Public Performance Measurement from Rutgers University, and a Certificate in Public Health Fundamentals from the Eppley Institute at University of Indiana.

Robert Corletta serves as the state urban and community forestry coordinator for the District of Columbia. He has 20 years of experience managing urban forests for a number of jurisdictions. Robert is a graduate of the University of Washington's Center for Urban Horticulture where he received a Masters of Forest Resources in Environmental Horticulture and Urban Forestry. He is an ISA Certified Arborist, a Municipal Specialist, and holds the Tree Risk Assessment Qualification. Robert is a proud alumnus of the Municipal Forestry Institute and is a member of the MAC-ISA chapter.

Dr. Kathleen Wolf, University of Washington | Sharon Lam, Ontario Climate Consortium, Canada

Dr. Kathleen Wolf is a research social scientist at the College of the Environment, University of Washington in Seattle. Kathy conducts social science research to understand the human dimensions of urban forestry and urban ecosystems. She aims to discover, understand, and communicate human behavior and benefits as people experience nature in cities and towns. In recent years, her research and science delivery has focused on human health. She is also interested in how scientific information can be integrated into local government policy and planning.

Sharon Lam holds a masters degree in public affairs and currently works with the Ontario Climate Consortium Secretariat (OCC), which was established in 2011 as a centre of expertise, providing research and analysis services to municipalities, conservation authorities, and the broader public sector concerning the causes and implications of climate change. Sharon's analysis and communication portfolio includes issues of urban forestry, such as invasive species (e.g., Emerald Ash Borer, gypsy moth, Asian longhorn beetle), northward migration of trees, and heat island effects.

Mike Binkley & i-Tree Team, The Davey Institute, The Davey Tree Expert Company

Mike Binkley is the Manager of Technology Development at the Davey Institute, within the Davey Tree Expert Company. Mike currently oversees all software development for the i-Tree cooperative. He has 25 years of experience working with stakeholders and software developers as well as educating users in new technology. Mike holds a Master's degree in geography, specializing in geographic information systems and remote sensing and a Bachelor's degree in natural resource conservation.

Alexis Ellis is a research urban forester who works extensively on the i-Tree suite of applications, where her primary role is to combine the science and technology to produce a sophisticated yet accessible product. Alexis holds an M.S. in forestry and B.A. in geographic information systems. She has over 20 years of experience working in research and development and spatial analysis.

Kevin Whalen spends the majority of his time growing the system he engineered for i-Tree Landscape. He likes to think i-Tree Landscape is as much of an engineering feat as it is a user experience one, which has been achieved through teamwork and soliciting feedback. Kevin's university background includes both an M.S. and a B.S. in computer science, with a focus on parallel and high-performance processing.

Manny Ong currently uses Geographic Information Systems software and remote sensing techniques to increase the efficiency of various Davey service lines. Typical projects include remote mapping to help estimate proper management bids for commercial properties, vegetation assessment along utility rights-of-way, and tree inventories for residential clients. Manny also conducts geographic market analyses of Davey's client information and manages Davey's internal, online mapping tools for client tracking and demographics. Manny holds a B.S. in geography, specializing in geographic information systems.

Jennifer Killian, City of Corvallis Parks and Recreation

Jennifer Killian is the urban forestry outreach specialist for the City of Corvallis, Oregon. In her home state of Wisconsin, Jennifer worked for the state Department of Agriculture and was on the team that initially found Emerald Ash Borer in 2007. Jennifer has a master's degree from Oregon State University focused on long-term strategic urban forestry management. After finishing her master's degree, Jennifer worked with Friends of Trees in Eugene where she was the volunteer program coordinator and learned invaluable lessons about urban forestry management and communities.

Dr. Natalie van Doorn, USDA Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Research Station

Natalie van Doorn is a Research Urban Ecologist with the USDA Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Research Station in Albany, CA, studying the temporal dynamics of urban forests. Current research topics include quantifying urban tree mortality, modeling urban tree growth, and adapting urban forests to climate change through urban tree species selection. She received BS, MS, and Ph.D. degrees in Environmental Science, Policy, and Management from the University of California, Berkeley.

Gordon Mann, California Tree and Landscape Consulting, Inc.

Gordon Mann is a consulting arborist and urban forester in Auburn, CA, with 41 years of experience in public works and urban tree management, having served in Brookfield, IL; San Mateo, CA; and Redwood City, CA. He helped establish the nonprofit CityTrees in Redwood City and worked as the urban forest services manager with the Sacramento Tree Foundation. Gordon works with developers, tree owners, and municipalities to grow better trees. He is passionate about the benefits trees provide people, ANSI A300 standards, and clear specifications for work.

Elise Willis, Canopy

Elise Willis is an ISA Certified Arborist and community forestry manager at Canopy -- a nonprofit based in Palo Alto, California, -- where she manages several tree survey, planting, and community engagement programs. With previous municipal work experience, she also holds a working knowledge of strategies to reduce tree and infrastructure conflicts as well as how to prioritize trees during development. She has a BS in Forest Resources and Conservation from the University of Florida, is a Municipal Forestry Institute alumna, and infuses drawing skills into many Canopy activities.

Dr. Nicole Cavender, The Morton Arboretum

Nicole Cavender is the vice president of science and conservation at The Morton Arboretum. Nicole is responsible for programs that generate new knowledge and help transfer that knowledge to professionals and communities. She oversees the scientific research programs, urban forestry initiatives including the Chicago Region Trees Initiative, conservation programs to prevent extinction of tree species, and ArbNet, which administers an arboretum accreditation program to strengthen the arboretum network and foster arboreta professionalism.

Rachel Comte, Urban Canopy Works, LLC

Rachel Comte is an arborist, urban planner, trained facilitator, and communications expert. She is a leading authority on urban forestry master plans and has developed plans for cities across the United States. Prior to her urban forest management experience, Rachel served in diverse roles throughout her career. She has more than 20 years of combined experience in project management, strategic marketing, consulting, landscape design, green infrastructure, and planning and urban forestry and has worked in the private, public, and nonprofit sectors.

Alexis Neukirch, University of Iceland

Alexis Neukirch studied for a master's degree in Environment and Natural Resources at the University of Iceland. In her Master thesis research, she conducted pioneering works into the role and significance of urban trees in Reykjavík. A native of the Midwest United States, she completed her BS in Natural Resources and Environmental Science at the University of Kentucky. While in Iceland, she not only developed a love for Icelandic skyr but also a keen interest in urban forest management in an almost treeless land.

Patrick Plantenberg, Townsend Tree Board

Patrick Plantenberg has served on the Townsend Tree Board since 2004 and has been chair for the past two years. He has degrees in Agricultural Science and Range Science-Reclamation Research from Montana State University. He is a reclamation specialist and has had a landscaping business since 1983. He is Past-President of the Montana Urban and Community Forestry Association, Montana Director of the Rocky Mountain Chapter of the International Society of Arboriculture, on the Northern Rockies Tree School organizational committee, and has been Secretary of the Montana Native Plant Society.

Shaun Preston, City of Baltimore, Department of Recreation & Parks–Forestry

Shaun Preston is the Camp Small yardmaster for the City of Baltimore's Forestry Division. He manages the wood sorting facility and its urban wood utilization program. All the fallen and removed city-owned trees get taken to Camp Small, and Shaun helps the wood find a new purpose. He has seen city trees repurposed into wooden bowls, tables, guitars, whiskey barrels, and more. Shaun enjoys teaching folks about wood utilization, helping them achieve their creative goals. And he loves seeing when a special old tree is memorialized through repurposing its wood.

Jennifer Lennox, The Davey Tree Expert Company

Jennifer Lennox is the manager of public relations at The Davey Tree Expert Company, where she has oversight of Davey's employee communications, social media, crisis communications, and public relations.

Dr. David Nowak, USDA Forest Service, Northern Research Station

Dave Nowak is a senior scientist and team leader with the USDA Forest Service, Northern Research Station in Syracuse, NY. His research investigates urban forest structure, health, and change and its effect on human health and environmental quality. He has authored more than 300 publications and leads teams developing i-Tree software tools to quantify ecosystem services and values from trees and forests.

Ian Hanou, Plan-It GEO | Robert Corletta, DC Department of Transportation Urban Forestry Division

Ian Hanou has 18 years of private sector experience. He earned a BS in Forest Management and GIS from Colorado State University and founded Plan-It Geo in 2012. He specializes in urban forestry software, GIS, remote sensing, green infrastructure, and ecosystem services. He has managed 300 urban tree canopy studies. In 2011, the Society of Municipal Arborists honored Ian with an award for innovation in tree planting prioritization using GIS. He lives in Colorado with his wife and two children, where he has climbed all 54 mountains over 14,000 feet.

Robert Corletta serves as the state urban and community forestry coordinator for the District of Columbia. He has 20 years of experience managing urban forests for a number of jurisdictions. Robert is a graduate of the University of Washington's Center for Urban Horticulture where he received a Masters of Forest Resources in Environmental Horticulture and Urban Forestry. He is an ISA Certified Arborist, a Municipal Specialist, and holds the Tree Risk Assessment Qualification. Robert is a proud alumnus of the Municipal Forestry Institute and is a member of the MAC-ISA chapter.

Mike Binkley, The Davey Institute (a Division of The Davey Tree Expert Company)

Mike Binkley currently manages Corporate Mapping and Technology Development for various research and development programs at The Davey Tree Expert Company. This includes internal and external software and web development projects, geographic information systems, and their associated hardware needs. Mike holds a Bachelor of Science in Natural Resource Conservation and a Master of Arts in Geography. He has been with Davey for more than 20 years, has served as adjunct professor at Kent State University, and has also run a consulting business for 25 years.

Gretchen Riley, Texas A&M Forest Service

Gretchen Riley is the Forest Legacy and Partnership Coordinator for the Texas A&M Forest Service, providing coordination and assistance for these and various other statewide programs. She holds a master's degree in Forestry from Texas A&M University, is an SAF Certified Forester and an ISA Certified Arborist. She spent nine years as an ecological consultant in Florida, focusing on natural resource preservation and development mitigation. Gretchen is an author and folk artist who likes to feature trees in various media.

Stephen Lane, Graf Tree Care

Steve Lane is an urban forestry consultant, ecologist, and a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) analyst with Graf Tree Care, Inc., who specializes in creative use of GIS technology and its use in improving the urban forest and the urban ecosystem overall. He holds a BS from the University of Oregon, where he double-majored in Environmental Science and Geography. Steve has extensive experience in urban forestry management planning, tree inventory, wetland science, GIS, tree planting plans, and urban tree canopy assessments.

Joe Charap, Green-Wood Cemetery

Joseph Charap is the director of horticulture and curator for Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn, NY. At Green-Wood since 2015, Joseph is responsible for curating and developing the arboretum's living collections, managing the horticulture operations, and establishing research and educational initiatives related to its collection. He graduated from the New York Botanical Garden School of Professional Horticulture and holds a master's degree in English literature from Brooklyn College.

Dr. Keith O'Herrin, City of Highland Park, Illinois | Howie Hill, Highland Park High School

Keith O'Herrin has worked in municipal forestry for several cities over the last decade, and is currently the city forester for the City of Highland Park, IL. His research has included ways to improve the urban forestry profession for practitioners (Urban Forestry 2020) and how to diversify recruitment into urban forestry. He is currently studying the efficacy of ordinances to preserve trees during construction, as well as street tree planting survival.

Howard Hill has taught AP Environmental Science at Highland Park High School since 2006, having co-developed the curriculum for the school. He holds a BS in Environmental Biology from the University of Guelph, Ontario, and a master's degree in Environmental Studies from Northeastern Illinois University. Howie has been nominated for two Disney teaching awards and was awarded the Presidential Innovation Award for Environmental Educators as well as the National Teaching Award from Northwestern University.

Danica Doroski, Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies

Danica Doroski is a doctoral student at the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies where she studies urban forest dynamics and restoration. Her current research builds on past experience in horticulture and outreach with the New York Restoration Project and Partnerships for Parks. Danica is interested in the intersection of research and management, and her current research measures the diversity of planted trees in cities across the northeast to gauge resiliency and help cities make more informed decisions about which species to plant.

Leah Haynie, City of Austin

Leah Haynie has more than 15 years of experience planning, collaborating, and engaging the community in the areas of air quality, urban heat reduction, and green infrastructure systems. She is passionate about civil service and working for the common good. Leah concentrates her work on programming, partnerships, data transparency, and communication. Her goal is a lasting culture of stewardship that nurtures her community's future forest. Leah was born and raised in Austin, Texas, and has a degree in Planning from Texas State University.

M. Amos Clifford, Association of Nature and Forest Therapy Guides and Programs

Amos Clifford is the founder of the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy Guides and Programs, author of the best selling Your Guide to Forest Bathing, and primary developer of ANFT's acclaimed training programs. He is also the founder of the Center for Restorative Process, where he has led the inquiry into how the principles of restorative justice can inform ways to heal the broken relationships between humans and the more-than-human world of nature. Amos holds a BS in Organization Development and an MA in Counseling from the University of San Francisco.

Graham Herbst & Justin Evertson, Nebraska Forest Service

Graham Herbst is a native Nebraskan and graduate of the Horticulture Program at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. After working in the landscape and arboriculture industries, he moved to the Nebraska Forest Service to promote innovative urban forestry projects as the community forestry specialist for eastern Nebraska. Graham loves growing trees and food at home and bringing the family out to plant trees and explore each corner of the state. He wants to hear from tree advocates about forestry challenges and opportunities in Nebraska communities.

Justin Evertson is the Green Infrastructure Coordinator for the Nebraska Forest Service, serving since 1990. He oversees programs that provide funding, technical assistance and educational outreach for sustainable landscape enhancements in communities across the state. Justin earned Architecture (1988) and Community and Regional Planning (1992) degrees from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and is passionate about trees, native landscapes, biodiversity, and sustainable landscape development.

Leah Haynie, City of Austin

Leah Haynie has more than 15 years of experience planning, collaborating, and engaging the community in the areas of air quality, urban heat reduction, and green infrastructure systems. She is passionate about civil service and working for the common good. Leah concentrates her work on programming, partnerships, data transparency, and communication. Her goal is a lasting culture of stewardship that nurtures her community's future forest. Leah was born and raised in Austin, Texas, and has a degree in Planning from Texas State University.

Dave Gamstetter, City of Cincinnati Park Board/Davey Resource Group, Inc.

Dave Gamstetter is the long-term natural resource manager for the Cincinnati Park Board. He recently wrapped up a two-year process of updating Cincinnati's Natural Resource Manager Plan before retiring from the city after 30 years. He is now joining the Davey Resource Group as a principal consultant, where he will work to enhance a service line for performing green infrastructure maintenance and inspections for Midwestern sewer districts.

Joe Charap, Green-Wood Cemetery | Shirley Vaughn & Jim Jenkins, Davey Resource Group, Inc.

Joe Charap is the director of horticulture and curator of the Living Collection at Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn, NY. Green-Wood is a National Historic Landmark, an ArbNet Level III arboretum, and one of the top 10 cemeteries in the world.

Shirley Vaughn is a business developer for Davey Resource Group, working with public and private sectors throughout Ohio, the mid-Atlantic and southeast to accomplish urban forest initiatives. She specializes in developing tree inventory and canopy assessment projects and creating plans for the urban forest based on community needs. Shirley focuses on identifying problems and finding solutions that work for each client. She is an ISA Certified Arborist and has a BS and MS from the University of Iowa.

Jim Jenkins is a senior project manager and consulting arborist for Davey Resource Group. Jim oversees urban forest projects for DRG and also works directly with cities, nonprofits, and campuses to assess tree risk and develop plans for tree maintenance and management. Jim is an ISA Certified Arborist, TRAQ, and has a bachelor's degree from Kent State University.

Kerry Gray, Davey Resource Group, Inc. | Todd Mistor, City of Detroit

Kerry Gray is a senior urban forestry consultant with Davey Resource Group, responsible for providing project oversight and technical input into municipal urban forestry master plans and management plans. Prior to joining Davey, she was the City of Ann Arbor's urban forestry and natural resources planning coordinator, overseeing planning and management of the city's trees. Kerry holds a BS and MS in Forestry from Michigan State University, is an ISA Certified Arborist, a Municipal Specialist, and serves on Michigan's Urban & Community Forestry Council.

Todd Mistor oversees the Forestry Division for the City of Detroit. He holds a BS in Forestry from Michigan State University and is an ISA Certified Arborist and a Municipal Specialist. The City of Detroit presents many challenges as well as abundant opportunity. Todd likes to describe Detroit as a place where you have to work twice as hard for half the results, but if you are okay with that equation, you can do anything you want.

Clara Pregitzer & Sarah Charlop-Powers, Natural Areas Conservancy

Clara Pregitzer is an applied forest ecologist who focuses on understanding how the consequences of human use impact forest ecosystems and how to connect science and data into decision-making and successful conservation policy. She led the forest assessment in New York City's 10,000 acres of forested natural areas. She holds a BS in forestry, an MS in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, and is pursuing a Ph.D. in Forestry.

Sarah Charlop-Powers is the co-founder and executive director of the Natural Areas Conservancy (NAC), a nonprofit dedicated to managing New York City's 20,000 acres of forests and wetlands. The NAC is a pioneer in the field of urban conservation, using data and science to develop new ways to manage urban natural areas so that they provide recreation opportunities for diverse users, protect biodiversity, and provide environmental benefits. Sarah has a BA in Economics from Binghamton University and an MEM from the Yale School of Forestry.

Dan Coy, City of Grand Rapids | Lauren Davis, Friends of Grand Rapids Parks

Dan Coy is the city forester for the City of Grand Rapids, Michigan, where he leads a team of 12 in caring for the city's 76,000 trees. During his time with Grand Rapids, Dan has taken the forestry operations from a paper work order system to a completely paperless system and from a reactive maintenance program to a proactive data-driven program. Prior to Grand Rapids, he was the city forester for Elkhart, Indiana, where he guided Elkhart through the peak ash die-off from emerald ash borer and developed a full-circle urban wood use program.

Lauren Davis is the Urban Forest Coordinator at Friends of Grand Rapids Parks, where he activates community advocacy and stewardship through educational workshops and volunteer events. Mr. Davis is an ISA- Certified Arborist with a variety of project experience across the country including tree inventories, wildfire recovery management, and data collection for the U.S. Forest Service. He also has 15 years of experience in a variety of nonprofit work including education, food security, literacy, and urban forestry.

Dr. Eric Thompson & Dr. Mitch Herian, Bureau of Business Research, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Eric Thompson is the Director of the Bureau of Business Research and an Associate Professor of Economics at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. His research fields include regional economics, economic forecasting, and state and local economic development, including impact studies of Nebraska agriculture, Sandhill Cranes migration, and the UNL Athletic Department. Dr. Thompson also works on demographic projections, and analyses of economic development programs for Nebraska and cities in Nebraska. In his previous employment, he served as the Director of the Center for Business and Economic Research and a Research Associate Professor of Economics at the University of Kentucky. Eric received his Ph.D. in agricultural economics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1992.

Mitch Herian serves as a Project Director at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Bureau of Business Research and has conducted a range of economic studies in Nebraska and the region. His work has been supported by the Bureau of Justice Assistance, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the National Science Foundation, the National Institute of Justice, the U.S. Air Force, and the U.S. Army. Dr. Herian's research has been published in a variety of peer reviewed journals including the Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, American Review of Public Administration, Policy Studies Journal, State and Local Government Review, and Ecology & Society.

Erica Smith Fichman & Marisa Wilson, Philadelphia Parks & Recreation | Ari Miller, Hinge Collective

Erica Smith Fichman has spent her career connecting people with plants. As the Community Forestry Manager at Philadelphia Parks & Recreation, she is the project lead for the Philly Tree Plan. Erica also supervises the amazing TreePhilly team who provide Philadelphia residents with the resources they need to plant and care for trees in their own back yard. She is the recipient of the Arbor Day Foundation's 2018 Trailblazer Award. Erica received a B.S. in biology from Haverford College and an M.S. in environmental horticulture from the University of California, Davis.

As Urban Forestry Community Organizer, Marisa Wilson is dedicated to promoting equity, climate resiliency, and community connection to nature and neighbors. She leads community engagement efforts for the Philly Tree Plan and supports collaboration with neighborhood residents to help achieve their vision for their local environment. She holds a B.S. in Biology and a B.A. in Environmental Social Science from Davidson College.

Ari Miller is the director of design at Hinge Collective, a public interest design firm that puts community engagement and public participation at the forefront of their practice. As both a landscape architect and ISA Certified Arborist, Ari has always advocated for the integration and restoration of natural systems in urban design. Over the course of his 17 year career, Ari has worked as an arborist at Morris Arboretum, as a green roof design specialist at Roofmeadow, and has also lead large scale civic design projects such as the 11th Street Bridge Park in Washington, DC. At Hinge, he uses this experience to help communities find design solutions that best support human and ecological health in their own neighborhoods through the enhancement of public space and community-led planning. Ari has also been adjunct faculty at the Weitzman School of Design at the University of Pennsylvania and Jefferson University.

Galen O'Toole & Dr. John Freeman, Intrinsyx Environmental

Galen O'Toole is an environmental engineer and life-long student of biomimicry and environmental systems. At Intrinsyx Environmental, he supports projects deploying remediation systems using trees inoculated with endophytes to remediate polluted groundwater, surface water and soil. Prior to Intrinsyx, Galen worked as a Management Fellow at Valley Water, directing a research program developing novel treatment alternatives to safely discharge reverse osmosis concentrate to the sensitive South San Francisco Bay ecosystem.

John Freeman, Ph.D. is Chief Science Officer of Intrinsyx Environmental at NASA-Ames Research Park and Researcher at NASA-Ames Earth Sciences Forestry Division in Biospheric Branch SGE. His research includes microbial endophyte phytoremediation of petroleum hydrocarbons, chlorinated compounds, explosives, and tolerance mechanisms of metal/metalloid Hyperaccumulator and Salt/B halophytic plants. He manages twenty phytoremediation projects in USA collaborating with major Environmental Engineering Firms, EPA, USGS and USDA-ARS and Supervises laboratory research projects at NASA-Ames. Dr. Freeman received a dual major B.S. in Environmental Sciences and Microbiology minored in Chemistry at Northern Arizona University and a Ph.D. in Plant Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from Purdue University.

Jared Smith & Steve Ashley, Louisville Parks & Recreation

Jared Smith is a Forestry Supervisor for the Division of Community Forestry. With a Bachelor of Science from the University of Louisville and a certificate as an environmental educator, Jared has spent a great deal of time immersed in the natural landscape of Kentucky. From educating future generations to overseeing the management and care of managed meadows, riparian buffers, woodland landscapes, and urban parks, he now brings that experience and knowledge to help develop the canopy of Louisville.

Steve Ashley is a 17-year veteran of Louisville Metro Parks, working to improve the urban forest of Louisville. He holds a B.S. degree in Botany from the University of Georgia, where he developed a love for plants and ecology.

Dan Lambe, Arbor Day Foundation | Beattra Wilson, USDA-Forest Service | Steve Kull, Kentucky Div. of Forestry | Mayor Greg Fischer (invited)

Dan Lambe is the president of the Arbor Day Foundation, founded in 1972, which has grown to become the largest nonprofit membership organisation dedicated to planting trees, with over one million members, supporters, and valued partners. Dan leads the strategic development of programs and partnerships through which the Foundation strives to educate, recognize,and empower people to plant, nurture, and celebrate trees.

Beattra Wilson is Assistant Director of Cooperative Forestry programs for the USDA Forest Service in Washington, DC, with leadership over the Urban & Community Forestry program nationally.

Steve Kull is the Deputy State Forester for the Kentucky Division of Forestry. Steve graduated from Purdue University with a Bachelor's Degree in Forestry in 1979. Steve has spent his entire 42-year career with the Division of Forestry and has he has been involved in all areas of a state forestry agency. When not working, Steve likes to head to the woods and the water enjoying hunting and fishing.

Greg Fischer was elected Louisville's 50th mayor in 2010, and was sworn in for a third four-year term on January 5, 2019. During Mayor Fischer's tenure, Louisville has experienced a renaissance, adding 83,000 jobs and 3,000 new businesses, with unprecedented investments in affordable housing. Louisville has been named an International Model City of Compassion four times and was a 2018 Top 15 city for attracting millennials.

Mayor Fischer is a national award-winning entrepreneur who started and invested in dozens of businesses, including SerVend International and Iceberg Ventures, a private investment firm. He also co-founded bCatalyst, the first business accelerator in Louisville. He is a graduate of Trinity High School and Vanderbilt University and is married to Dr. Alexandra Gerassimides. The couple have four adult children and one granddaughter.

Alana Tucker, Arbor Day Foundation | Paul Johnson, Sustainable Forestry Initiative

Alana Tucker is a Program Manager for the Arbor Day Foundation, responsible for strategic direction of the Tree City USA and Tree Cities of the World programs. As an urban planner in Detroit, MI, she developed streetscape and parks planning projects prior to coming to the Foundation. She holds a Bachelor's in International Business from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and a Master's of Urban Planning from the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor. Her favorite tree is the the quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides).

Paul Johnson is the Director of Urban and Community Forestry for the Sustainable Forestry Initiative. He is an International Society of Arboriculture Board Certified Master Arborist and a Society of American Foresters Certified Forester. Paul has a forestry degree from Oklahoma State University. He has been a state U&CF program leader, podcast host, radio talk show host, newspaper columnist, Extension horticulturist, University adjunct instructor, and plant health care specialist. Paul believes that #TreesAreKey to healthier, happier, safer communities.

Ryan Schmidt, Rutgers University

Ryan Schmidt is currently an undergraduate student in the Ecology, Evolution, & Natural Resources Program at Rutgers University. In his research, Ryan aims to gain insights into the biological diversity and function of urban landscapes and how to manage these environments for increased resilience in the face of an ever-changing climate. He is currently doing research into the current and past distributions of the "weedy" and nonnative plants of New Jersey as well as the use of photo-identification apps as a tool for tree identification and inventories.

Jennifer Alger, Urban Lumber Market

Jennifer Alger is President of Far West Forest Products and has been working with salvaged urban woods for over 20 years. She is the director of the Urban Wood Network Western Region, and the founder of USRW Inc. that has developed the first ever Urban Lumber Standards for North America. She is working with an expert team of developers and customer experience specialists on the build out of an inventory management system and enterprise application that will allow users to easily adhere to the industry Standards.

Ian Hanou, PlanIt Geo

Ian Hanou has 19 years of private sector experience. He earned a B.S. in Forest Management & GIS from Colorado State University and founded PlanIT Geo in 2012, a company that specializes in urban forestry software, GIS, remote sensing, green infrastructure, and ecosystem services. He has managed hundreds of innovative urban forestry projects. In 2011, the Society of Municipal Arborists honored Ian with an award for innovation in tree planting prioritization. He lives in Colorado with his wife and two children where he has summited all 54 mountains over 14,000 feet.

Sophie Plitt, USDA Forest Service/Natural Areas Conservancy

Sophie Plitt works in a dual role between the USDA Forest Service and the Natural Areas Conservancy managing natural partnerships for STEW-MAP and forested natural areas practitioners. Sophie has worked with the NYC Parks Department, New York Restoration Project, TreeKIT, and the New York Tree Trust researching, planning and implementing green infrastructure projects with the goal of deepening human-nature connections in cities.

Daniel Goldfarb & Patricia Billette, Wildlife Habitat Council

Daniel works for the Wildlife Habitat Council in urban and rural industrial communities to advance community forestry, habitat reclamation and restoration, and promote land stewardship through employee and community engagement. He develops and manages partnerships between industries, environmental agencies, and conservation NGOs to advance the Council's goals. Daniel is an Urban & Community Forester and Ecologist with 20 years of ecological land reclamation experience.

Patricia facilitates urban forestry and conservation programs between corporate partners and community organizations. Patricia earned her B.S. in Fisheries & Wildlife Science with a concentration in Conservation Genetics from Oregon State University. She spent ten years working in conservation education and community outreach prior to joining the Wildlife Habitat Council, and has extensive experience in educational initiatives across the world on projects from orangutan habitat protection in Borneo to juvenile sea turtle population monitoring in Uruguay.

Clay Turner, University of Kentucky | Eric Candela, American Forests | Julia Colbert, Arizona Sustainability Alliance

Clay Turner is a senior Natural Resources and Environmental Science major at the University of Kentucky and a student intern at the Urban Forest Initiative. After practicing law for several years, he decided to change careers in 2019 and hopes to one day help manage and conserve forests. Clay began working with UFI in the fall of 2020 and also gained research and field experience with Dr. Ellen Crocker of UK's Forest Health Extension services. Clay's research with UFI focuses primarily on the connection between the practice of redlining and tree canopy.

Eric Candela guides Tree Equity partnerships for American Forests in urban centers throughout the country. Eric gained an understanding of multi-disciplinary collaborations working for Congressman John Dingell as he developed the only international wildlife refuge in the United States.

Julia Colbert is Programs Director for the Arizona Sustainability Alliance a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in Phoenix, Arizona, focused on five priority areas: urban forestry, sustainable food systems, renewable energy, conservation, and cities. She develops and manages high-impact projects and programs to bring sustainability solutions to Arizona communities. Julia is also on the Board of Directors for the Arizona Association for Environmental Education and a Faculty Associate in Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College at Arizona State University.

Jacob Koch, Bloomberg Associates

Jacob Koch leads client engagements with city governments on a range of sustainability, climate, and resilience projects, including low carbon development, carbon emissions reductions, tree planting and greening, and strategic urban planning.
Previously, Jacob worked for the Office of Healthcare Transformation and Innovation at the Greater Los Angeles Veterans Administration where he led a long-range strategic planning process for the comprehensive homeless program and forged new partnerships to better integrate patient-centered care, expand housing options, and provide legal services to homeless veterans. Prior to that, Jacob worked for EMBARQ Brasil in Porto Alegre and Rio de Janeiro where he directed a project to insert sustainable mobility into a city-wide neighborhood upgrading program and led one of the first studies to generate empirical data on transportation use in Rio's favelas. Jacob has a B.A. in Political Science from Yale University and a Master's degree in Urban Planning from the Harvard University Graduate School of Design, where he was part of a planning studio that was awarded the 2015 National Student Project Award.

Majora Carter, The Majora Carter Group

Majora Carter is a real estate developer, urban revitalization strategy consultant, MacArthur Fellow and Peabody Award winning broadcaster. She is responsible for the creation and successful implementation of numerous economic development projects, technology & green-infrastructure projects, policies and job training & placement systems. Carter applies her corporate consulting practice on talent-retention to reducing Brain Drain in American low-status communities. She has firsthand experience pioneering sustainable economic development in one of America's most storied low-status communities: the South Bronx.

Majora was born, raised and continues to live in the South Bronx. She is a graduate of the Bronx High School of Science (1984), Wesleyan University (1988 BA, Distinguished Alum) and New York University (MFA). After establishing Sustainable South Bronx (2001) and Green For All (2007), among other organizations, she opened this private consulting firm (2008), which was named Best for the World by B-Corp in 2014.

She and her teams develop vision, strategies and the type of development that transforms low-status communities into thriving mixed-use local economies. Her approach harnesses capital flows resulting from American re-urbanization to help increase wealth building opportunities across demographics left out of all historic financial tide changes. Majora's work produces long term fiscal benefits for governments, residents, and private real estate developments throughout North America.

Majora has served on the boards of the US Green Building Council, Ceres, The Wilderness Society, and the Andrew Goodman Foundation. She is quoted on the walls of the Smithsonian Museum of African-American History and Culture in DC: "Nobody should have to move out of their neighborhood to live in a better one."

Dan Lambe, Arbor Day Foundation

Dan Lambe is the president of the Arbor Day Foundation, founded in 1972, which has grown to become the largest nonprofit membership organisation dedicated to planting trees, with over one million members, supporters, and valued partners. Dan leads the strategic development of programs and partnerships through which the Foundation strives to educate, recognize,and empower people to plant, nurture, and celebrate trees.

Chris Chandler, The Nature Conservancy | Dr. Aruni Bhatnagar, Dr. Kandi Walker & Dr. Joy Hart, University of Louisville | Dr. Jay Turner, University of Washington in St. Louis | Kedrick Stanfield, Louisville Grows

Chris Chandler is Director of Urban Conservation for the Kentucky Chapter of The Nature Conservancy, based in Louisville, KY. Chris holds degrees in communication and anthropology from the University of Louisville, and a Climate Change and Health Certificate from the Yale School of Public Health, and has more than ten years of experience serving as project director and business developer for ecological consultants and NGO's. A Certified Arborist, Chris also serves in leadership positions with local non-profit and community-based organizations. Chris has a passion for connecting conservation work to public health, and loves getting outside into nature with his wife, three children and two dogs.

Aruni Bhatnagar is Professor of Medicine and Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of Louisville School of Medicine, having joined the University of Louisville in 1998. Dr. Bhatnagar is also a Distinguished University Scholar and Director of the Diabetes and Obesity Center at the University of Louisville. He was elected a fellow of the American Heart Association in 2005. He is a graduate of Kanpur University in India and received his post-doctoral training at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston. His research interests include cardiovascular effects of environmental pollutants, atherosclerosis, cardiovascular complications of diabetes, and sepsis. His work has led to the identification of several biochemical pathways for aldehyde metabolism and detoxification, as well as a better understanding of how pollutants and toxicants affect cardiovascular function and induce cardiovascular disease. Dr. Bhatnagar's research is supported by several grants from the National Institutes of Health, and has led to the creation of the new field of environmental cardiology.

Jay Turner is Vice Dean for Education in the McKelvey School of Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis. A chemical engineer by training, Jay focuses on environmental science and engineering. Prior to joining Washington University in 1994, Dr. Turner was an Air Quality Specialist at the Federal Highway Administration. Professor Turner is a 2003 recipient of WashU's Distinguished Faculty Award. He is a five-time recipient of the School of Engineering & Applied Science Professor of the Year Award (conferred by the school's graduating class) and in 2013 he received the inaugural Dean's Award for Excellence in Teaching. Professor Turner is past president of the American Association for Aerosol Research (AAAR). In 2021 he completed six years of service on the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Science Advisory board (SAB) including chairing two SAB panels and chairing the Science and Technological Achievement Awards (STAA) Committee of the EPA's SAB.

Kandi Walker is Professor in the Department of Communication at the University of Louisville. For over 15 years her work has explored the intersection between health and interpersonal communication looking at how people perceive the social world surrounding health issues. Her research primarily focuses on health, family, and interpersonal communication; specifically, her research examines how people talk and behave when an illness is present, how people perceive healthy lifestyles, and how people perceive and communicate about risky health behaviors. She holds a B.A. and an M.A. in Communications, and completed her Ph.D. at the University of Denver in 2000.

Joy Hart is Professor in the Communications Department at the University of Louisville and is the Executive Director of the University Honors Program. She joined the University of Louisville faculty in 1990 and teaches courses and conducts research on organizational and health communication. In particular, her work examines discourse, communication skill, culture, and message strategies. She holds B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Kentucky, completing her doctorate in Organizational Communication in 1988.

Ked Stanfield is Executive Director for Louisville Grows, having worked previously in Louisville Metro Government as a Compliance and Enforcement Supervisor. Ked has a Bachelor of Arts in Health Sciences and a Masters of Public Health from Eastern Kentucky University. He is an active community supporter of programs in West and South Louisville, is on the Board of Supervisors for the Jefferson County Soil and Water Conservation District, and has worked on numerous programs with Habitat for Humanity. Ked's interests include fishing, chickens, and gardening.

Nic Williamson, University of Kentucky

Nic Williamson is Coordinator for the Urban Forest Initiative at the University of Kentucky (UK), as well as Program Coordinator for the Undergraduate Certificate in Urban and Community Forestry . He has an M.S. in Forestry and Natural Resources, is an ISA Board Certified Master Arborist, and a Professional Environmental Educator in the State of Kentucky. He lives, breathes (literally), and sleeps trees!

Claire Hilbrecht, Urban Forest Initiative

Claire Hilbrecht is a Natural Resources and Environmental Science major at the University of Kentucky, class of 2021. She has been working as a student intern with the Urban Forest Initiative's climate adaptation project since May 2020. Claire's primary academic interest is environmental sustainability, and she is drawn to research that focuses on the relationship between humans and the natural environment. In particular, she is interested in social equity and climate resilience in urban forestry.

Rebecca Johnson, Arborholic, LLC

Rebecca Johnson is an ISA Certified Arborist and a true "arborholic." She is addicted to helping trees and the people who care for them. She was recognized with the 2020 ISA President's Award for her work with Women in Arboriculture, which includes hosting a monthly Women in Arboriculture zoom chat. She is Tree Risk Assessment Qualified and holds the Texas ISA Oak Wilt and Wildfire Risk Reduction qualifications. She spends her free time looking at trees and playing with her dog. However, she really is a cat person. Don't tell the dog.

Jeanne Mueller, Cedarburg Green

Jeanne Mueller is a volunteer with Cedarburg Green, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting Cedarburg's urban forest. She is the owner and lead guide with Red Knows, LLC, a small business dedicated to doing work that matters and makes a difference in people's lives. She is curious, finds joy in being challenged, and possesses a unique ability to generate ideas and turn them into action. She lives by the motto: "Show up on time, with a purpose, and do what you say you are going to do."

Karen Firehock & Matthew Lee, Green Infrastructure Center, Inc.

Karen Firehock directs the Green Infrastructure Center (GIC) which maps, conserves or restores natural resources in both wild and urban landscapes to create more resilient communities. She has authored numerous green infrastructure books such as "Green Infrastructure: Map and Plan the Natural World With GIS and Forest Connectivity in the Developing Landscape. She has a B.S. in Natural Resources Management and a Master of Environmental Planning.

Matt Lee works with communities to determine protection and conservation strategies for natural resources, with a focus on community forests. He is researching ways to incentivize tree planting and care on both public and private property, as well as how to maximize landscape connectivity in developing areas. He coordinates GIC's Resilient Coastal Forest projects for Virginia, South Carolina and Georgia. He recently completed a review of state policies for the Virginia Department of Forestry and is currently completing a mitigation manual for storm readiness.

Jared Hanley, NatureQuant

Jared Hanley is a co-founder and CEO of NatureQuant, a research and technology firm building tools to assess and promote nature exposure. Prior to founding NatureQuant, Jared used data science and statistical modeling techniques and provided advisory services in finance, energy, and real estate applications. He is a published author and speaker on ERISA laws and plans. He has a B.A. in Economics and a B.A. in Cognitive Science, both from Yale University. He is a FINRA registered securities principal and a Chartered Financial Analyst.

Lindsay Darling, The Morton Arboretum

Lindsay Darling studies the socio-economic factors that shape the development and current state of Midwestern urban forests. This research explains the urban forest's inequitable distribution and offers insights on how to improve policies that shape its future. She is currently a Ph.D. student at Purdue University and a fellow with the Center for Tree Science at the Morton Arboretum. Lindsay earned a B.S. in biochemistry from Indiana University and an M.S. in plant biology and conservation from Northwestern University.

Jessica Simons, Kalamazoo Nature Center

Jessica Simons serves as Vice President for Conservation Stewardship at the Kalamazoo Nature Center, where she oversees land management, research, ecological services, and community science activities. Simons previously owned Verdant Stewardship, a consulting service that guided multi-state urban wood use programs, regional urban agriculture education programs, and the national Firewood Scout program. She has a B.A. in Biology from West Virginia University and an M.S. in Natural Resources from the University of Michigan.

LoriAnne Barnett, Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management

LoriAnne Barnett Warren is the Urban Forestry Specialist for the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management. She oversees the Community Challenge Grants program, manages Arizona's Magnificent Tree Program, and provides outreach and education about the benefits and maintenance of urban forests. As a professional environmental educator she loves collaborative projects and teaching in and about the environment. LoriAnne also is the Executive Director of the Arizona Master Naturalist Program and the Arizona Association for Environmental Education.

Ann Koenig, Missouri Department of Conservation

Ann Koenig has worked as a Community Forester for the Missouri Department of Conservation serving Central Missouri for over 20 years and spent three years developing and implementing MDC's "Trees Work" campaign to increase awareness of the benefits of trees. In 2019 she was awarded the International True Professional in Arboriculture award through International Society of Arboriculture (ISA). Ann is a certified arborist, graduate of the Municipal Forestry Institute, TRAQ qualified, an ISA exam proctor and four time participant in ISA's International Tree Climbing Competition.

Meg Morgan, Cumberland River Compact | Dr. Paul Ries, Oregon State University

Meg Morgan is the Root Nashville Campaign Manager at the Cumberland River Compact. Root Nashville is a public-private campaign, led by the Cumberland River Compact and Metro Nashville, to plant 500,000 trees in Davidson County by 2050. In her role as campaign manager for this citywide effort, Meg coordinates campaign operations, including community outreach, marketing and communications, volunteer management, and partner engagement. Her favorite tree is the state tree of Tennessee, the tulip poplar.

Paul Ries, Ed.D. directs the Graduate Certificate in Urban Forestry Program at Oregon State University, where he teaches online courses in urban forestry and arboriculture. He is the principal consultant for Insightful Nature LLC, a natural resources consulting, communications, and training company. Paul holds B.S. and M.S. degrees in Natural Resources and a Doctorate in Educational Leadership. He has over 30 years of experience in the natural resources and urban forestry fields, and was ISA President in 2017-18.

Jennifer Birchfield, Purdue University Northwest | Sam Vergara & Ryan Bennett, Student Conservation Association | Dr. Asia Dowtin, Michigan State University | Dr. De'Etra Young, Tennessee State University

Jen Birchfield is the Northwest Indiana Urban Waters Federal Partnership Ambassador with Purdue University Northwest. She coordinates a collaboration of over 80 local, state, and federal partners working to connect communities to their urban waters. CommuniTree is an outgrowth of Urban Waters, and Jen helps to coordinate the initiative, focusing on partner communication and community engagement. She holds a bachelor's in natural resources and environmental science from Purdue and is currently pursuing a master's in communication from Purdue Northwest.

Sam Vergara is the Chicagoland Program Manager for the Student Conservation Association (SCA). Sam started with SCA in 2008 as an intern with the Urban Prescribed Fire Crew and in 2009 became SCA's Chicago Program Coordinator. Sam has over 10 years of working with youth in outdoor education, and creates opportunities for youth to empower themselves in changing their communities. Sam has a great sense of what it takes to be in a crew and lead youth programs and strives to make sure his participants get a memorable experience from their time with SCA.

Ryan Bennett graduated from Indiana University Northwest with a Bachelor of Fine Arts. During college, he took environmental science classes, through which he was connected to the Student Conservation Association (SCA) as a volunteer. This connection helped him receive a scholarship to study arboreal sciences as well as the operations of the SCA's local work under Drew Hart with the USFS. Ryan was hired on SCA's Calumet Tree Conservation Corps as an Assistant Crew Leader in 2019 and has returned as the Crew Leader for the 2020 and 2021 seasons.

Asia Dowtin is an Assistant Professor in Michigan State University's Department of Forestry. Her work explores the relationships that exist between urban canopy structure, spatial context, and plant-water interactions and is intended to broaden our understanding of the influence of species composition and surrounding land use on urban forest function. She holds an extension appointment, which she uses, in part, to develop urban forestry educational materials for K-12 curriculum, continuing education, and workforce development programming.

De'Etra Young serves as the Interim Associate Dean of Academics and Land-Grant Programs in the College of Agriculture and an Associate Professor at Tennessee State University. She also co-leads Earth Horizons, an NSF-funded project, with Vanderbilt University to increase minority representation in Geosciences. She is the Project Director for the 1890 Environmental Justice Academy and several other projects to broaden minority participation in the food, agriculture, natural resources, and human sciences.

Graham Herbst, Nebraska Forest Service | guest speakers TBD

Graham Herbst is a native Nebraskan that loves growing trees and food, exploring the beautiful state of Nebraska, and planting forests with the people he meets. After working in the landscape and arboriculture industries, he moved to the Nebraska Forest Service to promote innovative urban forestry projects as the Community Forester for Eastern Nebraska. Graham holds a B.S. in Horticulture and an M.S. in Urban Studies from the University of Nebraska, is Vice President of Omaha Permaculture, and President of the Midwestern Chapter of ISA.

Dr. Keith O'Herrin, Union County, NC | Kaitlyn Pike, University of British Columbia

Keith O'Herrin has worked in municipal forestry for several governments over the last decade, and is currently the County Forester for Union County, NC. His research has included ways to improve the urban forestry profession for practitioners and how to diversify recruitment into urban forestry (Urban Forestry 2020). He has also studied the efficacy of ordinances to preserve trees during construction, homebuilders' knowledge of trees and their activities when building homes near trees, and new homeowners' knowledge and perceptions of trees and nature.

Kaitlyn Pike is a Ph.D. candidate in the Urban Natures Lab at The University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada. Her research explores urban forest governance, green equity, and public perceptions of democracy, justice, green spaces, and the environment.

Lisa Mattson & Chris Burke, Spokane Public Schools

Lisa Mattson-Coleman is the founding and sustaining Principal of On Track Academy in Spokane Public Schools. A former high-school counselor, Lisa believes that education must focus on the the whole child. A student champion and supporter of student driven education, Lisa's core values are Connection and Growth. Lisa is proud to represent On Track Academy as the 2017 Washington Association of Learning Alternatives, High School Administrator of the Year, 2011 Chase Youth Adult Asset Builder, 2011 YWCA Woman of Achievement for Education.

Chris Burke is the Assistant Principal at On Track Academy (OTA) in Spokane Public Schools. He has worked at OTA for the last 12 years as both a teacher and administrator. Chris loves working with students and teachers in a non-traditional setting, and is a huge proponent of hands-on learning.

Ben Christensen & Marisa Repka, Cambium Carbon

Ben Christensen started Cambium Carbon to create a new way to address climate change at scale in the United States. He holds a Masters of Environmental Management from the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, with a specialization in Business and the Environment. Ben previously worked on the Natural Infrastructure team at the World Resources Institute. He is dedicated to scaling carbon removal implementation through novel finance and social mechanisms.

Marisa Repka leads stakeholder engagement, city consulting, and impact analysis for Cambium Carbon. She holds a Master's in Environmental Management from the Yale School of Environment, with a specialization in business and her past experience working in city government, private sector, and NGOs make her well suited to navigate the nexus of city operations and business development.

Brittany Wienke, Natural Areas Conservancy

Brittany Wienke is the Forests in Cities Senior Fellow at the Natural Areas Conservancy (NAC). Prior to joining NAC, Brittany worked as a forester and research in rural and urban areas. She holds a Masters of Forestry degree from the Yale School of the Environment.

Dr. Cecil Konijnendijk, Nature Based Solutions Institute

Cecil Konijnendijk has more than 25 years of experience studying, teaching, and advising on aspects of urban forestry and nature-based solutions. He is widely considered as one of the world's leading urban forestry experts, and his work has been featured by leading media outlets such as CNBC and in international documentary films. A Dutch national, he has lived and worked in Europe, Asia, and North America. Since 2016 he has been a professor of urban forestry at the University of British Columbia, where he now heads the new Master of Urban Forestry Leadership program. Cecil helped found the leading academic journal Urban Forestry & Urban Greening, and edited seminal textbooks such as The Routledge Handbook of Urban Forestry. He is currently Editor-in-chief of Arboriculture and Urban Forestry, the scientific journal of the International Society of Arboriculture. Cecil is passionate about using trees and nature to develop better cities, and always stresses the importance of building meaningful relationships between people and places. He has advised international organizations such as the United Nations and the European Commission, as well as national and local governments in more than 30 countries, and was an invited panelist at the 8th Ministerial Conference on the Protection of Forests in Europe in April 2021. Cecil currently lives in Barcelona from where he co-directs the Nature Based Solutions Institute.

Dr. Kenton Sena & Julia Maugans, University of Kentucky | Heather Wilson, Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government

Kenton Sena earned a B.A. in biology from Asbury University, then a M.S. in Forestry and a Ph.D. in Integrated Plant and Soil Sciences from the University of Kentucky. He is currently a lecturer in the Lewis Honors College at the University of Kentucky, where he teaches the Honors Foundations Seminar ("Knowledge and Society") as well as honors seminars in Restoration Ecology and Environmental themes in Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings.

Julia Maugans is a senior at the University of Kentucky studying Natural Resources and Environmental Science with a focus on Environmental Education. She currently works for the State of Kentucky Urban Wildlife Network and the department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences as an Outreach Assistant. She plans to attend graduate school after graduation.

Heather Wilson earned her B.S. and M.S. in Forestry at the University of Kentucky, and is currently the City Arborist for the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government. Heather is a board member for the Tree Week planning team, and part of the Urban Forest Initiative working group. She oversees the Reforest the Bluegrass community reforestation program, manages reforested sites, and directs other urban forests programming in Lexington.

Dana Karcher, Davey Resource Group

Dana Karcher is a project developer and area manager for Davey Resource Group, working with communities helping them achieve their green infrastructure goals. She has worked closely with planners, architects, engineers, landscape architects, elected officials, and community groups to increase awareness of the importance of trees and to recognize the urban forest as a valuable resource. She has been active in issues that assure the health and well-being of residents through the use of urban forestry as a solution to community challenges. Dana has a degree in Political Science from California State University and frequently speaks on urban and community forestry throughout the U.S. She is a Certified Arborist and a Municipal Specialist and President of the Board of Directors of the International Society of Arboriculture.

Dr. Matthew Browning, Clemson University

Matt Browning is an Assistant Professor in the Dept. of Park, Recreation, and Tourism Management and director of the Virtual Reality and Nature Lab at Clemson University. His research takes place at the nexus of environmental science and public health, with a focus on examining the ways in which nature experience benefits mental and physical health, and potential causal mechanisms underlying these relationships. His holds degrees from Oberlin College, Virginia Tech, Yale School for the Environment and has worked as a park ranger in UT, IA, and NC.

Jason Henning, The Davey Institute

Jason Henning is a Research Urban Forester with the Davey Institute, in a collaborative position with the USDA Forest Service's Philadelphia Urban Field Station. Since 2012, Jason has been a member of the team supporting communities in the application of the i-Tree suite of tools. He has coauthored various peer reviewed research papers focused on the assessment of trees from urban spaces to rural forests. The thread that ties together Jason's work is his interest in the application science to get the most trees where they do the most good.

Sarah Ponte, University of Maryland

Sarah Ponte is a Ph.D. Candidate in the Department of Environmental Science & Technology. Her research interests include urban ecology, social-ecological systems, and green infrastructure, and her dissertation is focused on socio-ecological processes and dynamics of urban forests in Maryland. Specifically, how the management of urban trees influence their hydrological function as a stormwater mitigation approach and how stewardship organizations shape green stormwater infrastructure and tree canopy distribution.

Jonathan Ocón, University of California-Los Angeles

Jon Ocón is a current Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Geography at UCLA. He specializes in remote sensing of the environment with a particular interest in socio-ecological systems. Jon also engages students in best practices in geographic information science and software (such as ArcGIS and QGIS), geospatial programming (ArcPy, Python, R, and Google Earth Engine), and cartography.

Josh Behounek, Davey Resource Group

Josh Behounek is an International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) Certified Arborist, Municipal Specialist, and is Tree Risk Assessment Qualified. He is the Business Development Manager for the Davey Resource Group (but prefers the title Theoretical Arborist) who works throughout the U.S. and internationally, was previously an Adjunct Professor at the University of Missouri, and is on SMA's Municipal Forestry Institute teaching cadre. He has experience inventorying, climbing, planting, pruning, mulching, spraying, writing about, and hugging trees.

Al De Reu, Openlands

Al De Reu is the TreeKeepers Program Manager and a Certified Arborist. TreeKeepers is in its 31st year, having trained over 2,300 volunteers in the Chicago area. Prior to joining Openlands, Al was a Senior Editor in education publishing working on math textbooks for 12 years. He studied forestry before earning his degree in math and minor in Spanish. His focus is on training volunteers, combining ecology and education, and expanding the TreeKeepers Program.

Maddy Baroli, Northern Institute of Applied Climate Science

Maddy Baroli is a Climate Adaptation Specialist with the Northern Institute of Applied Climate Science. She supports a variety of natural resource managers through the process of climate change adaptation planning, with a special focus on urban & community forestry. Maddy is passionate about the intersections of climate change, forestry, and social equity. She completed her master's degree in Forest Conservation at the University of Toronto and worked briefly on community forestry efforts with the City and County of Honolulu before assuming her current role.

Dan Lambe, Arbor Day Foundation & invited guests

Dan Lambe is the Chief Executive of the Arbor Day Foundation. Under Dan's leadership as president, the Foundation grew to become the largest nonprofit membership organization dedicated to planting trees. He was appointed as Chief Executive in January 2022, ahead of the Foundation's 50th anniversary. During his 17 years with the Foundation, he has led the development of innovative programs that expand the organization's global reach, including international forest restoration efforts. Over the course of his tenure, Dan has become a trusted resource for corporate sustainability leaders and the media alike, serving as a frequent resource for publications such as CNN, NPR, Popular Science, and Fast Company.

Shanoa Pinkham & Shameka Gagnier, Na'ah Illahee Fund

Managing Seattle's urban forest is a shared endeavor with collaboration across several departments. Our Puget Sound forest extends regionally, and Seattle often partners with other municipalities, King County, and many community-based organizations dedicated to keeping the forest healthy and thriving. Na'ah Illahee Fund, one of our many partners, is an Indigenous women-led organization dedicated to the ongoing regeneration of Indigenous communities. Focused on Indigenous Ecology, Food Sovereignty, and Wise Action, Na'ah Illahee Fund works to advance climate and gender justice, while creating healthy pathways towards self-determination and movement-building. Programming includes a youth job training program that provides space to plant and care for Indigenous plant medicines and sacred foods while learning about ecological restoration and the traditional values of land stewardship.

As an enrolled member of the Yakama Nation, and also of Southern Cheyenne descent, Shanoa Pinkham grew up both on the Yakama Indian Reservation and in Seattle. Once a food gatherer for the Satus Longhouse, Shanoa has a deep respect for Indigenous knowledge that is held in sacred foods and plant medicines. With a passion for Native stories and history, she double majored with a B.A. in American Indian Studies and Communication from the University of Washington. Shanoa works with Na'ah Illahee Fund as the Yahowt Foods and Lands Restoration Coordinator.

Shameka Gagnier is a multimedia artist, working as a wood carver, metalsmith, print maker, performance artist, music maker, and gardener, presently residing with their partner and family in the unceded traditional territories of The Nisqually, Puyallup and Squaxin Island Peoples. They carry bloodlines from the Norther, Central, and Southern Turtle Island, Africa, and Europe; many stories and names have been lost due to exploitation, foster care, and adoption. Gagnier works as a project coordinator with Na'ah Illahee Fund and a curriculum developer.

Dr. Clara Pregitzer, Natural Areas Conservancy

Clara Pregitzer is the Deputy Director of Conservation Science at the Natural Areas Conservancy in New York City (NYC). In this capacity, she leads the organization's research and conservation efforts in natural areas in NYC as well as for the Forests in Cities Network. Clara has spent the past 12 years studying urban natural areas, describing their value and the need for conservation and management. She holds a B.S. in Forestry from Northern Arizona University, an M.S. in Ecology from the University of Tennessee, and a Ph.D. from Yale School of the Environment.

Dr. Joseph Hulbert, Washington State University

Joey Hulbert is a USDA NIFA Postdoctoral Research Fellow based at the Washington State University Research and Extension Center in Puyallup, WA. He is also the Director of the Forest Health Watch program (https://foresthealth.org/). Through this experience, his background in forest health, and his passion for public engagement in science, Joey engages communities in research about the consequences of climate change and globalization on the health of forests.

Chris Peiffer, PlanIT Geo

Chris Peiffer holds a B.S. in Urban Forestry from Pennsylvania State University, is an ISA Certified Arborist and Municipal Specialist, and specializes in urban forest planning, management, development, and innovation. Over the past eight years, Chris has managed more than 30 urban forestry planning projects that have engaged thousands of community residents, and has interviewed more than 200 city staff for a comprehensive understanding of the challenges, opportunities, and shared priorities of communities and their urban forests.

Yashar Vasef, Friends of Trees

Yashar Vasef is the Executive Director at Friends of Trees, a nonprofit organization based in Portland and operating between southwestern Washington and Eugene, Oregon, to help address inequities in the urban tree canopy. He has spent more than 15 years in the nonprofit sector at various organizations in the Midwest, California, and Oregon. Through these roles, Yashar has advocated for international climate action, transportation justice, green mobility, nuclear non-proliferation, support of resettled refugee populations, human rights reform in his native Iran, and more.

Ryan Allen, Dudek | Mara Basich-Pease, HR&A Advisors | Rachel O'Leary, City Plants

Ryan Allen is an urban forester with 14 years of experience providing strategic environmental planning to organizational programs. His work deepens the positive impact on the communities he serves and increases organizational capacity. Ryan leads Dudek's Urban Forest Management team which has completed projects with various cities throughout California including Los Angeles, San Jose, Beverly Hills, and others. He has a background in community-based environmental programs and served as the chair for the Los Angeles Community Forest Advisory Committee.

Mara Basich-Pease is a Senior Analyst at HR&A Advisors, an industry-leading consulting firm that uses economic analysis and implementation planning to create vital places, build more equitable and resilient communities, and improve people's lives. At HR&A, Mara recently supported efforts to identify and recommend sufficient, sustainable, and equitable funding mechanisms for long-term growth and maintenance of the urban forest as part of the Los Angeles Urban Forest Financing Study.

Rachel O'Leary serves as the Executive Director for City Plants, an urban forestry nonprofit organization founded by the City of Los Angeles. Rachel has worked with City Plants for seven years and holds a B.S. in Environmental Studies from the University of Southern California. Rachel has designed and implemented two catalytic urban forest management plan projects for the City of Los Angeles, bringing broad coalitions of multi-sector stakeholders together to strengthen climate resiliency and urban tree equity in Los Angeles.

Elizabeth Walker, Terra Firma Consulting | Brandy Reed, Whatcom Conservation District

Elizabeth Walker has a master's degree in Urban Horticulture from the University of Washington, specializing in urban forestry. For three decades, she has consistently worked in and with the public sector as city forester and consultant for more than a dozen jurisdictions and agencies in the Pacific Northwest, developing urban forestry programs, strategic plans, effective regulations, and public engagement. She continues to maintain a strong network of stakeholders to further critical initiatives on climate, equity, stewardship, and conservation -- both locally and globally.

Brandy Reed is an accomplished natural resource management professional and organizational leader with more than 30 years of experience. Prior to Whatcom Conservation District, she served as the Director of Strategic Partnerships at King Conservation District where she developed a portfolio of community-based natural resource management initiatives, such as promoting the role of urban trees and forest cover in stormwater management. Brandy has also worked for the USDA Forest Service and Washington State Parks. She has a B.S. in Environmental/Outdoor Education and a master's degree in Science Education from WWU.

Dan Morrow, Arbor Day Foundation | Rich Brown, Bank of America | Mandy Burnette, WestRock

As Vice President of Programs & Partnerships at the Arbor Day Foundation, Dan Morrow works closely with corporate and organizational leaders at all levels to achieve their unique environmental/social/governance (ESG), corporate social responsibility (CSR), and sustainability goals. Together with his team, Dan helps bring the Foundation's core values to life through a relentless dedication to service excellence, high-impact work, and innovation in pursuit of a better world through trees. When not at work, Dan is focused on his family – staying busy chasing his four young children.

Rich Brown serves as Senior Vice President and Environmental Program Director in the Global Environmental Group at Bank of America. In that role, he is responsible for managing the bank's strategic relationships with national and international environmental organizations, managing Bank of America's award-winning "My Environment" employee engagement program, connecting the bank's environmental initiative to strategic initiatives in local markets around the world, and working on environmental policy issues. He is a 31-year veteran of Bank of America. Prior to joining Bank of America, Rich was legislative aide to then-Congressman (now US Senator) Ron Wyden. He received his bachelor's degree in political science from the University of Oregon.

Mandy Burnette is Director of Corporate Giving for WestRock, a leading global provider of sustainable paper and packaging solutions. She has oversight for community investments and sponsorships across the company, with direct responsibility for managing partnerships in their headquarters community of Atlanta, Georgia. Mandy is also executive director of the WestRock Foundation, overseeing programmatic grant partnerships and employee engagement programs, and the WestRock Employee Relief Fund. Mandy earned a bachelor's degree in Mass Communications–Public Relations from Virginia Commonwealth University, and is co-convener of Atlanta Corporate Donors. She recently completed the Atlanta Women's Foundation's Inspire Atlanta program, is a member of The Woodruff Arts Center Corporate Campaign Cabinet, The Conference Board's Global CSR & Philanthropy Council, and recent past president of her HOA board.

Ian Hanou, PlanIT Geo

Ian Hanou has 19 years of private sector experience. He earned a B.S. in Forest Management & GIS from Colorado State University and founded PlanIT Geo in 2012. The firm specializes in urban forestry software, GIS, remote sensing, green infrastructure, and ecosystem services. He has managed hundreds of innovative urban forestry projects, and in 2011 the Society of Municipal Arborists presented Ian with an award for innovation in tree planting prioritization. He lives in Colorado with his wife and two children where he has summited all 54 mountains over 14,000 feet.

Sophie Plitt, Natural Areas Conservancy & USDA Forest Service

Sophie Plitt works in a dual role between the USDA Forest Service and the Natural Areas Conservancy managing natural partnerships for STEW-MAP and forested natural areas practitioners. She leads the Forests in Cities program, a network dedicated to improving the protection and management of urban forested natural areas. Sophie has worked for New York City Parks, New York Restoration Project, TreeKIT, and the New York Tree Trust planning and implementing green infrastructure projects with the goal of deepening human-nature connections in cities. She holds a B.A. in Environmental Studies and Urban Ecosystems from The New School and an M.S. in Social-Ecological Resilience Research at the Stockholm Resilience Centre.

Ben Thompson, Washington State Department of Natural Resources

Ben Thompson is the Urban Forestry Program Manager for the Washington State Department of Natural Resources Urban & Community Forestry Program and has been an ISA Certified Arborist since 1999. He holds a bachelor's degree in Urban and Community Forestry from Unity College in Maine and a master's degree in Forest Resources and Conservation from the University of Florida. He lives in Olympia, WA, with his wife and two young kids. Together they enjoy experiencing Washington's wonderfully diverse landscapes -- from national parks to local playgrounds.

Dan Lambe, Arbor Day Foundation

Dan Lambe is the Chief Executive of the Arbor Day Foundation. Under Dan's leadership as president, the Foundation grew to become the largest nonprofit membership organization dedicated to planting trees. He was appointed as Chief Executive in January 2022, ahead of the Foundation's 50th year anniversary. During his 17 years with the Foundation, he has led the development of innovative programs that expand the organization's global reach, including international forest restoration efforts. Over the course of his tenure, Dan has become a trusted resource for corporate sustainability leaders and the media alike, serving as a frequent resource for publications such as CNN, NPR, Popular Science, and Fast Company.

Dana Karcher & Abby Tadaj, Davey Resource Group, Inc.

Dana Karcher is a project developer for Davey Resource Group, working with communities throughout U.S. In her career in urban forestry, she has worked with communities to develop tree inventories, management plans, urban forest master plans, and other tree management projects. She has worked closely with planners, engineers, landscape architects, elected officials, and community groups to increase awareness of trees as assets. She is a Certified Arborist and Immediate Past President of the International Society of Arboriculture.

Abby Tadaj is the marketing coordinator for Davey Resource Group's Environmental Consulting team. This team provides high-quality, innovative solutions to our clients and their constituencies, nationwide. Abby has experience in custom layout, template creation and maintenance, photography and post-production editing, print production, file and project organization, and project coordination management. Abby and her team also support presentations, and interpretive signage, bringing storytelling into everyday tasks to emphasize the talent and capabilities of her Davey family.

Jeff Salem, Arbor Day Foundation | Craig Welch, National Geographic | Lorene Edwards Forkner, garden writer & author

Jeff Salem is the Director of Communications & Public Relations for the Arbor Day Foundation, responsible for increasing awareness and credibility of the Foundation and its impact through communications and PR strategies. Jeff holds an English degree from Nebraska Wesleyan University and a journalism degree from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. When he's not promoting the power of trees and forests, it is a good bet Jeff is on a golf course searching for his ball in the rough, or with his wife and three children driving to or from a youth sports complex.

Craig Welch is an environment writer at National Geographic. Prior to joining National Geographic, he was the environmental reporter for The Seattle Times, where he worked for more than 14 years. A journalist for two decades, his work has appeared in Smithsonian magazine, the Washington Post, and Newsweek. He spent a year as a fellow at the Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard University, and the Society of Environmental Journalists has twice named him Outstanding Beat Reporter of the Year, mostly recently in 2010. That same year, HarperCollins published his book, "Shell Games: A True Story of Cops, Con Men, and the Smuggling of America's Strangest Wildlife," a nonfiction detective story about wildlife thieves. It won the national Rachel Carson Environment Book Award in 2011 and was a finalist for the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association award and the Washington State Book award. Welch and photographer Steve Ringman's Pulitzer Center-supported five-part series on ocean acidification "Sea Change: The Pacific's Perilous Turn" for The Seattle Times has won numerous accolades including the Online Communication Award from the National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, and Institute of Medicine, the Overseas Press Club Whitman Bassow Award, the ONA Online Journalism Award for Explanatory Reporting, and an Emmy Nomination for New Approaches to News & Documentary Programming.

Lorene Edwards Forkner is an author, editor, educator, and artist who lives and gardens in the Pacific Northwest. Lorene is the author of six previous garden books, including The Beginner's Guide to Growing Great Vegetables (Timber Press 2021), a garden contributor for The Seattle Times, and the former editor of Pacific Horticulture magazine. Follow her work at ahandmadegarden.com and on Instagram @gardenercook.

Tom Ebeling, Openlands

Tom Ebeling joined Openlands in 2019 as the Community Arborist. In that role Tom works to facilitate the community tree planting grants, helps coordinate tree maintenance and stewardship with TreeKeepers and other volunteers and participates in the community outreach and education programs offered by Openlands. He is an ISA Certified Arborist with a background in urban and community forestry and enjoys public engagement. He also enjoys exploring the neighborhoods, green spaces, and art scenes of the new cities that he visits.

Heather McMillen, Hawaii Division of Forestry & Wildlife

Heather McMillen is Hawaii's Urban & Community Forester. She is an ISA Certified Arborist, an affiliate faculty member at the University of Hawaii at Manoa in the Department of Natural Resources & Environmental Management and in the Department of Anthropology. She is a humble learner of wood carving, lauhala weaving, and tree pruning.

Stephen Harris, City of Syracuse (NY) Department of Parks, Recreation & Youth Programs

Steve Harris is City Arborist for the City of Syracuse and oversees the management of the community's 44,000 street and park trees as well as initiatives to improve tree equity. Steve previously worked in the nursery industry and as an urban forest extension educator. Steve holds associate's and master's degrees in forestry, is a certified arborist and municipal specialist, a graduate of the Municipal Forestry Institute, a former Society of Municipal Arborist Board member, and current New York State Urban Forestry Council President. Steve's passion for forestry began as a peace corps volunteer in The Gambia.

Amanda Parrish, The Lands Council

After studying comparative ecology and conservation in Ecuador, Amanda Parrish graduated with a degree in Environmental Studies from the University of San Francisco in 2008 and joined The Lands Council (TLC) in 2009 as an AmeriCorps member. She has held many positions at TLC, from Volunteer Coordinator to Beaver Program Director to her current position as Executive Director. She hopes to build climate resiliency into Inland Northwest forests, water, and wildlife.

David Moehring, AIA NCARB, Seattle Urban Forestry Commission | Charles Kelley, AIA NCARB, Green Urban Design LLC | Martha Baskin, Freelance Environmental Reporter

An architect and Capital Planner with the University of Washington-Bothell, David Moehring also serves as a Commissioner with the Seattle Urban Forestry Commission. David is a champion for urban density housing opportunities while maintaining an equitable urban forest, which is key in times of evidential climate change.

Charles Kelley is a senior architect and urban designer bringing an interdisciplinary approach to integrate community aspirations, natural resources, and financial assets. Green Urban Design LLC engages with business and government using design to connect vital, equitable, and sustainable communities with nature in urban mixed-use neighborhoods. Charles brings the value of integrated design to leverage multiple objectives across mobility, watershed, energy, water, land use, and open space systems that create vital and enduring community-oriented projects.

Martha Baskin is a freelance reporter who covers a wide range of issues in her multimedia coverage of endangered species, warming oceans, alternatives to fossil fuels, growing food in unlikely places, pollinators, and climate and environmental justice. She has been a contributor to Geekwire, Seattle Globalist, Truthout, the former Seattle Post-Globe, and Crosscut as well as several community radio stations.

Jeff Ramsey, Portland Parks and Recreation–Urban Forestry | Dr. Kasey Yturralde, Washington, D.C., District Department of Transportation, Urban Forestry Division | Dr. Natalie van Doorn, USDA Forest Service–Pacific Southwest Research Station

Jeff Ramsey is a Science and Policy Specialist at Portland Parks & Recreation Urban Forestry in Portland, OR. Jeff leads Urban Forestry's community science program and, as part of the Science, Outreach, and Planting team at Urban Forestry, works with the public to learn more about Portland's urban forest and apply the latest research to its management. Jeff is an ISA Certified Arborist and Municipal Specialist, and holds degrees in Geography and Geographic Information Systems from Macalester College and Portland State University, respectively.

Kasey Yturralde is the Forest Health and Community Outreach Specialist with Urban Forestry Division at the District Department of Transportation in Washington, D.C. She leads forest health monitoring activities and studies, as well as coordinates outreach in city parks and schools to raise awareness of trees and the benefits they provide. In a previous role, she worked as an Urban Forester for three years, managing urban forest resources for District residents. Kasey obtained her Ph.D. in Forest Science from Northern Arizona University's School of Forestry.

Natalie van Doorn is a Research Urban Ecologist at the USDA Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Research Station in Albany, CA. She is interested in what drives change in urban and wildland forests, how forests are vulnerable to disturbances and stressors, and what can be done to improve their resiliency. Her research utilizes and builds on long-term data sets tracking populations and individual trees, measuring forest structure and dynamics. She earned her bachelor's, master's, and doctorate degrees from the University of California–Berkeley, focusing on forest ecology.

Dr. Natalie van Doorn, USDA Forest Service

Natalie van Doorn is a Research Urban Ecologist at the USDA Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Research Station in Albany, CA. She is interested in what drives change in urban and wildland forests, how forests are vulnerable to disturbances and stressors, and what can be done to improve their resiliency. Her research utilizes and builds on long-term data sets tracking populations and individual trees; measuring forest structure and dynamics. She earned her bachelor's, master's, and doctorate degrees from the University of California-Berkeley, focusing on forest ecology.

Michael Yadrick, Seattle Parks and Recreation

Michael Yadrick is an ecologist working at Seattle Parks and Recreation supporting Green Seattle Partnership. He endeavors to unsettle colonial conservation practices, inviting respect, humility, and harm reduction into his ecological restoration practice. Michael is the co-founder of the Arbutus ARME and creator of the treehugger podcast. He is also a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer (Bolivia '02-'04) and former AmeriCorps volunteer. Currently an injured ultrarunner, Michael enjoys family hikes and dog walks and plunging in the Salish Sea.

Dr. Allyson Salisbury, University of Florida

Allyson Salisbury is an environmental scientist and urban ecologist who studies how trees and other plants grow in the built environment. Her research helps us understand how to help trees grow better in less-than-ideal conditions so we can create greener places for people to live, work, and play.

Dave Muffly, Oaktopia

Dave Muffly is a tree researcher, educator, consultant, manager, and entrepreneur. Dave specializes in oaks, street trees, climate change adaptation, urban-wildland interface plantings, and strategic tree planning. Dave started his tree career establishing oaks by the thousand on Stanford wildlands. Dave gained his Certified Arborist credential in 1998, and his Board Certified Master Arborist credential in 2008. Dave came to the attention of Steve Jobs and was hired to spend seven years as Senior Arborist at Apple, Inc., directing the planting of 9,000 trees.

Sean Reynolds, City of Ann Arbor (MI) Office of Sustainability and Innovations

Sean Reynolds is working on various resilience-related projects for the City of Ann Arbor, including the 10,000 Trees Initiative, a program aimed at getting trees planted on private property. He has prior urban forestry experience through Casey Trees, a nonprofit in Washington, DC. Sean has an M.S. in Forestry from Auburn University. Originally from Maryland, he moved to Ann Arbor in December 2020. In his spare time, he enjoys hiking, reading, and cooking.

Katie Fleming, Openlands

Katie Fleming is the Forestry Program Manager at Openlands. Katie oversees the first year of the Arborist Registered Apprenticeship program, then works with employer partners to support and develop Years 2 & 3 of the program. Katie provides classroom training to apprentices, leads staff in accomplishing establishment maintenance and planting, and educates others on the importance of Chicago's tree canopy. Katie is an ISA Certified Arborist and holds a B.S. in Natural Resources & Environmental Science from the University of Illinois.

Rebecca Johnson, Arborholic, LLC

Rebecca Johnson is an ISA Certified Arborist and a true "arborholic." She is addicted to helping trees and the people who care for them. She was recognized with the 2020 ISA President's Award for her work with Women in Arboriculture, which includes hosting a monthly zoom chat. She is Tree Risk Assessment Qualified and holds the Texas ISA Oak Wilt and Wildfire Risk Reduction qualifications. She spends her free time looking at trees and playing with her dog. However, she really is a cat person. Don't tell the dog.

Hannah Gregory, American Forests

Hannah Gregory works on the Career Pathways team at American Forests, which helps those facing barriers to employment establish careers in urban forestry by working closely with employers and stakeholders in government, private sector, nonprofit, trade association, and workforce development. Prior to working at American Forests, she oversaw career services and asset-building initiatives at a community college and managed an urban farm in Hartford, Connecticut. She holds a Master of Public Policy degree from the University of Connecticut and was an Aspen Institute Economic Opportunity Fellow through the Hartford Workforce Leaders Academy.

Jean Zimmerman, Writer

Throughout her writing career, Jean Zimmerman has published fiction and nonfiction centered on some of the most provocative subjects in America. In recent years, working as a Certified Arborist, Zimmerman has helped municipalities manage their tree populations more effectively and has worked to ensure that tree preservation regulations are upheld in New York City. In addition to serving on the board of directors of the New York State Urban Forestry Council (NYSUFC), she also chairs the Hudson Valley chapter of ReLeaf, a collaborative entity of NYSUFC and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.

Kiley Barber, Oregon State University

Kiley Barber is a graduate student studying urban forestry in the College of Forestry at Oregon State University. Her current work looks at the impact of professional development activities for women in urban forestry leadership. She obtained her B.S. in Biology from Colorado Mesa University in 2021.

Dr. Deborah Hilbert, Many Trees Consulting, LLC

Deb Hilbert is an urban tree scientist, manager, and educator. She conducts research on topics such as urban tree diversity, survival, planting space recommendations, and canopy assessments. She leads Many Trees Consulting, an urban tree management consultancy, and conducts research with colleagues at the University of Florida's Urban Tree and Landscape Management Lab. When not working on her latest research project, Deb can be seen volunteering with local tree groups so that she can get off of the computer and actually touch trees!

Rachel Holmes, The Nature Conservancy | Lyajiah Gilbert, Trinity United Church of Christ

Rachel Holmes is the Healthy Trees Coordinator for The Nature Conservancy (TNC). In addition to urban forestry, Rachel has a background in youth development, having worked for several youth-based nonprofit organizations prior to joining TNC in 2014 when she started the Conservancy's first field-based urban conservation professional development program. Rachel holds a Master of Forestry from the Yale School of Forestry and the Environment, a Master of Divinity from Yale University, and a B.S. from Rutgers University.

Ajiah Gilbert received her bachelor's degree in Biology and Ethnic Studies at the University of San Diego. She is the current program leader for the Imani Green Health Advocates program in the South Side of Chicago. Her passions lie in environmental education and youth development.

Dr. Kathleen Wolf, University of Washington

As a Social Scientist at the University of Washington (Seattle), Kathy Wolf has directed a multi-decade research program to investigate human response to urban outdoor spaces using environmental psychology approaches. Kathy's mission is to discover, understand, and communicate human behavior and benefits as people experience nature in cities and towns. Research partnership has included the USDA Forest Service, NGOs, and local communities. Dr. Wolf is committed to science translation and outreach and actively shares research in presentations and websites.

Abigail Kaminski, USDA Forest Service

Abigail Kaminski is a Social Science Information Specialist at the USDA Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station, where she provides research support for the Goods, Services, and Values Program. She has a B.A. in Economics and Geography from Clark University and an M.S. in Resource Economics and Policy from the University of Maine.

Laura Grant, University of British Columbia

Laura Grant is currently a master's student at the University of British Columbia. She holds a B.S. in Forest Health from the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry. She became an ISA Certified Arborist in 2018 and is a current member of the Pacific Northwest chapter of the International Society of Arboriculture.

Jason Traweek, City of Austin

With 25 years of work in environmental education, project development, and arboriculture, Jason Traweek has dedicated his career to ecological preservation and restoration. His current work includes coordinating investments in community urban forestry projects for the City of Austin. He is an ISA Certified Arborist and earned a B.S. in Conservation Biology from the University of Texas at Austin. Prior to his career with the City of Austin, he spent three years as an Environmental Education volunteer in the Peace Corps, stationed in the Dominican Republic.

Rebecca Johnson, Arborholic, LLC

Rebecca Johnson is an ISA Certified Arborist and a true "arborholic." She is addicted to helping trees and the people who care for them. She was recognized with the 2020 ISA President's Award for her work with Women in Arboriculture, which includes hosting a monthly Zoom chat. She is Tree Risk Assessment Qualified and holds the Texas ISA Oak Wilt and Wildfire Risk Reduction qualifications. She spends her free time looking at trees and playing with her dog. However, she really is a cat person. Don't tell the dog.

Dr. David Anderson, Canopy Watch International

David Anderson is an ornithologist by training, a tree climber by passion, and a conservationist by dedication. He conducts research on all those topics, sharing his findings in scientific and popular articles, blogs, and through public outreach. He founded Canopy Watch International in 2015 to train scientists and nonscientists on methods for accessing the forest canopy for the benefit of personal and scientific discovery. His recent TED talk on tree climbing is a good introduction to the speaker and Canopy Watch.

Heather Wilson, Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government

Heather Wilson earned her M.S. in Forestry at the University of Kentucky. She is currently the Program Manager of Urban Forestry for the City of Lexington (LFUCG), KY, where she oversees Reforest the Bluegrass, a community reforestation program, and directs urban forestry initiatives for Lexington. Heather also teaches the Urban & Community Forestry Certificate capstone class at the University of Kentucky, is a member of the Urban Forest Initiatives Working Group, part of the Tree Week planning committee, and is an active advocate for tree preservation in urban areas.

Karen Firehock & Matt Lee, Green Infrastructure Center Inc.

Karen Firehock directs the Green Infrastructure Center (GIC) which maps, conserves, or restores natural resources in both wild and urban landscapes to create more resilient communities. She has authored numerous green infrastructure books such as "Green Infrastructure: Map and Plan the Natural World With GIS and Forest Connectivity in the Developing Landscape. She has a B.S. in Natural Resources Management and an M.S. in Environmental Planning.

Matt Lee works with communities to protect and conserve natural resources, with a focus on community forests. He is also researching ways to incentivize tree planting and care, on both public and private property, and how to maximize landscape connectivity in developing areas. He coordinates several projects for the GIC including the Resilient Coastal Forest projects for the states of Virginia, South Carolina, and Georgia; Storm Ready Communities; and multiple landscape-scale green infrastructure plans. He is ISA and TRAQ-certified, with a B.S. in Horticulture from Virginia Tech and a Master of Planning degree from Penn State University.

Dr. Vivek Shandas, CAPA Strategies LLC & Portland State University | Rachel O'Leary, City Plants | Edith de Guzman, UCLA & LA Urban Cooling Collaborative | Dr. Dana Hellman, CAPA Strategies LLC

Vivek Shandas is a Professor of Climate Adaptation and Director of the Sustaining Urban Places Research (SUPR) Lab at Portland State University. Professor Shandas supports organizations in identifying and evaluating climate-induced stressors, and the co-creation of adaptation strategies that emphasize equity, resilience, and sustainability. He has published more than 100 publications and four books and serves as a consult and technical advisor to public, private, and nonprofit organizations.

Rachel O'Leary currently serves as the Executive Director for City Plants, an urban forestry nonprofit organization founded by the City of Los Angeles. The City Plants collaborative plants and distributes 20,000 trees each year in Los Angeles and envisions a Los Angeles in which people in every neighborhood have equal access to trees and their benefits: clean air, energy efficiency, better health, cooling shade, and friendlier, more vibrant communities.

Edith de Guzman is a researcher-practitioner, educator, and consultant working with diverse audiences on climate change solutions in urban areas. Edith co-founded and directs the Los Angeles Urban Cooling Collaborative, a multidisciplinary partnership of academics and practitioners working to reduce public health impacts of extreme heat. She recently finished a stint as Director of Research at TreePeople and is a Ph.D. candidate at the UCLA Institute of the Environment & Sustainability.

Dana Hellman manages the development and implementation of Growing Capacity services at CAPA Strategies, LLC. She is an environmental social scientist and earned her Ph.D. in Earth, Environment & Society from Portland State University. She brings deep knowledge of climate change adaptation and resilience studies, a professional background in community planning, and strong research skills to her work with CAPA.

2023 Event Details

Steve Grantham, Up With Trees

Jenny Gulick, Davey Resource Group | Matt Stenger, Taking Root | Liz Jacob, Natorp's Nursery

Thais Perkins, TreeFolks

Michael Hawkins, Canopy

Rachel Comte, Northern KY Urban & Community Forestry Council

Molly Wilson and Nate Faris, Keep Indianapolis Beautiful

Mario Yanez, Permaculture Design International

Aileen Driscoll, Bloomington Community Orchard

Leslie Berckes, Trees Forever

Joe Stavish, Tree Pittsburgh

Allegra Mautner, Friends of the Urban Forest

Michael Dugan, Openlands

Angie DiSalvo, Portland Parks Urban Forestry

Dan Lambe, Arbor Day Foundation | Jan Davis, USDA Forest Service | Dr. Ann Bartuska, USDA

Bill Kincius, City of Indianapolis | Dave Forsell, Keep Indianapolis Beautiful

Phillip Rodbell, USDA Forest Service

Greg Mast, TreeFolks

Amy Bell, Groundwork Studio

Stephanie Foster-Miller & Alan Siewert, Ohio Division of Forestry

Lydia Scott & Lindsay Darling, The Morton Arboretum

Holly Dentner, Missouri Department of Conservation

Dr. Susan Day, Virginia Tech University

Jennifer Henaghan, American Planning Association | Kevin O'Hara & Lori Robertson, National Recreation & Parks Association

Josh Behounek, Davey Resource Group | Paul Johnson, Texas A&M Forest Service

Dr. Erika Svendsen, USDA Forest Service

Jad Daley, Trust for Public Land

Barbara Deutsch, Landscape Architecture Foundation

David Rouse, American Planning Association

Silas Kyler & David Hildreth, Tiny Chair Pictures

Dr. David Nowak, USDA Forest Service | Scott Maco, The Davey Institute

Kelly Tucker, Environmental Protection Agency | Jessica Franzini, New Jersey Tree Foundation

Karen Zumach, Tree Trust | Jeff Hafner, Rainbow Tree Care

Dr. Kathleen Wolf, University of Washington

Dr. David Nowak, USDA Forest Service

Lance Kramer, Meridian Hill Pictures

Brigitte Orrick, Tree Care Industry Association

Dr. Sarah Mincey, Indiana University

Dr. Susan Day, Virginia Tech University

Elise Schadler, Vermont Urban & Community Forestry Program

Shawn Freedberg, DeepRoot, LLC | Lance Davisson, The Keystone Concept | Tim Maguire, Ecosystem Sciences

Megan Whatton, The Nature Conservancy

Jamie Kirby, Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation | Roberta L. Arnoux, University of Montana | Shari Bremner, Black Feet Community College

Dr. Adam Berland, Ball State University

Nate Faris, Keep Indianapolis Beautiful, Inc.

Ned Brockmeyer, Keep Indianapolis Beautiful, Inc.

Tricia Bethke, The Morton Arboretum

Dan Staley, Analemma Resources, LLC

Lindsey Purcell, Purdue University

Gregory Cooper, Duke University

Eve Pytel, Delta Institute | Jenny Gulick, Davey Resource Group | Travis Miller, Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Council of Governments

Eric North, University of Minnesota

Mark Ambrose, North Carolina State University

Rachel Holmes & Chris Chandler, The Nature Conservancy | Halida Hatic, Center for Interfaith Relations

Mark Majewsky & Dr. Brett Butler, USDA Forest Service | Gretchen Riley, Texas A&M Forest Service

Peter MacDonagh, Kestrel Design Group

Jeff Stava, Tulsa Community Foundation

Mark Bays, Oklahoma Forestry Services

Meridith Perkins, Davey Resource Group

Colby Sattler, Western Reserve Land Conservancy

Erin Oliverio, City of Charlotte, NC

Josh Behounek, Davey Resource Group

Serda Ozbenian, National Recreation and Park Association | Kathryn Hunninen, Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy

Dr. Christine Carmichael, University of Vermont

Katie Lautar, Baltimore Green Space

Dr. Kimberly Kasper, Rhodes College

Tim Porter, City of Charlotte, NC

Dr. Burney Fischer, Indiana University-Bloomington, School of Public & Environmental Affairs

Ian Leahy, American Forests | Larry Wiseman, CenterLine Strategy

Michael Galvin, SavATree Consulting Group

Dr. Cecil Konijnendijk van den Bosch, University of British Columbia

Dr. David Nowak, USDA Forest Service-Northern Research Station

Dr. Paul Ries, Oregon State University

Mark McPherson, Urban Forest Carbon Project | Dr. Greg McPherson, USDA Forest Service – Southwest Research Station | Walter Passmore, City of Palo Alto

Lance Davisson, Chair, National Urban & Community Forestry Advisory Council | Paul Ries, Co-chair, Sustainable Urban Forests Coalition

Dr. Matthew Browning, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Susan Wirth, Dimensions Educational Research Foundation | Dr. Tamberly Conway, USDA Forest Service

Rob Keen, Forests Ontario

Dr. Viniece Jennings, USDA Forest Service – Southern Research Station