Speakers/Instructors: listed alphabetically by last name

Biographical Information About Speakers/Instructors: A-C, D-I, J-Q

Patrick J. Raffaniello. As a principal in Raffaniello & Associates, Patrick J. “Pat” Raffaniello advocates in Washington on behalf of his clients’ legislative and regulatory matters.
     Mr. Raffaniello primarily represents businesses before the tax-writing committees and the Congressional leadership. With over 25 years of experience serving corporations, trade associations, and other business enterprises, he maintains strong working relationships with key policymakers and is committed to effective, ethical advocacy.
     Prior to founding Raffaniello & Associates, Mr. Raffaniello was a Director in the Federal Policy Group, a division of Clark & Wamberg LLP, where he provided legislative and lobbying support to a wide range of clients on tax and other important issues. Mr. Raffaniello was also a partner in the Washington National Tax Services office of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP when that practice was acquired by the Federal Policy Group of Clark Consulting in February 2002.
     Mr. Raffaniello has also served as a partner at Collier, Shannon, Rill & Scott, a Washington law firm specializing in government relations, international trade, antitrust, and Federal Trade Commission practices. There he served as counsel for numerous associations and corporations.
     Mr. Raffaniello also served as Chief of Staff to U.S. Congressman Bill Brewster from 1991 to 1995. In this capacity, he also served as Tax Counsel on legislation before the Ways & Means Committee.
     Previously, Mr. Raffaniello served as Director of Federal Affairs for the National Rifle Association. His advocacy experience also includes working as Manager of State Public Affairs for Unocal Oil Corporation, where he lobbied state governments on behalf of this Fortune 100 integrated oil company. He also served as Executive Director to the Southwest Energy Council, an association of nine energy-producing states lobbying on federal energy issues.
     Mr. Raffaniello holds a Juris Doctorate from The Washington College of Law; a Bachelor of Arts from The American University, College of Public Affairs; and an Associate of Arts from The State University of New York. He served in the United States Army Military Police Corps from 1975 through 1978. Source: Raffaniello & Associates website, 11/12.

Tom Randall is a member of the Save Our Species Alliance, is a senior partner in the public policy consulting firm, Winningreen LLC. Prior to that he was a director of the John P. McGovern Center for Environmental and Regulatory Affairs. He also served as managing editor of Environment and Climate News, a publication of the Heartland Institute in Chicago. Source: Personal Résumé, 6/05.

Charles F. Raper, Professor of Forestry, Auburn University, School of Forestry, received a BS in Forest Management from North Carolina State University and an MBA in Finance and Juris Doctorate (J.D.) from the University of Connecticut. His teaching responsibilities include Appraisal of Commercial Timberland, Forest Law, and Forest Policy. Charles worked for thirty years with the Real Estate Investment Department of Travelers Insurance Company where he specialized in timberland loans and investments. His research interests include: Forest bare land market values in the Southeast; Investment returns from timberland ownership, and Timberland as a portfolio asset. He is a director of Resource Management Service, Inc., Birmingham, AL and South Alabama Land and Timber Company, Inc., Jackson, AL and Chairman of the Investment Committee, North Carolina Forestry Foundation, Inc., Raleigh, NC.  Source: Personal Résumé and Auburn University, Faculty of the School of Forestry, 7/98.

Jordan Rappaport is a senior economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City. He joined the Bank in 1999 following completing his Ph.D. in economics at Harvard Univerity. Jordan also holds a bachelors' degree from Brown University, from which he graduated in 1990. Jordan's research focuses on issues related to local growth. His articles for the Bank's Economic Review primarily focus on U.S. metropolitan area growth and on housing. His empirical research published in peer-reviewed journals has documented the persistence and causes of long run local population growth. His published theoretical research shows that even small costs associated with moving are sufficient to cause high persistence in net population flows and that small productivity and amenity differences can cause very large differences in local population density. Jordan is an associate editor of Regional Science and Urban Economics and the Journal of Regional Science. Source: www.kansascityfed.org/speechbio/rappaport.cfm, 3/14.

Charles R. Rath is President of the Alabama Trappers and Predator Control Association and Director-at-Large on the Board of Directors of the National Trappers Association and Board Representative on the Executive Council. Charlie has trapped wild fur for thirty five years in four different states and is a Trapper Education Instructor. Before retiring in 1999, he worked as a Registered Dietitian and Chief, Nutrition and Food Service, Veterans Administration Hospital, Madison, Wisconsin, March 1979 – July 1999. His military career was with the US Navy – three years active duty and twenty five years active reserve duty. He retired with the rank of Commander, Medical Service Corps. Source: Personal Résumé, 7/14.

Brock Ray is a native of Oxford, Alabama. Being a man of great ideas, another of Brock’s projects is Brock Huntin Cabins and Brocks Log Cabins. The log cabins come in kits, with high quality materials, so that the handy man can put them together with a few simple tools or his crew will assemble them for those who may not have the time. These cabins are perfect for hunters or those who just enjoy spending time outdoors. The cabins also serve as excellent guest houses, offices, a child’s playhouse, pool house, workout room or just a place to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city life.
    Brock lives in Blount County, Alabama and enjoys spending time with his family. You will often find him in the wild outdoors, which seems to fuel even more dreams. He is a man of high moral fiber and has a work ethic that is rare in this day and age. If Brock has a dream, you can bet he will make it come true with his determination and hard work.

Mike Ream is "semi-retired" after working for many years advising the use of forestry herbicides. His educational background was in psychological counseling, but he joined Resource Management Service (RMS) in 1988 in the herbicide distribution arm of the company. He was initially hired for industrial right-of-way sales, but soon became more involved in forestry herbicides. "I had the joy of helping landowners and forest products companies maximize their investments of time and resources." RMS discontinued herbicide sales when, in 1993, the company began managing timber investments for John Hancock Mutual Life Insurance Co. Red River Specialties of Shreveport, Louisiana assumed the herbicide distributorship and Mike went to work for them. "I love forestry because it serves both God and people." Source: Personal Résumé, 2/16.

Lawrence W. Reed: Economist and author Lawrence W. Reed is president of the Foundation for Economic Education (FEE), the nation's oldest free enterprise think tank and publisher for half a century of "The Freeman" magazine. FEE is headquartered in Irvington, New York, and its popular Web site is www.fee.org.
     In the past twenty years, Reed has authored over 1,000 newspaper columns and articles, 200 radio commentaries, dozens of articles in magazines and journals in the U. S. and abroad, as well as five books. His articles have appeared in The Wall Street Journal, Christian Science Monitor, USA Today, Baltimore Sun, Detroit News and Detroit Free Press, among many others. Reed's most recent book is Striking the Root: Essays on Liberty. Since 1978, he has visited 69 countries on six continents and delivered more than 1,000 speeches in 40 states and 15 nations, including one at People's University in Beijing, China. Source: Personal Résumé, 1/09.

Tom Reed represents the Southern Tier and Finger Lakes Regions of New York in the U.S. House of Representatives. He is a member on the House Ways and Means Committee, and serves on the Subcommittee on Select Revenue Measures and the Subcommittee on Social Security. Source: http://reed.house.gov/about-me/full-biography, 5/15.

Austin Reese is a Forest Health Coordinator at the Alabama Forestry Commission (AFC). In this role, which he has held since August 2021, he oversees all AFC programs relating to insects, diseases, and invasive species. He graduated from the College of Forest Resources at Mississippi State University in July 2021. He is also a registered forester in Alabama and Mississippi. Source: Personal Résumé, 8/23.

Teddy Reynolds is President of Reynolds Forestry Consulting based in Magnolia, Arkansas. He received a B.S. Degree in Forestry with a Wildlife Minor from the University of Arkansas at Monticello and is a registered forester and a registered appraiser. Teddy hosts the weekly radio show Timber Talk which is broadcast from 99.5 FM in Nashville, Arkansas and 100.5 FM in Magnolia, Arkansas. He is Vice-President of Reynolds Forestry Products, Inc., which does research and development work with new technology, such as weight and volume software, marking paint tracers, and voice activated computer inventory systems. He lives on a small cattle farm in McNeil, Arkansas and is a timberland owner. Source: Personal Résumé, 3/02.

Erica Rhoad is the Society of American Foresters (SAF) director of forest policy. In this position Rhoad is responsible for assessing forest management and natural resources issues, and developing policies and strategies that promote the mission and goals of the Society. Among her duties are serving as a liaison between SAF and members of Congress, federal natural resources agencies, national and international conservation and environmental organizations, the forest products industry, and other professional natural resources associations. Before coming to SAF, Rhoad was government affairs advisor at Ball Janik, LLP in Washington, DC, from 2007 to 2008, where she represented clients in the fields of forestry, natural resources, and wildlife. From 2002 to 2007 she served as a member of the legislative staff of the House Natural Resources Forests and Forest Health Subcommittee, where she worked on the Healthy Forest Restoration Act and several other forestry-related bills and laws. She also served on the staffs of congressional members from Colorado and California. Source: Personal Résumé, 10/09.

Jack Rhodes is a native of Tallassee, Alabama, who graduated from Auburn University with a degree in Accounting. Retired from Sears, Roebuck & Company, Jack has served as a Controller in retail stores, served in staff capacity in Territorial Headquarters in Atlanta, and has opened a number of stores in managerial capacities and Logistical units. Jack has commercial real estate experience, with brokers licenses and instructors licenses, including the opening of Legends Ltd., Inc. in Birmingham and Keller Williams Realty (associated). He has been married to Janice Spigener Rhodes for 44 years and they have 2 sons, Mike and John Rhodes. Mike is an attorney in Jackson, Mississippi, and John is a sales representative with Central Paper Co. in Birmingham. Jack and Janice own timber property in Elmore County which they enjoy. Source: Personal Résumé, 10/05.

Cathy Rice is a Certified Public Accountant and Shareholder at Jamison, Money, Farmer and Company, P.C. where she provides the following services: Tax & Estate, Pre-estate and post-estate, gift and fiduciary planning and taxation; Including generation-skipping transfer taxation, special use valuation, family limited partnerships, LLC’s, split interest trusts and succession planning. Prior to joining JMF in 1987, Cathy worked for a national firm. Her expertise in the estate planning industry led her to become manager of the Estate Tax and Planning Department at JMF. Cathy's education background includes a B.S. degree and a Masters in Tax Accounting from the University of Alabama. She is a member of the Alabama Society of Certified Public Accountants and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. Cathy has been active in Altrusa International, Kentuck Festival of the Arts, and is a former President of the Tuscaloosa Estate Planning Council. Source: Personal Résumé, 4/12. See also: https://jmf.com/our-team/shareholders/cathy-rice/

Beth W. Richardson is an Area Forester and Distinguished County Agent for the Clemson University Extension Service. Her work responsibilities include the education of non-industrial private landowners and professionals on forest management to include wildlife benefits, forest economics, forestry taxation, and other related forest issues. She holds a B.S. in Education with emphasis in Music from Georgia Southwestern College at Americus, a B.S. in Forest Management from Auburn University, and an M.S. in Agricultural Education from Clemson University. Beth was born and raised in Anniston, Alabama. Source: Personal Résumé, 4/17.

Russell Richardson serves as the director of Treated and Industrial Markets for the Southern Forest Products Association, and in that role he oversees marketing of Southern Pine lumber products in residential and nonresidential construction applications. Addressing green building markets, Richardson also promotes the environmental attributes of wood products. Richardson’s previous experience includes management in a family timber sales business. He is a member of the Louisiana Forestry Association and certified as a professional logger with the Mississippi State University Extension Service under the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) program. Richardson holds a bachelor’s degree in history from Louisiana State University and a master’s degree in public relations from the University of Southern Mississippi. Source: Personal Résumé, 5/11.

Will Ricks graduated from North Carolina State University in 2007 with a B.S. degree in Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences and minors in Agroecology and Environmental Science. He received an M.S. degree in Forest Resources in Wildlife Ecology and Management in 2010 from the University of Georgia. In 2010 Will worked for the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources as a Private Lands Biologist and a Coordinator for the MC 252 Gulf Oil Spill Wildlife Response Team. He is currently the Assistant Region Supervisor for the Georgia Department of Natural Resources Game Management Division in Region VII. Will has worked for North Carolina State University, The University of Georgia, The Quality Deer Management Association, and as a wildlife consultant for many properties in the Eastern United States. he has written many articles and participated in many presentations all over the United States. Will enjoys spending time with his family and friends and hunting and fishing in his free time. Source: Personal Résumé, 10/10.

Dennis Riecke received a BS degree in Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences from the University of Southwestern Louisiana in 1982 and a MS degree in Fisheries Management from Mississippi State University in 1985. He worked as District Fisheries Biologist for the Kansas Fish and Game Commission and as an Aquaculture Research Associate at the Rice Research Station in Crowley, Louisiana. For the last 21 years he has been employed as a Fisheries Coordinator with the Mississippi Dept. of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks. Source: Personal Résumé, 8/10.

Joseph E. Rigsby, ARA, RF, ACF, has been the owner of Rigsby Investment Company, Inc. since May 1983. This firm is engaged in real estate appraisal, real estate brokerage, consulting forestry services, farm management and mortgage loan placement. Prior to founding Rigsby Investment Company, Inc., Joe was for 16 years employed by Resource Management Service, Inc. in Birmingham, Alabama as head of its Real Estate Investment Department and Vice-President of the firm. While at Resource Management Service, Inc., his duties consisted of consulting forestry work, mortgage loan placement, real estate appraisals and timberland brokerage. Prior to joining Resource Management Service, Inc., Joe was a field mortgage loan representative and rural real estate appraiser for four years with the farm loan department of The Travelers Insurance Company.
EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND AND TRAINING: Received a B. S. Degree from Auburn University in 1960 with a major in Forest Management. Licensed Alabama Real Estate Broker since 1968. Successfully completed the Rural Appraisal, Advanced Rural Appraisal and A-30 (expanded version of Advanced Rural Appraisal) schools offered by the American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers. Successfully completed the Basic Principles, Methods & Techniques course of the American Institute of Real Estate Appraisers. Successfully completed the Capitalization Theory and Techniques Courses, Parts A and B offered by the Appraisal Institute. Successfully completed the Standards of Professional Practice, Parts A and B by the Appraisal Institute. Successfully completed Forest Appraisal II course at Duke University. Graduate of the Practicing Foresters Institute offered by the Association of Consulting Foresters.
AFFILIATIONS: Lifelong member of the Wesley Chapel Methodist Church of Georgiana, Alabama. Longtime member of the Capital City Kiwanis Club, Montgomery, Alabama. Accredited member of the American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers (former state chairman) which is a member of the Appraisal Foundation and which conducts a mandatory program of continuing education. Member of the Association of Consulting Foresters (former state chairman), Society of American Foresters, the Alabama Forestry Association and the Alabama Forest Owners' Association.
DESIGNATIONS: Designated an Accredited Rural Appraiser (ARA) by the American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers. Certified General Real Estate Appraiser in the State of Alabama. Registered Forester (RF) in the States of Alabama and Mississippi. Authorized to use the ACF designation by the Association of Consulting Foresters. Source: Personal Résumé, 1/16.

Robert A. Rimer is Manager of Westervelt Realty, Inc., a subsidiary of Gulf States Paper Corporation. Rob is responsible for the acquisition and disposal of company lands, including the real estate appraisal of those lands. He also does fee appraisals/brokerage services for external customers. Rob is a Registered Forester in Alabama, a Real Estate Broker in Alabama and Mississippi, and a Certified General Real Property Appraiser. He received a B.S. degree in Forest Science from Penn State University. Source: Personal Résumé, 11/02.

Rick Roark is a certified Erosion Control Specialist with Midwest Construction Products Corp in Nashville TN. He is a graduate of the University of Tennessee. Rick has many years experience in erosion control & soil conservation and using specialty products such as gabion baskets to improve erosion issues. Midwest Construction Products has been in the erosion control business for over 25 years and offers a wide variety of erosion control materials including gabion baskets and gabion mattresses. Source: Personal Résumé, 3/10.

Ben Robbins is a practicing attorney in Sylacauga. His practice focuses mostly on real estate and probate matters. He was elected to the Alabama House of Representatives in a special election in January 2021. He is married to Melanie Robbins and they have one son, Gabe. Source: Personal Résumé, 5/22.

Steve Roberson is the founder and CEO of MapRight and the driving force behind its product development. He has over 15 years of professional GIS experience in the real estate world along with a masters of applied geography with a concentration in GIS from Texas State University. Steve’s goal with MapRight is to make it incredibly easy for everyone to make high quality, professional maps without any formal GIS training. Source: Personal Résumé, 2/23.

Danny W. Roberts received his Bachelor of Science Degree from the University of Alabama in 1976 and joined the firm of Jamison, Money, Farmer & Co., PC in 1987. He was admitted as shareholder in 1998. Danny brings with him a great deal of expertise in the timber industry, with over ten years of previous experience with a regional firm in Birmingham. Danny co-manages the Tax Department with Janet Moore. His expertise lies in individual and business taxation, taxation of foreign-owned businesses, Alabama sales tax and family partnership taxation. He serves clients in timber-related industries along with clients in construction, oil and gas, and farming. One of his contributions to the firm is in understanding and monitoring the complex and constantly changing nature of tax laws and keeping our clients informed of the impact of new regulations. His expertise has led him to give numerous speeches to various organizations on related taxation topics. He currently serves on the Tax Technical Committee for CPAmerica. A member of the Alabama Society of Certified Public Accountants and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, Danny is also a member of the Sons of the American Revolution. He has participated in various fundraisers for United Way, Muscular Dystrophy and The American Heart Association and has been a member of various PTA/booster organizations. He served as Treasurer for The Northwood Lake Homeowners Association and has participated on the board of The Institute for Management Accountants. Danny and his wife, Linda, have two children, including a son who recently married. He and his wife like to travel, and they enjoy involvement within their church where Danny has taught Sunday School and Royal Ambassadors. He has also served as a Deacon at various churches. Source: Jamison, Money, Farmer & Co., PC, 3/04.

Tance E. Roberts, LL.M., is a Florida Bar Board Certified Tax Attorney in private practice with Clark & Roberts, PLC in St. Augustine, Florida. Ms. Roberts concentrates her practice in the areas of federal and state taxation and estate planning and administration. She is a frequent speaker at Florida forestry events on estate planning and timber taxes and represents many forest owners in the State of Florida. Source: Personal Résumé, 03/05.

Kate Robie is an independent consultant providing forest business and instructional services since 1994. She previously served as one of the founders and owners of a timberland investment firm, where forest investment analysis and modeling were central to her work. Kate also worked in land management for the paper industry and in forest policy for the federal government and U.S. Congress. She is a forest landowner and adjunct assistant professor in the University of Georgia Warnell School of Forest Resources. Source: The University of Georgia Continuing Education Course Description, 2/00. 

Douglas R. Robillard is the owner of A3 Aviation. He is a USMC and Army veteran and has been flying tactical drones for over 12 years for the US military as a certified instructor operator. He started flying small commercial drones 2 years ago and established his new company in January of 2023. His company provides imagery and analytic services for agriculture, commercial and residential applications. Source: Personal Résumé, 03/23.

Walter G. Robillard, Attorney, Walter G. Robillard and Associates, Atlanta, Georgia. Walt is a graduate forester and a licensed surveyor who has consulted with private organizations and governments throughout the world. He has taught numerous workshops on the subject of property, boundary, and contract law. Source: Préceda Education & Training Course Description, 2/00.

J. Quinn Roe earned a B.S. in Accounting and Marketing and a Master of Accountancy from the University of Alabama. Quinn is a Certified Public Accountant in Alabama and is a Staff Accountant with JamisonMoneyFarmer PC (JMF) in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. He focuses on providing income tax return reporting and preparation, bookkeeping, payroll services, and preparation of both compiled financial statements and contractors’ reports to clients in a variety of industries -- Timber, Medical, International, Estate, Fiduciary, and Gift Tax. He is a member of both the JMF Trust and Estate Department and the JMF Timber Practice group where he specializes in tax planning, accounting, and compliance services. Quinn is affiliated with the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Alabama Society of Certified Public Accountants. He is treasurer of the Good Samaritan Clinic of Tuscaloosa, a member of the Tuscaloosa Exchange Club, a board member of the Tuscaloosa Exchange Club Foundation and an Ambassador of the Chamber of Commerce of West Alabama. Source: Personal Résumé, 4/17.

S. Marvin Rogers is an Alabama assistant attorney general assigned to the Alabama Oil and Gas Board. Marvin represents the State in litigation involving oil and gas and environmental matters. After graduating from the University of Alabama Law School in 1978, he worked for several oil companies in New Orleans and Houston. Marvin has written a number of oil and gas publications, including a Landowners' Guide to Oil and Gas in Alabama. He is originally from Butler, Alabama. Source: Personal Résumé, 3/02.

Lori B. Rose is a Major Case Specialist for Southeastern Claims Services, a Davis-Garvin Company. She oversees all claims filed in connection with the hunt club insurance program offered by AFOA. Ms. Rose has 20 years of experience in the insurance industry, and enjoys many outdoor pursuits including hunting and fishing. Source: Personal Résumé, 7/07.

Knesha Rose-Davison is the Public Health Program Director for AgriSafe Network. Knesha obtained her Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences (2002) and a Master's of Public Health (2006) from Northern Illinois University. In June 2016, she obtained a certificate in Agricultural Medicine, which focused on rural occupational health and environmental health and safety. She has dedicated her career to health education and promotion to underserved and vulnerable communities. She has wide-ranging experience in public health with subject areas including maternal child health, rural health, and health disparities. Source: Personal Résumé, 11/21.

Matthew D. Ross, a native of upstate New York, received his B.S. in Wildlife Conservation from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst and his M.S. in Wildlife Ecology from the University of New Hampshire. He worked as a wildlife biologist and forester for a small natural resource consulting company in southeastern New Hampshire for four years after the completion of graduate school. In 2006, Matt became the New England/Canada Regional Director for the Quality Deer Management Association (QDMA) and was recognized as the Regional Director of the Year in 2007. More recently, Matt was named the QDMA’s Certification Programs Manager and is currently in charge of the QDMA’s advanced education programs, including the personal Deer Steward classes and the Land Certification Program. He is a Certified Wildlife Biologist, a New Hampshire Licensed Forester, a founding member and the former vice-president of the First New Hampshire Branch of the QDMA, and a resident of Clifton Park, New York. Source: Personal Résumé, 5/12.

Robert J. Ross is a Project Leader with the USDA Forest Service - Forest Products Laboratory in Madison, Wisconsin.  His research focuses on developing non-intrusive field testing methods to evaluate the quality of wood in standing timber, buildings, and historic structures. Source: Personal Résumé, 8/04.

Timothy A. Rowell, Vice President for GIS & Mapping Technologies, FORS Institute. As a geographer, Mr. Rowell has a diverse background in GIS and Remote Sensing. Trained by ESRI in ArcView and Avenue programming, Tim is an ESRI Authorized Instructor. Source: The University of Georgia Continuing Education Course Description, 6/99.

George Rowland is employed by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service and currently serves as Coordinator for the North Central Resource Conservation and Development Council they refer to as "RC&D". The Council serves 10 counties in north Mississippi that include Benton, DeSoto, Lafayette, Marshall, Panola, Pontotoc, Tate, Tippah, Union, and Yalobusha counties. His office is located at New Albany, Mississippi. Source: Personal Résumé, 02/06.

Dr. Greg Ruark has been the Director of the USDA National Agroforestry Center (NAC) since 1998. The Center is a partnership between the Forest Service and the Natural Resources Consservation Service. In January 2005, the headquarters for NAC was moved from Nebraska, where most of its staffing still resides, to the campus of Alabama A&M University in Huntsville. This move increases NAC effectiveness as a national center and better positions it to address the interest of landowners in the southeast for more agroforestry, especially silvopasture. Source: Personal Résumé 5/06.

Rusty Rumley was born and raised on a ranch in Cogar, Oklahoma. He graduated from Oklahoma State University and then earned his juris doctor from the University of Oklahoma. After law school, Rusty earned his LL.M in Agricultural Law at the University of Arkansas and began working at the National Agricultural Law Center. He is licensed to practice law in the states of Oklahoma and Michigan. His primary areas of interest are in estate planning, taxation, business organizations, landowner liability, leasing, and agritourism. Source: Personal Résumé 2.24.

Robert B. Rummer is the Project Leader for the US Forest Service, Forest Operations Research Unit in Auburn, Alabama. His research group studies many aspects of forest operations including productivity, costs and site impacts in order to find a better match between systems and modern forest management objectives. Bob has a BS degree in Forest Management and an MS degree in Logging & Engineering from the University of Idaho, and a PhD in Industrial Engineering from Auburn University. He has been with the Forest Service in Alabama since 1983. Bob spoke to AFOA members at their 2000 Annual Meeting on the problems of cutting timber in the growing conflict with ecological awareness. Some of his current projects include a biomass harvesting study on the Daniel Boone National Forest in Kentucky, development of a new safety standard for forest machine windows and cabs, testing of chemical stabilizers to improve forest road strength, and examination of alternative transport methods for forest products.Source: Personal Résumés, 4/00 & 1/10.

David Runyan is a wildlife biologist who specializes in Bobwhite Quail. He recently won the 2003 Progressive Farmer/Rural Sportsman Upland Game Management Farm of the Year award for Uphapee Plantation, one of the privately owned properties he currently manages. He has achieved ground-breaking success restoring populations of quail to areas under his management by combining textbook habitat improvement with his own quail liberation methods. Source: Personal Résumé, 11/03.

Eric Rutkow is renowned as a "promising young historian.” His first book, American Canopy: Trees, Forests, And the Making of a Nation tells the extraordinary story of the relationship between Americans and trees across the entire span of the nation’s history. Like bestsellers Michael Pollan with Second Nature and Mark Kurlansky with Cod, Rutkow reconceives America’s historical relationship with the trees and forests that shaped the development of the nation.
     Rutkow has presented arboretums, universities, historical societies, museums, libraries, and many other organizations all over the country. His topics on American Canopy and its political and environmental implications are perfect for history buffs and nature lovers alike and have been praised by members at all parts of the political spectrum.
     Rutkow is a graduate of Yale University and Harvard Law School who has worked as a lawyer on environmental and corporate issues. He currently splits his time between New York City and New Haven, Connecticut, where he is pursuing a doctorate in American history at Yale. American Canopy is his first book. Source: www.simonspeakers.com/EricRutkow, 11/14.

Spencer Ryan is the Executive Director of Alabama PALS, a nonprofit statewide organization dedicated to providing and implementing anti-litter programs and enhance the environmental and economic impact through a litter free environment. Source: Personal Résumé, 05/24.

Arthia W. "Billy" Rye is a native of Sulligent, Alabama. He received his Bachelor of Science in Forest Management from Mississippi State University in 1988. For eight years, Billy coordinated the forest management programs of the Alabama Forestry Commission’s Northwest District. While with the Forestry Commission, he provided landowners in a seventeen county area with valuable information on reforestation, timber stand improvement, timber marketing, and tax treatment of forestland and timber related income. In June 1996, Billy left the Forestry Commission to fulfill a lifelong dream of owning his own business. The company that he founded, Forest Management Specialists, Inc. specializes in marketing timber for landowners in the Mid-South region. Since its inception, Forest Management Specialists, Inc. has assisted over 600 landowners in five different states. Billy is a Registered Forester in Alabama, Georgia, and Mississippi, and he holds a Real Estate Broker's license in Alabama. He has served as the Chairperson for the Northwest Alabama Chapter of the Society of American Foresters, is currently the Chapter Chair for the Alabama Chapter of the Association of Consulting Foresters of America, currently serves on the TREASURE Forest Certification Subcommittee, and has received two accommodations from the Governor of Alabama. Billy, his wife, Mary-Frances, and daughters, Taylor and Anna Grace, reside in Florence, Alabama. Source: Personal Résumé, 08/21.

Salem G. Saloom along with his wife Dianne and son Patrick own and manage Saloom Properties, LLC, awarded the National Outstanding Tree Farmers of the Year in 2010. Saloom Properties has been transitioning into longleaf pine since Hurricane Ivan in 2004, and as of year end 2014 have planted 650 acres into longleaf. Their 2,191 acre tree farm is located in Conecuh County near Evergreen, Alabama. As a general surgeon, Salem and his wife, Dianne, serve as short-term surgical/medical missionaries in developing countries overseas. From a private landowner’s viewpoint he has given many presentations where longleaf has been the center point. Saloom Properties has been host for numerous educational field days where longleaf is the centerpiece for large and small woodland owners. They annually participate in a Forest in the Classroom/Classroom in the Forest educational 5th grade program where the 175 school children visit their Tree Farm. Other numerous larger educational field days have been hosted by the Salooms. Salem gave one of the keynote addresses at the 2012 Nacogdoches Biennial Regional LLA Conference titled “Spirituality of Longleaf: An Ethereal Experience.” He has been featured on two television outdoor programs featuring longleaf and education. He served in 2014 as chairman of the Board of Commissioners for the Alabama Forestry Commission and presently chairs the Woodland Operating Committee for the American Forest Foundation, and serves on the AFF Board of Trustees as well as on the Board of the Longleaf Alliance. With his experience on the AFF’s National Public Affairs Committee, Salem has organized and facilitated the first two of Alabama’s Grassroots Advocacy Workshops in 2012 and 2013. He had served as the private landowner member of the Longleaf Partnership Council and assumes membership in other forestry and conservation organizations as well as being a member of Congresswoman Martha Roby’s Agriculture Advisory Committee. He was awarded the 2010 Alabama Governor’s Forest Conservationist Award and the 2011 National Wild Turkey Federation’s National Woodland’s Conservation Award. Source: Personal Résumé, 3/15.

Lisa Samuelson, Associate Professor of Tree Physiology at the School of Forestry, Auburn University, received a BS and MS in Forestry from the University of Georgia and a Ph.D. in Forestry from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. Lisa has been at Auburn University for the past five years where she teaches Dendrology and Tree Physiology. Research interests include: stress physiology and water relations of trees; scaling physiological processes; and ecophysiology of forest vegetation management. She is the author of Guide and Key to Alabama Trees and is currently constructing a website entitled Trees of Alabama and the Southeast. Source: Personal Résumé and Auburn University, Faculty of the School of Forestry, 7/98.

Jeff Sanford is the director for Program Development and Quality Assurance for The University of Georgia Business Outreach Services. Mr. Sanford has served The University of Georgia Business Outreach Services/Small Business Development Center (SBDC) in several capacities, including Rural Economic Consultant and area director of the Augusta SBDC office. Many of his innovative approaches have evolved into special SBDC programs. Source: The University of Georgia Continuing Education Course Description, 1/01.

Paul Sanford was elected to the Alabama Senate, June 9, 2009, to fill the unexpired term of former Senator Parker Griffith, who resigned from the Senate upon being elected to Congress. Senator Sanford is a restaurant owner in Huntsville, and was educated at the Culinary Institute of America. He is a Christian and enjoys hunting, fishing and cooking. Source: www.legislature.state.al.us/senate/senators/senatebios/sd007.html, 9/13.

Thomas Joseph Saunders is the General Counsel and Director of Government Affairs for The Alabama Forestry Association. In this capacity, he is responsible for legislative, legal and political support to a 1,800 member association representing all segments of the forestry industry including landowners, loggers, timber dealers, lumber manufacturing and pulp and paper mills. Specifically, he is involved directly in member development and administration of the association’s political action committee, fundraising, candidate recruitment and strategic planning.
     Prior to joining AFA, he formed and managed a renewable energy project development company, served as general counsel to an energy management consulting firm and worked in various capacities with an Alabama based oil and natural gas production and distribution company.
     He served as a loaned executive with the American Gas Association in Washington DC and was responsible for lobbying the executive and legislative branches on financial issues affecting the natural gas industry. He has experience before the Alabama Public Service Commission, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, the Alabama legislature and the U.S. Congress.
     He graduated from Auburn University with a degree in Chemical Engineering and has a Juris Doctorate from Jones Law School. He lives in Montgomery, Alabama with his wife Catharine and daughter Anne. Source: Personal Résumé, 11/11.

Tom Sauret spent 32 years in college teaching, 21 at Gainesville State College in Georgia. During that teaching career, Tom bought a mountain bike and quickly fell in love with the sport and became concerned that there were so few legal open places to ride. Deciding that he could contribute and help to open public lands to mountain bikes, he joined the Southern Off- Road Bicycle Association (SORBA) in 1994, established the first SORBA Chapter in 1996 and became the first SORBA Executive Director in 2000 (a voluntary position). Since then SORBA has grown to over 4,000 members in 33 Chapters in six southeastern states. In 2008, the organization merged with the International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA) in Boulder, Colorado. In that same year Tom retired from teaching and accepted the full-time position of IMBA Southeast Regional Director. Tom works with the 33 Chapters to improve mountain bike trails and access in the Southeast. Source: Personal Résumé, 9/11.

Shawn Schafer has served as the Executive Director of the North American Deer Farmers Association for the past 5 years. Shawn also serves on several animal health related boards to include a Director of the United States Animal Health Association, a Director on the North Dakota State Board of Animal Health, North Dakota State University Veterinary Diagnostic Lab Advisory Council, and Kansas State - Center of Excellence for Emerging and Zoonotic Animal Diseases (CEEZAD) Advisory Board. Shawn also is an avid hunter and is a long time member of the Safari Club International, Dallas Safari Club, and a lifetime member of the National Rifle Association (NRA). Source: Personal Résumé, 3/12.

Ken Schmidt is president of SteelintheAir, a communication tower consulting company. He has been instrumental in the formation of two tower companies and has negotiated/reviewed hundreds of leases for ground space on the behalf of wireless carriers such as T-Mobile and Nextel and numerous tower companies. He has a law degree and is familiar with the legal and technical sides of tower leases and construction plans. Using his background on the other side, Mr. Schmidt and SteelintheAir now provides comprehensive review of proposals for ground leases for towers and can assist landowners in determining the true fair market value of such proposals. Contact Ken Schmidt here. Source: Personal Résumé, 7/04.

A. F. ("Rick") Schober is a consulting forester with Schober Forestry and Land Companies, a forestry consulting and contracting business established in 1984 and located in Orrville, Alabama. Rick and his father Al have over 50 years of combined experience in the forest industry. The company serves private landowners of all sizes, providing services in ALL aspects of forest management, including forest management plans and implementation, timber appraisals, timber sales, site preparation, planting, prescribed burning, and GPS mapping. In addition to forest management, Rick is a licensed real estate broker who works with clients on land sales and acquisitions throughout the state and surrounding areas. Source: Personal Résumé, 6/07.

Neil Schroeder is the president of the Oregon Woodland Cooperative and has held that office for the past seven years. "My father was a logger, graduate forester, professor of forestry at Oregon State and retired as chief forester with Crown Zellerbach. Even though I have always held an interest in Forestry, he discouraged me from the same profession and I taught math at the high school level, sold educational materials and then retired to manage the 300 acres of forestland that he and I accumulated over the years. My wife and I have a daughter and a son and four granddaughters ages 15 to 25. Our hope is to pass on our lands to the family and encourage them to continue the sustainable goals and beliefs we espouse."  Source: Personal Résumé, 5/14.

Palmer Schoening is President of Schoening Strategies LLC, a government affairs and economic consulting firm that advises associations and family businesses on tax policy. Palmer is the founder and chairman of the Family Business Coalition - a diverse collection of organizations and industry groups united for the common purpose of protecting America's family businesses across the country. Palmer has been a key player in the fight to repeal the federal estate tax and helped to usher in repeal of state transfer taxes in Ohio, Indiana, Tennessee, and North Carolina. Palmer is a graduate of Hillsdale College and George Mason University's School of Public Policy where he earned his Masters in financial economics.  Source: www.familybusinesscoalition.org/about.html, 7/16.

Al Schuler received his doctorate in Forest Economics & Marketing from Iowa State University and B.S. in Forestry from SUNY Syracuse. Since 1999, he has been a Research Economist with the USDA Forest Service at their Princeton, WV Research Laboratory. Prior to his work with USDA, for nearly ten years Al was Manager of Economics and Market Planning at Norbord Industries in Toronto, providing the company with economic forecasts used in strategic planning, demand/supply and resource analyses. He succeeded to this position after spending approximately nine years as Manager of Market Research at the Forintek Research Lab in Ottawa, Canada. Over the past eight years with the USDA Forest Service, Al has been responsible for studies on the impacts of the economy, globalization, technological change, and demographics on solid wood product markets including framing lumber, structural panels, and engineered wood products. In addition, Al has studied the impacts of globalization trends on the domestic furniture industry and its supply chain. Source: Personal Résumé, 1/09

Bob Schumacher, Atterbury Consultants. A 1973 graduate of the University of Missouri, Bob began his career in Louisiana with International Paper Company and later held forest management positions in Texas and Arkansas. He presently manages Atterbury Consultants' office in Perry, Georgia. Source: The University of Georgia Continuing Education Course Description, 7/98.

Callie Jo Schweitzer is a Research Forester attached to the Southern Research Station, U.S. Forest Service, and based in Huntsville, Alabama. Dr. Schweitzer received a B.S. in Biology from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, an M.S. in Forest Ecology and a Ph.D. in Forest Resources from Pennsylvania State University. Her current research focuses on the ecological role of disturbance in hardwood forest ecosystems of the Cumberland Plateau and associated highlands including prescribed fire use to promote desired species composition and structure. Callie has authored numerous publications and presented her research findings at many workshops and forestry field days. Source: www.srs.fs.usda.gov/staff/527, 04/18.

George Screpetis, has over 40 years of forestry experience and currently serves as the President and Chief Consultant of George Doyle, Inc. He helps lead the annual Hardwood Log, Lumber and Tree Grading Workshop sponsored by Louisiana Tech University.
   After receiving his B.S. in Forestry from Louisiana Polytechnic Institute and his M.F. from Duke University, George spent 14 years at the UDSA Forestry Service as a Forester and, later, a Timber Quality Specialist. Leaving the USDA in 1979, he spent two years operating a cross-tie sawmill and ten as a Forester and Wood Products Consultant. Since 1991 he has been with George Doyle, Inc.
   George is a member of ACF and the Southern Hardwood Forestry Group and is a Registered Forester in Mississippi. He is also a member of the Louisiana Tech Forestry Alumni and past member of SAF and the Forest Products Research Society. Source: Personal Résumé 2/08.

Jay Sears is the chief growth officer for Tentrr, where he works with public and private landowners to create elevated camping experiences for people that love the outdoors. He has worked in the areas of general management, business development, strategy and marketing for two successful IPOs, one successful merger, and one business failure so spectacular it was the subject of a book. Source: Personal Résumé 5/21.

Brian Seasholes is an independent consultant. His work deals with wildlife and land-use issues, especially the Endangered Species Act, property rights, wildlife conservation, including private approaches to conservation in the U.S. and around the world, the effects of wind and solar energy generation on wildlife, and the intersection between wildlife conservation and energy development. His writings have appeared in Forbes, National Review Online, Christian Science Monitor, Houston Chronicle, Orange County Register, The Daily Caller, and The Washington Times.Source: Personal Résumé 02/22.

Roger A. Sedjo is a senior fellow and director of the Forest Economics and Policy Program at Resources for the Future, Washington, DC. His recent work is related to biomass energy and carbon emissions accounting. Other research interests include forests and the global environment, climate change and biodiversity, industrial forestry, and timber demand and supply modeling. He has written or edited 15 books related to forestry and natural resources as well as hundreds of peer reviewed papers. Sedjo has served on the EPA Scientific Advisory Board addressing questions of carbon regulations for biomass energy. Other relevant activities include: his service on several Boards, co-chair of the committee of authors that wrote the chapter on biological sinks for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's Third Assessment Report; work on the Board of the Sustainable Forestry Initiative, and his participation on the Forest Service’s Second Committee of Scientists. Source: Personal Résumé 3/16.

John Seiler is an Alumni Distinguished Professor of Forest Biology in the Department of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation at Virginia Tech. His research focuses on carbon flow through managed forest ecosystems and he along with his students have published over 90 refereed research papers. He teaches classes in forest biology, tree identification, ecology and ecophysiology. He has received numerous teaching and faculty awards including: W. E. Wine Award for Excellence in Teaching (1997), Institute for Distributed and Distance Learning Fellow (2000), University Student Leadership Award ¬- Service Learning Educator Award (2001), University XCaliber Award (2001), U.S. Department of Agriculture Food and Agriculture Sciences Excellence in Teaching Award (2001), University Diggs Teaching Scholar Award (2002), and Ernest L. Boyer International Award for Excellence in Teaching, Learning, and Technology (2004). Additionally, Seiler was selected for membership in the Virginia Tech Academy of Teaching Excellence and is the repetitive recipient of numerous college-level teaching awards. In 2002, Seiler received the Commonwealth of Virginia Outstanding Faculty Award, which recognizes superior accomplishments in teaching, research, and public service. It is the commonwealth’s highest honor for faculty members at Virginia’s public and private colleges and universities. Also known as Dr. Dendro, John, along with creative co-workers has developed multimedia tools for tree identification including Woody Plants in North America published by Kendall/Hunt which contains over 23,000 color photographs for 940 trees and shrubs found throughout North America and the Virginia Tech Dendrology web site. Source: Personal Résumé 1/13.

Dr. Brady Self is an Associate Extension Professor with Mississippi State University Extension. He has served as the NWMS Forestry Specialist in the MSU Department of Forestry since 2012. He is tasked with outreach education for landowners and forestry professionals in the northwest region of state as well as pine/hardwood silviculture and forest herbicide training across the state.

Jon D. Sellars graduated from East Carolina University with a BS in Biology in 1998 and a MS in Biology in 2001. Since 2003 he has worked in the Remote Sensing Division of NOAA's National Geodetic Survey. Source: Personal Résumé 5/11.

William “Walt” Sellers received a Bachelor of Science in Forestry Management from Auburn University in 1962, graduated from Jones School of Law in 1994, and passed the Alabama State Bar Exam in 1995. From 1962 to 1972 Mr. Sellers was an owner, director, and procurement and management forester at Sellers Inc. In 1972 Mr. Sellers began W. W. Sellers and Associates, Forestry Management and Consulting as a part of Sellers Inc. Mr. Sellers also formed Sellers-Messick, Inc., a forestry consulting firm and timber dealership, and also W. W. Sellers Realty, a real estate brokerage firm that specializes in rural properties. In 1994 Mr. Sellers formed W. W. Sellers and Associates, Inc. He is a licensed real estate broker and attorney in Alabama and is a registered forester in both Alabama and Georgia. Source: Personal Résumé 4/14.

Curtis Seltzer is a Virginia-based land consultant who is author of How To Be a DIRT-SMART Buyer of Country Property at www.curtis-seltzer.com. He writes two weekly columns on rural real estate and has been investing in land since 1970. He has a Ph.D. and was voted second funniest in his high school class. Source: Personal Résumé 7/09.

Jonathan Shears serves as the American Forest Foundation’s Regional Scaling Manager for the Family Forest Carbon Program. He is leading the expansion of the Carbon program beyond the Central Appalachians and into new regions. Jonathan previously worked on AFF’s southern conservation projects, including longleaf pine restoration and the Sustainable Forestry and African-American Land Retention Program. Before AFF, Jonathan worked as an outdoor educator with inner-city elementary school students. He is a graduate of Elon University. Source: Personal Résumé 11/10/20

James P. Shepard is Dean and Professor of the School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences at Auburn University. He is a native of Mississippi and received his BS in forest management from Mississippi State University in 1979, a masters degree in tree physiology from Purdue University in 1981, and a PhD in forest soils from Mississippi State in 1985.
     Jim began his research career by studying the biogeochemical effects of atmospheric deposition in the Adirondack Mountains of upstate New York. For 14 years he led a national research program in sustainable forestry and wetlands ecology for the National Council for Air and Stream Improvement, a non-profit environmental research organization supported by forest products companies.
     From 2005-2008 Jim was Head of the Department of Forestry at Mississippi State University and from 2009-2010 was the Associate Director of the MSU Forest and Wildlife Research Center.
     He and his wife Cathy live in Auburn, Alabama. They have a daughter Melissa who lives in Gainesville, Florida. Source: Personal Résumé 4/11.

David Sherer grew up around the timber industry because his father, Jimmy Sherer, is a forester. He served 10 years in the US Marines as an explosive ordinance disposal (EOD) tech. David also spent 15 years working in the UXO (unexploded ordnance field). After leaving active duty in the Marines in 2001, David started baling pine straw part time/on the side. He started producing baled pine straw full time in 2015. Source: Personal Resume 11/19.

Barry D. Shiver is Emeritus professor of Forest Management with the Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources of the University of Georgia. Since his retirement in 2005 Dr. Shiver has focused on forestry consulting through ForesTech International, a company he co-founded eight years ago, and teaching forestry short courses through the Georgia Center for Continuing Education. As a faculty member, Shiver developed and taught the forest inventory course. He and Bruce Borders wrote the forest inventory text, "Sampling Techniques for Forest Resource Inventory", that is widely used in forestry curricula across the country. He was director of the Plantation Management Research Cooperative (PMRC) at Georgia for ten years and is widely recognized as an expert on southern pine responses to silvicultural treatments and growth and yield. His company designs inventories and works with landowners to insure that information collected in forest inventories is sufficient for use not only in estimating current value, but also in projecting future values. Source: Personal Résumé 8/08.

William Alex Shumate, CFS, is with Strategic Financial Consultants in Charlotte, North Carolina. Alex is a graduate of Appalachian State University with a degree in Business Administration. After graduation he managed his family's furniture manufacturing company in Hickory, North Carolina. He started his financial planning career after the family business was sold in 1980, in recognition of the need for professional financial planning for closely held businesses. Alex focuses his practice on business succession, exit strategy, estate, investment and fringe benefit planning for closely held businesses and timberland owners in the Southeast. Alex is dedicated to the preservation of his clients' wealth.  Source: Saving the Family Tree brochure, 7/00.

William C. (Bill) Siegel is one of the nation's foremost authorities on forest tax matters. He is a practicing attorney, a timber tax consultant in private practice, was national president of the Society of American Foresters in 1995. He has retired from the U.S. Forest Service where he served as research project leader for forest resource law, taxation and economics and now manages his own tree farm. He serves as adjunct professor of forest economics and policy at Louisiana State University and has testified before Congress on pending tax legislation.
    Siegel has written over 200 technical publications on forest economics, taxation and law and authors a timber tax article in each issue of National Woodlands. Siegel co-authored Forest Owner's Guide to the Federal Income Tax and Estate Planning for Forest Landowners: What Will Become of Your Timberland?
    He received his bachelor and master degrees in forestry and forest economics from Michigan State University, and his juris doctorate from Loyola University of the South's School of Law. Mr. Siegel is a member of Louisiana State Bar Association and American Bar Association and serves on the boards of the Louisiana Forestry Association and the Forest Landowners Tax Council (of which, he is currently Chairman of the Board). Source: Mississippi State University Continuing Education Course Web Page, 4/99.Updated 4/03.

Mike Sievering has been the president of the ATPCA for the past five years. He was elected as the National Trappers Association Conservation Director by the general membership of the National Trappers Association in 2018 and will begin to serve in that position in July of this year. He was elected the President of Furbearers Unlimited in 2019. Mike earned a BS degree in Wildlife Management in 1978 and a MS degree in Wildlife Ecology in 1982 from Eastern Kentucky University (EKU.) Mike and his family moved to Alabama in 1985 where he began his career as a Wildlife Biologist with the Alabama Department of Conservation (DCNR.) He was an area biologist for four years then was promoted to District Supervisor for 14 west central Alabama counties. In addition he was state furbearer biologist during this time period (26 years.) In recognition of his achievements Mike was awarded the following; Certified Wildlife Biologist 1986, Alabama Wildlife Biologist of the Year 1996, National Trappers Association (NTA) Leadership Award 2009, appreciation award from the ATPCA in 2009 and Trapper of the Year East 2015 by the NTA. Source: Mike Sievering, 2020

Ron Simmons is the area director of the Gainesville office of The University of Georgia Business Outreach Services/Small Business Development Center. Before he joined UGA in 1990, Mr. Simmons was a retail site manager for the British Petroleum Oil Company in Pittsburgh, PA and Cleveland, OH. He also served as district sales manager for Stone Construction Equipment Company for the southeastern United States. Prior to that, he was the district sales manager of Kennametal, Inc. for a ten state area after working in industrial management with the Milliken Companies. Source: The University of Georgia Continuing Education Course Description, 1/01.

Robert S. Simpson is Senior Vice President, American Forest Foundation, Center for Family Forests. He was elected to that position in January 2004 after ten years as Vice President and Director, American Tree Farm System.
     His responsibilities at AFF include developing long-term forestry program visions, strategic planning and elevating AFF’s forestry program profiles both domestically and internationally. The American Forest Foundation hosts three Centers; Center for Environmental Learning, Center for Conservation Solutions and Center for Family Forests.
     Prior to joining AFF, Mr. Simpson enjoyed a 16-year career as a procurement and land management forester. From 1984 to 1994, he was employed with Chesapeake Corporation, located in Richmond, Virginia. Simpson acted as coordinator for Chesapeake's landowner assistance program and external communication program.
     From 1979 to 1983, Simpson worked for Champion International, Timberlands Division, in Missoula, Montana. While there he worked as District Forester and helped manage the company's 600,000-acre regional ownership.
     Currently, Mr. Simpson is elected to the Board of Directors for the Program for the Endorsement of Forest Certification Systems (PEFC) and is co-founder and chairman of the International Family Forestry Alliance, an organization of 22 countries in Europe and North America working to develop information and policies regarding family forest ownership and its value to the global community.
     Simpson received his BS in Forest Resource Management in 1979 from Virginia Tech's College of Forestry and Wildlife.
     AFF is an independent 501c3 foundation dedicated to improving the active stewardship of America's natural resources through education and landowner outreach. Source: Personal Résumé 8/08.

Thomas B. Skaggs serves as the Senior Program Underwriting Manager assisting with business development and risk management for all of Outdoor Underwriters’ specialty markets. Tom works with our clients and insurance markets to identify emerging exposures that can be addressed during the application process. Utilizing claims data he has created a loss analysis model to identify risk related to hunting club and landowner demographics. Furthermore his model is applied to OUI’s equipment and standing timber insurance programs. It is designed to recognize inherent risk based on certain underwriting criteria and also addresses the possibility of moral hazards.
     Prior to his appointment with Outdoor Underwriters, Tom worked with Ed Wilson for a period of 15 years when he departed in July 2004 to establish the risk management and loss control company, Material Risk Assessment (MRA). Tom served for 5 years as the Director of Loss Control for MRA, a division of Appalachian Underwriters whose writings were in excess of half a billion dollars annually.
     Tom graduated from the University of Montana’s School of Forestry with concentration in Forestry and Business Management. He has worked as a forester with both the government and private sectors. Tom has over 25 years of insurance experience as it relates to the to the forest products industry. He brings a unique perspective to our clients addressing their non-typical exposures to loss. Tom works extensively with our Lloyd’s of London markets developing safety programs and risk management strategies.
     Tom has been a featured speaker at Universities, State Forestry and Wildlife Organizations as well as landowner groups and hunting club workshops. His presentations cover Landowner Liability, Hunting Lease Liability, Risk Management and Timber Harvesting Safety. He currently serves or has served on the Board of Directors for the following organizations: Forest Resource Association, South Carolina Wildlife Federation and the Tennessee Forestry Association. Source: Personal Résumé 1/15.

David F. Slonaker completed formal training as a chemist and as a psychologist. He is primarily self-taught in the areas of still photography and forest management. His Ph.D. degree in human resource psychology and a varied work history allow him to apply practical psychological principles to numerous work and interpersonal situations. David is a forest owner in Georgia and a long-time member of the Alabama Forest Owners' Association. Source: Back Cover of Do What You Can When You Can & AFOA records, 3/09.

Peter J. Smallidge works for Cornell University through extension and applied research. Peter is the NYS Extension Forester and the Director of the Cornell University Arnot Teaching and Research Forest. These activities take him throughout the state serving woodland owners and maple producers. As Arnot Forest Director, Peter provides leadership for the production, management, research and extension activities working with a core of dedicated and capable county and campus colleagues. Peter also teaches NTRES 3250 – Forest Management and Maple Syrup Production.
     Peter coordinates ForestConnect, Cornell’s Forest Resources Extension Program, by providing leadership for education to enhance the sustainability and stewardship of private forest lands in New York. This program depends upon a close working relationship with CCE educators throughout the state. ForestConnect includes several activities, such as the monthly web conference, development of demonstration sites, writing and editing bulletins, and providing training for Cornell Cooperative Extension educators, foresters, forest owners and maple producers.
     His applied research addresses sugarbush management, forest production, and vegetation management of native and invasive plant species. Peter has a B.S. in Forestry from Purdue University (1986) and a M.S. (1989) and Ph.D. (1993) in forest ecology from the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry in Syracuse. Source: Personal Résumé 3/14.

Mathew Smidt is the assistant extension specialist in forest operations with School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences, Auburn University. Mathew's primary responsibility is working in logger education through the Alabama Professional Logging Manager (PLM) Training Program. Mathew has worked in logger education and training for about ten years. Prior to coming to Auburn in July 2000, Mathew held a similar position at the University of Kentucky. He earned a Ph.D. at the University of Minnesota in 1996, a Master of Forestry from Duke University in North Carolina in 1989, and a B.S. from Doane College in Nebraska in 1987. Nebraska is Mathew's home state where his family owns and operates a diversified farm. How do you get from the cornfields of Nebraska to the plains of Alabama? As they say in Kentucky, 'You can't get there from here', at least not without some stops in between. Source: Personal Résumé 10/01.

Ashley Smith currently serves as director of education programs for the Alabama Forestry Association. She serves as the Alabama SFI State Implementation Committee coordinator, manages the Alabama Professional Logging Manager program, and is the Alabama Project Learning Tree coordinator. Prior to the Alabama Forestry Association, Ashley worked six years with urban tree non-profit Trees Columbus in Columbus, Georgia, and 11 years with Mead Coated Board and MeadWestvaco in fiber supply and forestry education/outreach. Ashley graduated in 1995 from Auburn University’s College of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences with a B.S. Forest Operations. Ashley and her husband Ben Smith (who is also a forester) have two teenagers and reside in East Alabama. Source: Personal Résumé 06/19..

Brian Smith is the Chilton County Management Specialist of the Alabama Forestry Commission. As a Management Specialist, his job is to oversee all the county operations. This includes prescribed burning and installing permanent firebreaks. Other activities include management plans, cost share programs offered by the state and federal government, Southern Pine Beetle, BMP complaints, school programs, individual stand management recommendations and works hand in hand with the volunteer fire department. He graduated from Auburn University with a Bachelor's Degree in Forestry in 2001. Source: Personal Résumé 4/16.

Don Smith is Chief Strategy Officer for SkywayUSA. As the retired President & CEO of Smith & Company LLC, Mr. Smith has over forty five years of International executive level management, sales and marketing experiences. He has helped many companies take products and services to market very successfully. He is talented in sales & seminar planning across many industries, managed strategic negotiations, acquisition analysis and execution with companies like Weyerhaeuser, General Electric, Comdisco, Hewlett Packard, OnDisplay and many others. He is a leader in business plan development and investor introduction in start up and expanding companies. Don remains active in the national and international business community,. He is a board member and advisor to several corporations including SkyWayUSA and resides in Floyds Knobs, Indiana near Louisville, Kentucky with his lovely wife Kathy. Don, the Chief Strategy Office is also Chairman of SkyWay’s Advisory Board, Chairman of the Compensation Committee and is a member of the Board of Directors. Source: Personal Résumé 6/10.

Greg Smith is a recently retired physician living in metro Atlanta, Georgia. He now spends a lot of his time enjoying his family and helping in the community, especially through his local church. He was raised in the U.S. Air Force and also spent over 10 years in the Air Force himself. His family has deep roots in Alabama, and he is proud to own some timberland in north Alabama. Source: Personal Résumé 2/24.

Jonathan W. Smith is Executive Director of The Frank Norris Foundation, publisher of TimberMart-South. In his role, he is responsible for overseeing the collection and delivery of accurate timber market data to forestry organizations and individuals via TimberMart-South's quarterly publications, The Journal of Southern Timber Prices and The Journal of Southern Timber Market News. With over 15 years' experience at TimberMart-south, he has a thorough understanding of price data, timber markets, and mill capacities. Prior to joining TimberMart-South, Jonathan worked as a procurement forester with Cooper Marine and Timberlands in Alabama. He is a Georgia registered forester with experience managing timber sales and land management activities. He earned a B.S. degree in Biology from Georgia College and State University and a Master of Forest Resources degree from the University of Georgia.. Source: Personal Résumé 05/24.

Joseph K. Smith is the Director of the Forest and Wood Products Institute at Mount Wachusett Community College. He has a bachelor’s degree in Forest Management (University of Massachusetts, 1977) and twenty-eight years experience in the forestry field. He began at the Institute in 1996 as the Associate Director and became Director in 2001. At the Institute Joe created and administers the successful Southern New England Logger Education Program that serves three states, and assisted with the creation and operation of a wood products cooperative. In addition to providing training to all facets of the wood products industry, the Institute also promotes the greater utilization of our local forest resources, particularly through the development of biomass energy. Previous to working at the Institute Joe was a Service Forester with the Massachusetts Dept. of Environmental Management, and in that capacity assisted with the writing of the current state forest cutting regulations. He has also worked as a forester with the Bureau of Indian Affairs in California and with the Peace Corps in Micronesia. Joe is also a published author of fiction and non-fiction, and an artist whose drawings have appeared in a number of publications. Source: Personal Résumé 09/05.

Mark D. Smith is the W. Kelly Mosley Environmental Professor and extension specialist with the Alabama Cooperative Extension System in the School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences at Auburn University. Mark received a B.S. in Fisheries and Wildlife from Michigan State University (1994) and after spending 2.5 years working temporary research positions with the Missouri Department of Conservation returned to academia to earn an M.S. in Wildlife Sciences (2001) and Ph.D. in Forest Resources (2004) from Mississippi State University. Mark’s research and extension efforts now focus primarily on wild pig damage management. Source: Personal Résumé, 4/21.

Matt Smith, ACF, CF, is the Vice President of Forest Operations at Finite Carbon. He has a B.S. in Forest Resource Management from State University of New York's College of Environmental Science and Forestry. Matt oversees the implementation of Finite’s forest carbon inventory and project verification work and has led more successful forest offset project verifications than anyone in the industry. For two decades Matt was a forest operations specialist and management director for Forecon’s TIMO clients. Matt has extensive carbon project experience under the ARB, CAR, VCS, ACR and CCX programs. Matt is a forest landowner in western New York and has been published in The Forestry Source, Forest Landowner, The Consultant, and the Journal of Forestry. Source: Personal Résumé, 10/20.

Pat Smith is owner and operator of Sandy Creek Forestry, Inc. of Demopolis. A Registered Forester in Alabama and Mississippi, he graduated from Auburn's School of Forestry with a Master degree in Forestry in 1998. He is also experienced in dealing with the Red Hills Salamander. Source: Personal Résumé, 4/04.

Yenie Tran Smith is the marketing director and a staff editor at Timber Mart-South, a timber price reporting service providing U.S. South timber prices and market information since 1976. Yenie worked on forestry and agriculture policy issues in Washington, DC before obtaining a PhD in forest economics at the University of Georgia. Yenie currently resides in Birmingham, Alabama. Source: Personal Résumé, 1/16.

Wesley Smith is District Sales Manager for United Rentals in Alabama. Wes is based in Birmingham, Alabama, but his responsibilities cover most of Alabama. He graduated from the University of Alabama in 2002, and has been in the equipment business for over 7 years. Wes is in charge of all sales activities for the his district. United Rentals is the largest rental equipment provider in the world and has 20 locations across the state of Alabama. Source: Personal Résumé, 5/13.

Jim Sollecito received a BS in Ornamental Horticulture from Cornell University in 1976. He is a lifelong avid hunter and fisherman, probably because he doesn’t play golf very well. He recently set 2 International Game Fish Association World Records for Chinook Salmon and Spanish Mackerel in 2011. He owns a 6 care garden center in Syracuse, New York, and also 170 acres of farm and woods within 4 miles of his home. He has been a disciple of QDMA for nearly a decade, and his minimum grade for harvesting a buck is 130. He has taken 3 12 pointers well above that mark in the last 3 years. Jim plans to keep planting until he is planted himself, and with his wife and 2 daughters raises more than 17 varieties of small and tree fruits on their land. Some for the table, most for wildlife. He raises and releases pheasants, and has agreed to come in early from turkey hunting to be interviewed on AFOA's May 16, 2012 issue of Capital Ideas - Live!. Jim learned how and why to use cameras through QDMA seminars, and strongly believe that joining as many quality organizations as you can ( NWTF, Pheasants Forever) helps gain a global perspective in terms of adding value and protecting your land investment. Source: Personal Résumé, 5/12.

David South is Professor of Forestry in Auburn University's School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences. He received BS & MS degrees in forestry and a BS degree in Wildlife Biology from North Carolina State University and PhD in forestry from Auburn University. He served seven years as director of the Southern Forest Nursery Management Cooperative. His teaching responsibilities include plantation establishment and management and forest nursery management. Dr. South's research interests include nursery management, weed control, effects of seedling size on survival and growth, seedling dormancy, and artificial regeneration practices. Source: Auburn University School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences Faculty Directory, 12/99.

Holt Speir is a partner with the law firm of Capell & Howard, P.C. in Montgomery, Alabama. He received his J.D. Degree from the University of Alabama in 1988 and his LL.M. in Taxation from New York University in 1989.   He is a member of the Montgomery County Bar Association, the Alabama State Bar, and the American Bar Association. He is also a former Instructor in Estate Planning at Jones School of Law, a member and former President and Director of the Montgomery Estate Planning Council, Chairman of the Tax Section of the Alabama State Bar, a member of Estate Planning Committee of Alabama Bar Institute for Continuing Legal Education, and a trustee of the American Federal Tax Institute. He practices primarily in the fields of taxation, corporate law, securities, and estate planning. Source: Personal Résumé, 6/99.

Don Spencer is a 55-year-old father of three and a lifelong resident of Southeast Limestone County, Alabama. A proud fourth-generation landowner, he holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Biological Science and has a deep passion for the outdoors. An avid conservationist, Don is committed to preserving the natural beauty of his family’s land and heritage. His dedication to responsible land management reflects a strong connection to the land that has been in his family for generations. Source: Personal Résumé, 11/24.

Paul D. Spillers is a tax attorney who practices with the law firm of Theus, Grisham, Davis and Leigh in Monroe, Louisiana. Paul has an extensive income and estate planning practice and litigates tax disputes in the United States Tax Court and Federal District Court. He also owns and manages his own timber tracts located in Louisiana and Mississippi. Paul's clients include many forest landowners. He is president of the Northeast Louisiana Forestlandowners' Association. Source: Personal Résumé, 8/01.

Bruce Springer officially assumed the responsibilities of Assistant State Forester in February of 2018. A registered forester in the state of Alabama since 1986, Bruce holds a bachelor’s degree in forest management from Oklahoma State University and a master’s degree in forest management and business from Purdue University. Originally from Columbus, Ohio, he moved to Alabama in 1983 to work for Sizemore & Sizemore, an international forestry consulting firm. Mapping over a million acres of forestland while employed there, he says he gained invaluable experience in timber inventory and appraisals, as well as an understanding of forest industry and forest markets throughout the Southeast.
     Beginning his career with the Alabama Forestry Commission as a staff forester in 1991, Springer has held various forestry and leadership positions over many years of service. He served as County Manager in Chilton County for ten years. He then transferred to state headquarters in Montgomery as Forest Management Division Director, a role in which he served for four years, overseeing all forest management assistance programs to forest landowners statewide. Named a Regional Forester in 2005, he supervised up to 60 regional- and county-level staff in 18 counties with an annual budget up to $5 million. He held that position until assuming his current duties.
     Bruce and his wife, Virginia, live in Thorsby, Alabama. They have two children and three grandchildren.. Source: www.forestry.alabama.gov/Pages/Informational/Biography/BruceSpringer.aspx, 1/19.

Eric St. Clair is a Senior GIS Specialist with the State of Alabama Oil and Gas Board. He maintains the State's Oil and Gas Board website as well as the online mapping system. He is originally from Centre, Alabama, but resides in Tuscaloosa. Source: Personal Résumé, 7/12.

Brian Stearns is an Applications Engineer at DeLorme, he solves customer problems by applying DeLorme technologies and translates customer needs into new products. Brian is a Registered Maine Guide, avid outdoorsman and active recreational user of DeLorme Mapping and GPS products. He holds an Electrical Engineering Degree from Rochester Institute of Technology. Source: Personal Résumé, 3/12.

Dwight Steedley is a graduate of the University of Alabama, Mississippi State University, and Auburn University. Dr. Steedley is currently a Professor of Mathematics and Chairman of the Mathematics and Natural Sciences Departments at the University of Mobile. He is president of the Mobile County Landowners Association and a member of the board of directors of the association for the past three years. Dr. Steedley has been a landowner for the past 15 years and his family's property is designated a Treasure Forest. He has served two terms as president of the Faculty Council at the University of Mobile and is the author of two mathematics textbooks. Source: Personal Résumé, 3/03. Updated 04/04.

David F. Steele, Sr. was admitted to the Alabama Bar in 1982. David attended Auburn University and graduated with a degree in Forestry in 1979. He then attended the University of Alabama School of Law and graduated with his J.D. in 1982. David practices primarily in the areas of property and probate law. Outside the office he is a partner in the timber dealership and land management firm of Hines, Steele and Steele, Inc. He is a member of the Huntingdon College Board of Trustees. He is also the managing trustee of the Mary Elizabeth Stallworth Foundation Trust. Source: Personal Résumé, 10/20.

Ellen B. Steen is a partner with the law firm Crowell & Moring LLP in Washington, D.C. She specializes in environmental law, particularly environmental legal issues affecting forestry and agriculture. She has worked closely with the American Forest & Paper Association and other forestry groups in responding to efforts by environmental interests groups to increase the regulation of forestry and other land use activities through Clean Water Act permitting. She took part in the opposition to EPA’s 1999 proposal to revise its “silvicultural point source” regulation to allow Clean Water Act permitting for certain forestry-related “storm water discharges.” Since that proposal was withdrawn by EPA in 2000, Ellen has assisted in defending against several environmental group lawsuits seeking to re-define forestry activities as Clean Water Act “point sources” and to require Clean Water Act permits for storm water runoff from forest lands.
Ellen is a graduate of the University of North Carolina School of Law and of Tulane University. She serves as a vice-chair of the American Bar Association’s Forest Resources Committee and its Committee on Agricultural Management. Source: Personal Résumé, 10/03.

Taylor V. Stein is an Assistant Professor in Natural Resources Management – Ecotourism for the School of Forest Resources and Conservation at the University of Florida. He teaches ecotourism courses and conducts research focusing on how to best incorporate ecotourism planning and management into rural landscapes. (webpage) Source: Personal Résumé, 02/03.

Jennie L. Stephens has served as executive director of the Center for Heirs’ Property Preservation since its inception in 2005. At the Center, she is responsible for overall strategic planning, revenue generation, financial management, organizational development, staff management, and program operations. She has worked a total of 25 years in the nonprofit field in such positions as fiscal director at a community action agency, sponsored programs director at a historically black college, and senior program director at Coastal Community Foundation. She also has several years of experience in consulting as a program reviewer, strategic plan facilitator, and grants writer. Jennie’s passion in life is to help people help themselves.
     Jennie received a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from the College of Charleston, a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from the University of Charleston/University of South Carolina, and, most recently, earned a PhD in Organizational Leadership from Regent University in Virginia Beach, Virginia.

Joseph L. (“Joey”) Stephenson is a native of Jasper, Alabama. He graduated from the University of Alabama in 1976 with a B. S. in Commerce and Business Administration. He worked as a bank auditor upon graduation from college. His land-related work experience consists of ten years as a landman in the surface coal mining industry of Alabama and twenty-nine years as a landman in the oil and gas industry, working on prospects in various parts of the United States with an emphasis on coalbed methane development. He has worked for River Gas Corporation (Vice President – Land), ConocoPhillips Company (District Landman), Dominion Exploration and Production Company (District Landman), and GeoMet Operating Company, Inc. (Land Manager). He has been an independent landman since September 2014 when GeoMet, Inc. closed its office in Birmingham, Alabama. Mr. Stephenson is a member, director, and past president of the Black Warrior Association of Professional Landmen. He is also a member and past director of the American Association of Professional Landmen. His other professional affiliations include the Southern Appalachian Association of Professional Landmen, the Utah Association of Professional Landmen, the National Association of Lease and Title Analysts, and the National Notary Association. He has also been a member of the Alabama Forest Owners Association for several years. Source: Personal Résumé, 04/17.

Frank M. Stewart, RF, is principal of Washington Resource, an association management and professional services firm that is located in Alexandria, Virginia - just inside the DC-beltway. Stewart grew up in a forestry family, began working in the woods of Southwest Alabama at the age of 13, later became a forest landowner, and earned a BS in Forest Management from Auburn University and a MF in Resource Economics & Policy from Duke University. Today, Stewart represents the interests of family forest landowners in our nation's capital and has done so since founding Washington Resource in 1998.
     From the earliest stages of his career, Stewart has been chosen by his peers to hold positions of responsibility in professional and scientific organizations in various capacities. He is a Registered Forester, a registered lobbyist, has served as an advisor to the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture as Vice Chairman of the Forest Research Advisory Council, sat for three years as an inaugural member of the National Alliance of Forest Owners Operating Committee, writes the Washington Resource Report for AFOA, directs government affairs efforts for the Forest Landowners Association and is Executive Director of the Forest Landowners Tax Council. Stewart publishes, or regularly contributes to, four separate forestry-community publications. Source: Personal Résumé, 05/11.

Peter J. Stewart is a 32-year veteran of the forest products industry, founded Forest2Market in 2000, pioneering transaction-based wood fiber pricing. In 2019, when Battery Ventures partnered with Forest2Market and Fisher International, Stewart—a long-time trusted advisor to the executive management of major pulp and paper and other forest products companies globally—became President and CEO of both firms. Following the acquisition of Tecnon OrbiChem in 2020, Stewart expanded his role as CEO of all three companies, which were subsequently rebranded as ResourceWise. As President and CEO of ResourceWise, Stewart oversees the company's growth through strategic acquisitions, including Tecnon OrbiChem in 2020, Wood Resources International and PRIMA Markets in 2022, and Chemical Intelligence in 2023. Under his leadership, ResourceWise has expanded its global reach in the biofuels and low-carbon feedstocks, chemicals, and forest products markets. A Texas native, Stewart holds a BS in Forestry from Texas A&M and an MS in Economics from the University of Georgia. Source: Pete Stewart, 8/24.

John R. Stivers completed a BS in Forest Management at the University of Arkansas @ Monticello in 1982. He spent 19 years with the USDA Forest Service as a Silviculturist &Timber Sales Specialist; 4 years with the USDA Forest Service, Fire & Aviation in Atlanta GA as Prescribed Fire & Fuels Specialist, and has worked for 18 years as a Private Consulting Forester in AL & GA. John is a Registered Forester in AL & GA, Association of Consulting Foresters, Society of American Foresters Certified Forester, and Alabama Forestry Association member. He is also a certified burn manager in AL, GA & FL and board member of the National Coalition of Rx Fire Councils and AL Prescribed Fire Council. John has taught at the AL Certified Burn Manager program for AL Forestry Commission for past 15 years, and is the owner of Fire Ignition Resources LLC (US distributor Premo aerial ignition machines and Fireballs). He is also a member of Gideons International, a devout Christian, and has been married 34 years with 2 sons. He resides near Talladega, AL.

Dana Stone started her collegiate education at Spelman College where she majored in mathematics. In 1991, she graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree. Mathematics being a broad academic discipline, she wanted to focus on a specific curriculum in science. Dana applied to Auburn University and in 1994, she received a Master of Forestry degree. After graduating in 1994, Dana Stone started her forestry career with Mead Coated Board. She was hired as a GIS technician and later worked as a research technician. In 1999, she began her career with the Alabama Forestry Commission as an Outreach Forester. This was a new program in the agency and its development was still progressing. In 2004, Dana Stone was promoted to the GIS Forester position at the State Office. With the rise of southern pine beetle infestations in the state, the agency wanted a permanent fulltime employee that can produce maps in an efficient manner. She worked in this section for approximately two years. In the latter part of 2005, Dana Stone was promoted to the Forest Health Coordinator position. She worked with insects, diseases, invasive plants, and catastrophic events that harm trees. She was in this position for 15 years. In 2020, Dana Stone was promoted as the Management Division Director for the Alabama Forestry Commission, responsible for supervising several programs such as Stewardship, Forest Health, Landowner Assistance, and Best Management Practices. She has over 25 years of forestry experience, working in areas of GIS, research, forest health, and forest management. Source: Personal Résumé, 08/24.

David Stone is the timber buyer for Cahaba Timber Company, Brierfield, Alabama, one of the world’s largest manufacturers of pressure treated utility poles for domestic and export use. David has more than 30 years experience in wood procurement in the Southeastern U.S. He received a B.S. in Forest Management from Auburn University and an MBA from the University of Alabama, Birmingham. David lives in Alabaster with wife, Jane. Source: Personal Résumé 11/12.

Eddie Stone is the president of Forever Green, Inc., a forestry consulting company that serves North and Central Alabama. Eddie has a Masters Degree in Forest Business and has worked in the industry for over 20 years. He has spent the last 10 years helping private landowners manage their forestland. Eddie is a Registered Forester and fully insured. He became a licensed real estate agent to better serve his clients and joined Great Southern Land, a real estate company that specializes in rural property, as their North Alabama Land Agent. As a realtor and registered forester, Eddie is uniquely qualified to guide clients through the process of buying or selling land. Source: Personal Résumé 03/16.

Richard Straight is originally from Iowa where he received his B.S. and M.S. in Forest Management. He has served as a City Forester in Iowa, a Field Service Forester, a State Staff Forester for the NRCS, both in Nebraska and for the last 7 years as the Technology Transfer Lead for the USDA National Agroforestry Center. The Center is a 3-way partnership of two divisions of the USDA Forest Service, those being Research & Development and State & Private Forestry, and the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service.
    His primary focus at the Agroforestry Center is to promote the understanding and adoption of agroforestry in the U.S. This is done by providing information and training to natural resource professionals who in turn work with private landowners. Working as a forester in the land of corn, beans, and cows, and he has learned many lessons on the benefits and power of partnerships. Even his favorite past time of upland bird hunting is dependent on a partnership with his dog. Source: Personal Résumé 02/08.

Tom Straka is a forestry professor at Clemson University in South Carolina. His specialty is forest economics, management, and valuation. He has been at Clemson for 20 years and spent nearly 8 years at Mississippi State University prior to that. He also worked for International Paper Company as a forester for almost five years. His Ph.D. is from Virginia Tech; an M.B.A. from the University of South Carolina, and a B.S. and M.S. in forestry from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Source: Personal Résumé 08/10.

Dr. Lee Stribling is a game management expert and an Associate Professor at Auburn’s School of Forestry & Wildlife Sciences. He graduated with a BS in Biology from the University of South Carolina in 1973, an MS in Wildlife Biology from Clemson University in 1978, and a PhD in Zoology from North Carolina State University in 1983. His professional interest involves applied wildlife management with a focus on upland Gamebirds (bobwhite quail and turkey) and white-tailed deer. Source: http://www.forestry.auburn.edu/directory/directory_search.asp?Name=Stribling, 06/04.

Bronson Strickland received a bachelor’s degree in Forest Resources from the University of Georgia and completed a master’s degree from Texas A&M University-Kingsville. In 2005, Bronson earned a doctoral degree from Mississippi State University and then worked as a research wildlife biologist with the National Wildlife Research Center. In 2006, Bronson became the Extension Wildlife Specialist at Mississippi State University where he works with landowners and natural resource professionals to solve wildlife management problems. Source: Personal Résumé 5/11.

David Strickland writes for Great Days Outdoors and has published articles on history, trapping, hunting, and fishing for various outdoor periodicals. He enjoys sharing stories from decades of float fishing, hunting, and wandering the nearby Sipsey swamps. He also discovered that nature is a grand assistant in his efforts to teach both serious and humorous lessons to his two grandsons. Source: Personal Résumé 10/21.

Richard Stroup is a professor of economics at Montana State University and a PERC senior associate. He received his B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Washington. From 1982 to 1984, he was director of the Office of Policy Analysis at the U.S. Department of the Interior. Stroup is a widely published author and speaker on economics, including natural resources and environmental issues, and he has written many articles for professional journals and popular media outlets.  His work helped to develop the approach to resource problems known as the New Resource Economics or Free Market Environmentalism. Stroup is coauthor with James D. Gwartney of a primer on economics, What Everyone Should Know About Economics and Prosperity; as well as a co-author with James D. Gwartney, Russell S. Sobel and David Macpherson of a leading college economics textbook, Economics: Private and Public Choice, now in its tenth edition. His recent publications have focused on the Superfund program and on alternative institutional arrangements for dealing with endangered species, regulatory takings, and other regulatory issues. Source: Personal Résumé, 05/03.

Daniel E. Stuber, IV. As Vice President – Analytics, Stuber oversees development, design and quality of custom analytics at Forest2Market. He is responsible for all of Forest2Market's project-based work, including resource studies and site evaluations, as well specialty forecasts. He is also the Operations lead for data infrastructure development.
     Forest2Market's third employee, Stuber began working as a timber market analyst for Forest2Market in 2002. Prior to the Operations department being split into two divisions, Stuber was Vice President – Operations. His other experience includes a variety of roles in the forestry industry, including stints in sawmills and with the U.S. Forest Service. He also has experience in timber inventory management, silvicultural applications and harvesting.
     A graduate of University of Georgia's Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, Stuber earned a B.S. and an M.F.R. in Forest Resources. While in graduate school, Stuber collected survey data on timber prices for the Warnell School's timber pricing service. Source: Personal Résumé, 9/14.

Larry Sullivan is the Bioenergy and Biochemical Sector Sales Manager at Forest2Market. Larry started his career with Dresser Europe after Geosciences graduate school at Texas A&M University. He earned his BA from the University of Texas at Austin and MA from Arizona State University. His MA Thesis was forestry fire management practices in California. He managed new technology for oil and gas drilling with Imperial Chemical Industries' Petroleum from 1985 to 1989. He led strategy development for Conoco Europe and Dupont's effort at the integration of refinery and petrochemical intermediates from 1990 to 1994. His MBA was completed in 1993 at Warwick University and Refinery Engineering at St. Catherine's College of Oxford University. After his petroleum career, he led the strategic design and product marketing team at Crown Iron Works to develop novel biodiesel production technology establishing Crown as a leader. In 2005 and 2009, he provided critical reviews of a variety of ethanol, biodiesel, and renewable diesel technology platforms for the world's leading petroleum companies and presented conference papers for the petroleum refining consulting firm Turner, Mason & Company. From 2007 to 2009, he served as Chief Technology Officer of public-traded Kreido Biofuels, helping with the asset's sale. Also, he serves as an adjunct professor at Trident Technical College and The Citadel. He served on the DOE and USDA, as well as EPA Technical and Science Advisory Boards from 2018 to 2021. Source: Personal Résumé, 7/21.

Clayton T. Sweeney, admitted to Alabama State Bar October 1987, J.D. from Cumberland School of Law at Samford University, Birmingham, Alabama, B.S. in Political Science from the University of West Florida, Pensacola, Florida, attended Auburn University and Pensacola Jr. College. I have practiced law as a sole practitioner since 1993 with a focus on Real Estate Law, in residential and commercial real estate closings, and all aspects of mortgage related and title insurance issues, including an emphasis on the closings of foreclosure properties. Source: Personal Résumé, 08/10.

Patrick Sweeney, Curator of the University of Georgia Herbarium. Mr. Sweeney's expertise is in plant taxonomy and systematics and he is the coordinator of The Vascular Plant Atlas of Georgia Project. He has been a laboratory instructor for plant taxonomy and plant anatomy courses and received a graduate student teaching award from the University of Georgia. Mr. Sweeney has experience in teaching two aquatic vegetation identification courses. Source: The University of Georgia Continuing Education Course Description, 7/99.

Dr. Lloyd W. Swift, Jr., is an Emeritus Scientist of the Southern Research Station of the U.S. Forest Service. He served as Research Forester and Research Meteorologist/Hydrologist at Coweeta Hydrologic Laboratory in North Carolina from 1958 to 1999 where he led studies of design, construction and impacts of access roads. He has served as a consultant to Federal and State forestry agencies and EPA and participated in development of road standards for Best Management practices guidelines for protection of water quality. Source: Personal Résumé, 7/14.

Tim Sydor joined Forisk Consulting in 2005 as Forest Economist. His professional experience includes roles in forest operations research at the University of Arkansas at Monticello and in forest management for the Tsuman State Forest Enterprise in the Ukraine. Dr. Sydor leads Forisk's efforts in the areas of stumpage price forecasting and econometric modeling. He earned a B.S. in Forestry at the National Agriculture University of Ukraine, an M.S. in Forest Economics at Purdue University , and a Ph.D. in Forest Economics at the University of Georgia. Source: Personal Résumé, 03/11.

Chuck Sykes has been hunting since the age of six. He took his passion for the outdoors and earned a degree in wildlife biology from Auburn University. While in school, Chuck worked as a guide for some of the finest lodges the south has to offer. He assimilated the hands-on knowledge from the field with the scientific instruction from the classroom to create his own successful full-service management consulting firm. The Circle N Lodge which is under exclusive lease to Bill Jordan and Realtree Outdoors is among the many properties Chuck has managed. He is a member of the NRA, NWTF, QDMA, Buckmasters, and AWF. Chuck is the producer and creative director for The Management Advantage. Chuck also writes wildlife articles and gives seminars on his management practices. The Management Advantage won "Most Informative Show for 2001" during its first season. Source: Personal Résumé, 08/02.

Jay Taffet is owner/operator of Affordable Aerials. He specializes in perspective or "oblique" aerial photos that show off a farm or business. Jay has flown small airplanes since he was 18. He served as an Air Force pilot for five years after graduating from Vanderbilt in 1990. Jay is a third-generation pilot following both his father and grandfather who served as career military pilots. He also grew up in a “photography” household and learned from an early age how to capture special moments and places on film. Jay is convinced he has the best profession in the world bringing unique aerial perspectives back to earth for today’s collection and tomorrow’s memory. Source: Personal Résumé, 3/03.

John Tamny is Director of the Center for Economic Freedom at FreedomWorks, a senior economic adviser to Toreador Research & Trading, and editor of RealClearMarkets. He frequently writes about the securities markets, along with tax, trade and monetary policy issues that impact those markets for a variety of publications including the Wall Street Journal, Investor's Business Daily, Financial Times, National Review and London’s Daily Telegraph. Tamny is the author of four books: Popular Economics, Who Needs the Fed?, The End of Work, and They're Both Wrong: A Policy Guide for America's Frustrated Independent Thinkers.  Source: https://fee.org/people/john-tamny/, 10/19.

Tom Tanton is a Senior Fellow with the Institute for Energy Research, joining the group in 1997. Mr. Tanton is also Principal of T 2 & Associates, a firm providing consulting services to the energy and technology industries. T 2 & Associates are active primarily in the area of energy and interconnected infrastructures, analyzing and providing advice on their impacts on energy prices, environmental quality and regional economic development. Principles and associates of the firm have well over a half-century of experience in technology and legislative interface, having been central to many of the critical legislative changes that enable technology choice and economic development at the state and federal level. Tom is a strong proponent of free market environmentalism and consumer choice, and frequently publishes and speaks against alarmist and reactionary policies and government failures. As a General Manager at EPRI, from 2000 to 2003, Mr. Tanton was responsible for the overall management and direction of collaborative research and development programs in electric generation technologies, integrating technology, market infrastructure, and public policy. Mr. Tanton has over 35 years experience in the energy, economy, and environmental fields. Until 2000, Mr. Tanton was the Principal Policy Advisor with the California Energy Commission (CEC) in Sacramento, California . He developed and implemented policies and legislation on energy issues of importance to California, and U.S. and International markets, including electric restructuring, gasoline and natural gas supply and pricing, energy facility siting and permitting, environmental issues, power plant siting, technology development, and transportation. Mr. Tanton has been recognized for raising awareness of the connection of electricity to other important industries including agriculture, petroleum production, electronics, biotechnology, water supply, Internet, and finance. Mr. Tanton served as a team member of California Governor's Office task force on critical infrastructure security, coordinating with national effort lead by White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. He served as lead advisor on energy and infrastructure to California's task force on 21st Century development (and provided unique leadership relative to California's electric transmission needs), recommended positions and actions on major items before the California Energy and Public Utilities Commissions, and provided representation with external top-level management Boards, Commissions, Legislature and Congress. He has testified before several State legislatures and Congress, and provided expert witness testimony in power plant siting cases. Mr. Tanton is affiliated with the West Coast Region-Petroleum Technology Transfer Center (PTTC)-(University of Southern California), Urban Utility Center; New York Polytechnic Institute (Senior Research Associate), and is Co-Chair of the Pacific Southwest Region Initiative, US Combined Heat and Power Association. Source: Personal Résumé, 10/05.

Charles M. Tarver, President, Forest Investment Associates, Atlanta, Georgia. In the early 1980s, Mr. Tarver pioneered the timberland investment business for tax-exempt institutions beginning with the development of the country's first pooled timberland investment fund while employed at a major Atlanta bank. He has been in the timberland investment business since 1979 and has acquired and managed many thousands of acres of timberland during this period. Charley is a registered forester, a member of the Society of American Foresters and the Association of Consulting Foresters. He is chairman of the Forest Landowners Tax Council and a director of the Forest Landowners Association. He has authored numerous forestry investment and appraisal articles and has been a featured speaker at numerous forestry investment seminars and workshops. He serves on the Advisory Council for the School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences at Auburn University where he received a BS degree in Forest Management in 1968. Source: Personal Résumé, 10/00.

Al Tate, M.S., Wetland Ecologist. Mr. Tate's expertise is in wetland vegetation, wetland ecology, and wetland restoration. As a former wetland ecologist for the Georgia Department of Transportation, he pioneered techniques for assessing and methods of minimizing impacts of highway construction on wetlands. Mr. Tate currently instructs students in wetland ecology and does consulting work in wetland delineation, functional assessment, and restoration projects. Source: The University of Georgia Continuing Education Course Description, 3/00.

Adam M. Taylor is an Associate Professor and the Forest Products Extension Specialist in Forestry, Wildlife & Fisheries at the University of Tennessee. His responsibility is to assist the wood products industry in Tennessee through information transfer and applied research. Dr. Taylor is based at the Center for Renewable Carbon in Knoxville.
     An interest in the outdoors and work experience in commercial forestry operations led Dr. Taylor to pursue an education in Forestry. He earned a B.Sc.F, with a Wood Science emphasis, from the University of Toronto in 1996. He continued to explore his interest in wood quality while completing a Masters degree at the University of New Brunswick. The M.Sc.F. thesis examined the scientific basis of the ancient practice of girdling trees prior to using the wood for log building. After graduation in 1999, Taylor worked at the Wood Science & Technology Centre in New Brunswick. In his position as a Research Officer, he helped solve problems in the wood products industry in eastern Canada. He then moved to the west coast of the United States to join the Department of Wood Science & Engineering at Oregon State University. Dr. Taylor completed his PhD in 2004, with a dissertation that investigated the effect of environment on the natural durability of the wood of Douglas-fir and Western redcedar.
     Although Dr. Taylor's education and work experience has emphasized wood quality, wood deterioration and wood protection, he considers himself to be a wood generalist. Source: http://web.utk.edu/~mtaylo29/pages/Contact.html, 9/13.

David P. Tenny is the founding President and CEO of the National Alliance of Forest Owners (NAFO). Under his leadership, NAFO has grown from 14 initial members in 2008 to 47 member companies that own and manage more than 45 million acres of private working forests and 29 state and national associations that represent tens of millions of additional acres. Dave’s passion for building trust and pursuing solutions-based advocacy has helped NAFO become a leading national advocate for the economic, environmental and social benefits of America’s sustainably managed private forests.
    Dave previously served as Vice President for Forestry and Wood Products for the American Forest and Paper Association (AF&PA) and as Deputy Undersecretary for Natural Resources and Environment at the United States Department of Agriculture where he had responsibility for the U.S. Forest Service. He got his start in the U.S. House of Representatives where he served as Counsel and Natural Resources Policy Advisor for the House Committee on Agriculture and as Counsel for U.S. Representative Wally Herger of California.
    A native of Boise, Idaho, he earned a bachelor’s degree in American studies from Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, and a law degree from George Washington University in Washington, D.C.. Source: Personal Résumé, 5/19.

Dwayne Tew is a 1997 graduate of the Auburn University School of Forestry. He worked as a consultant forester for Southern Forestry Consultants in Enterprise for over five years. Dwayne is currently working for Wolf Creek Timber, Inc. in Pell City as a procurement forester. Source: Personal Résumé, 4/03.

Billy Thomas has been an Extension Forester at the University of Kentucky Department of Forestry since 2005. Prior to joining the University of Kentucky, Billy worked for the Kentucky Division of Forestry, in the private sector, and as a county extension agent. Billy has a masters and bachelor’s degree in forestry and is currently working on a Ph.D. His primary responsibilities include Non-Industrial Private Forest educational programming such as field days, workshops, extension publications, and newsletters. Another major focus of Billy’s is supporting county extension agents in Kentucky on forestry and natural resource related issues. Source: Personal Résumé, 3/14.

Christine L. Thomas is Dean and Professor of Resource Management at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point College of Natural Resources, which is the largest undergraduate program of its kind in the U.S. She holds the distinction of being the College’s first female tenured full professor.
     In addition to her role as an award-winning educator for UW System, Christine is noted for developing “Becoming an Outdoors-Woman,” a program administered throughout North America that teaches women outdoor skills. In 2003 she was appointed by the governor of Wisconsin to serve on the Wisconsin Natural Resources Board and in January 2010 she completed her second term as Chair of this important body, which sets policy for the state's Department of Natural Resources. At the national level, in 2006 Gail Norton, Secretary of the Interior at the time, appointed Christine to the Sporting Conservation Advisory Council.
     Dr. Thomas, who holds a bachelor degree in biology from Central Michigan University, a master’s degree in Water Resources from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, and a Ph.D. in Land Resources from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, has received numerous awards during her career, including:
          o  UW-Stevens Point Excellence in Teaching Award
          o  Conservation Achievement award from the National Wildlife Federation
          o  American Sportfishing Association “Woman of the Year”
          o  Safari Club International Educator of the Year
          o  Budweiser/National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Outdoorsman of the Year
          o  Great Lakes Outdoor Writers Association Golden Glow Award
          o  Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel Sports Show Hall of Fame for Conservation Achievement
     In 2000, Christine was named by Wisconsin Outdoor Journal as one of the twenty most influential conservationists in the state of Wisconsin during the 20th Century. In addition to her teaching and outreach efforts, Dr. Thomas has research interests in resource agency administration, involvement of women in the outdoors, and Wisconsin conservation history.
     Christine lives in Plover, Wisconsin with her husband Stan. They have one daughter, Shannon. Source: Personal Résumé, 3/10.

Lindsay Thomas, Jr., is the director of publications and managing editor of the Quality Deer Management Association's flagship publication, Quality Whitetails, and works out of Bogart, Georgia. He is one of the authors of the book, Quality Food Plots - Your Guide to Better Deer and Better Deer Hunting, a comprehensive guide to good plots and wildlife. Thomas comes to the QDMA from Georgia Outdoor News, a monthly hunting and fishing news magazine, where he served as an editor for nine years. He grew up in Wayne County in southeast Georgia, where he honed his hunting and fishing skills at an early age. An avid deer hunter, Thomas spends as much time as possible in the woods each fall. Thomas and his wife Anne have two children, Jacob, age five, and two-year-old Laurel. Source: www.qdma.com

Mark W. Thomas is a Certified Wildlife Biologist through The Wildlife Society (TWS) and Forester. He has earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Wildlife Management and Conservation Education from Missouri State University - Springfield, and a Master of Science Degree in Forestry from the University of Missouri - Columbia. Post-Graduate education includes environmental and wildlife toxicology, statistics, calculus, plant physiology, trigonometry, and organic chemistry. He won the 2001 Presidential Field Forester Award from the Society of American Foresters. Past employment history includes 8 years as a laborer on the St. Louis - San Francisco Railroad (Frisco), Resource Forester with the Missouri Department of Conservation, Research Scientist at the Environmental Trace Substances Research Center, Pharmacy Technician with the University of Missouri Hospital and Clinics, and Research Associate at Auburn University School of Forestry. He was employed with American Cyanamid (AHP/BASF) for 11 years, five as a Forest Management Specialist for Alabama, North Georgia and East Tennessee and the last six as the Business Relations Manager for forestry and wildlife in the United States. He was responsible for supervising 13 field employees and two regional managers. He won the Circle of Excellence Award, Outstanding Performance Award, Outstanding Service Award, and Innovator of the Year Award (twice), was a Q Performer for 5 years and a Q+ Performer for 6 years. As a lobbyist with the American Cyanamid Agricultural Legislative Communicators, he was active in various lobbying efforts in Washington, D.C., in support of private property rights, estate tax relief, Endangered Species Act reform, and also performs as an Expert Witness. He was past SAF Program Chairman (Cahaba Chapter), past SAF State Chairman - Alabama Division, past Chairman of the SESAF (2009 Term), and served a two-year term on the Board of Registered Foresters - Oral Examination Board (Alabama). He holds past membership in the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, Society of Toxicology, Society of American Foresters and Association of Consulting Foresters, and was a peer reviewer in the American Society of Testing and Materials. He is a noted author with over 200 scientific publications. He is a lead outdoor writer for Quality Whitetails, Alabama Wildlife, Hunt Club Digest, and is the past Wildlife Management Editor of Hunting Camp Journal. Currently he a lead writer for Mossy Oak GameKeepers Magazine, Wildlife Trends Journal and appears on GameKeepers Television. He is a voting member of the Professional Outdoor Media Association (POMA) and the Southeastern Outdoor Press Association (SEOPA). As a degreed and Certified Wildlife Biologist, he is a member of and is active in the National Wild Turkey Federation, Quality Deer Management Association (past Chairman of the Board – National Board of Directors – 17 Year Member), National Rifle Association, The Wildlife Society, the British Deer Society, and Safari Club International. He is also a member of and is active in the Alabama Forest Owners' Association. He is also the Sons of the American Legion (SAL) Commander for American Legion Post 134 and serves on the Board of Directors and a member of the Marine Corps League. He recently served on two committees with the American Forest & Paper Association (Landowner Assistance Program Committee and Wildlife Committee) and is a past member of the Editorial Board of the Alabama Wildlife Federation. He presents approximately 85 - 90 seminars and symposiums annually pertaining to forest and wildlife habitat management. He works closely with private industrial forestry companies in the United States, State and Federal foresters, consulting foresters, hunting preserves, wildlife habitat managers, institutional foresters, trust officers, timber management companies, pension fund managers, nontraditional forestland owners, and nonindustrial private forest landowners. He has investigated over 500 alleged herbicide damage claims during his career. Mr. Thomas is President of a forest and wildlife management firm called FORESTRY/WILDLIFE INTEGRATION, LLC. Services offered include Wildlife Management, Quality Deer Management, Quail Management, Recreational Property Development, Endangered Species Management, Forest Management, Seminars & Symposiums, Expert Witness Testimony, Watershed Management, Riparian Zone Enhancement, Delineation of Federal Jurisdictional Wetlands, Wetland Mitigation Banking, Ecosystem Restoration, Non-Native Plant Eradication, and Hunting Guiding/Outfitting trips to Alaska, Quetico Provincial Park (Canada), Argentina, United States, and Newfoundland, sea duck hunts in Maine, goose hunts in Texas, and waterfowl hunts in Mexico. He likes canoeing, kayaking, camping, fishing, shooting, hunting and gardening. He is a husband (Vikki), father (Abby, Brooke) and grandfather (Jacob, Sam, Drew). Source: Personal Résumé, 4/17.

Marshall D. Thomas began with F&W in 1978 as a field and technical forester, eventually rising through the ranks of the company to become its President. Since 1988, Mr. Thomas has led F&W through a period of rapid growth and service-area expansion that now includes 19 offices in 11 states and international offices in Uruguay, Brazil and Europe. In addition to a variety of memberships in forestry associations, he is also a past president of the Albany Boys and Girls Club and currently serves as its Vice President in charge of financial affairs. Source: http://fwforestry.net/leadership/, 7/15.

Rans Thomas is the Sr. Wildlife Biologist for Cabela’s. He has over 20 years’ experience working with private recreational lands across the country. He holds an AASD in Forestry and Wildlife from ABAC and a B.S. in Wildlife Management from UGA. Rans now leads the Cabela’s Wildlife and Land Management team of Regional Wildlife Biologists. Source: Personal Résumé, 1/14.

Alex Thomasson - Assistant Professor, Agricultural and Biological Engineering. Source: Mississippi State University Continuing Education Course Description, 3/00.

Johnny Thompson has been using, testing, selling, supporting, and training others in GPS and GIS applications for the past 22 years. His company, LandMark Spatial Solutions, provides GPS, GIS, forest inventory, forest measurement, stockpile measuring, load ticketing, and UAV solutions to over 1000 forestry, wildlife, and environmental companies and agencies throughout the Southeastern U.S. Johnny works very closely with Trimble Forestry, F4 Tech, Haglof, Handheld, Esri, Laser Technology, NEI, and Juniper Systems to provide his clients cutting-edge, technology-based solutions that increase accuracy and improve efficiency in both the field and office. When Johnny is not busy helping his clients, he likes to read and encourage others from the Bible, ride horses, and spend time outside at his farm with his wife and 12 children. Source: Personal Résumé, 1/16.

Angela M. Thorpe is a Colorado native, has twenty years of experience in news media, corporate communications and has worked for State Farm for nine years and is a Public Relations specialist for the company. You can follow Angela on Twitter and her news room at these links. @SF_AngelaThorpe & Colorado News Room. Source: Personal Résumé, 7/13.

Bob Lee Tjaden, Jr., is Regional Extension Specialist-Natural Resource, at the Wye Research and Education Center, Queenstown, Maryland. He received a BS and AS degrees in Forestry and Wildlife Management and Forest Management Technology from the University of Maine, a MF degree in Forest Management and Economics from Duke University, and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Environmental Management & Policy from the University of Maryland. He has been a very active Tree Farm Inspector and was named Forester of the Year in 1999 by the Maryland/Delaware Chapter of the Society of American Foresters. Source: Personal Résumé, 02/01.

Charles E. Tomlinson has been a forest manager and consultant since 1957. His clients include individuals, partnerships, corporations, estates, trusts, and government agencies. He has served as an expert witness in Federal and State Courts. Charles is a graduate of The University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee and was a pilot in the US Air Force. He is the author of A View From My Stump and many essays dealing with forestry issues.  He is Past Chairman of the Alabama Board of Registration for Foresters and presently serves as Editor of The Registered Forester. Charles serves on the boards of directors of the Forest Landowners Association and South Alabama Land and Timber Company and is chairman of the boards of directors of The Foundry of the Shoals, Inc., Tomlinson Forest, Inc., and Tomlinson Group, Inc. Source: Personal Résumé, 4/99.

Stephan Tomlinson graduated from Auburn University in 1985 with a Bachelor of Science in Forest Engineering. He is Co-Founder and Vice-President of the Woodall Corporation, one of the first independent harvesting companies in the South to purchase and champion high-tech logging equipment developed in Sweden and Scandinavia. In 1997 Stephan inherited and expanded his father’s consulting business, Tomlinson and Associates, by becoming a real estate broker in the states of Alabama, Mississippi and Tennessee, and a registered appraiser in the state of Alabama. In 2001 he founded Natural Resources Group, Inc. to house the expanded business. In 2008 the expanded business was divided with Natural Resources Group focusing solely on the real estate brokerage side of the business and the newly-established Growing Assets, LLC focusing on the business’ consulting and appraisal services. Stephan is a Registered Forester in Alabama and Mississippi, a Certified Prescribed Burn Manager in Alabama, and an active advocate for the forestry industry, private property rights, and professional ethics. He has served on the Alabama Forestry Association’s board multiple times, including as President and Chairman. Stephan has also served on Auburn University’s School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences Advisory Panel, and numerous private boards. Source: Personal Résumé, 4/14.

Jeff Toorish has a broad and varied communications background including radio, television and print. His specialty is strategic communications for industry. He is currently the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Atlanta based Alliance for Southern Forests, a regional grass roots advocacy group for the forestry industry. ASF membership is open to a wide range of people, organizations and companies engaged in the forestry and logging industry in thirteen Southern states.         Prior to assuming the presidency of the alliance, Mr. Toorish was the President of the Maine Pulp & Paper Association in Augusta, Maine, where he successfully fended off anti-forestry and anti-industry legislative and referendum assaults. During the 2000 election cycle, he was the chief political and media strategist battling anti-forestry Referendum Question #2 in Maine. At the ballot box voters defeated Question #2 by a 72 to 28 percent margin. At the time, many experts agreed that Question #2 would have effectively shut down forestry in Maine. Before working for the forestry industry, Jeff was a distinguished political journalist. He has won a multitude of journalism awards from many major journalism organizations, including the Associated Press, the Maine Association of Broadcasters, the Montana Association of Broadcasters and others. He is also an award winning television commercial producer with Tellie, Pollie and WorldFest awards to his credit. In 2000, Papermaker Magazine recognized Jeff's contribution to the industry and awarded him the prestigious Vision 300 Award as the single person who has done the most to improve the image of the pulp & paper industry in the US.  Jeff is also a contributing writer to Solutions Magazine, published by the Technical Association of the Pulp & Paper Industry. In addition to his work for the Alliance for Southern Forests, he is working on a book about environmentalism and the forestry, pulp & paper industry. Source: Personal Résumé, 11/01.

John F. Tourtellotte, Sr., President of Tourtellotte and Associates LLC, has fifty years experience in manufacturing, engineering, and construction for the chemical, petrochemical, pulp and paper, and metallurgical industries. Specializing in all aspects of process equipment design, Tourtellotte holds ten U.S. Patents and provides many services to hazardous waste management, including asbestos and toxic chemicals.
    Tourtellotte and Associates' goal is to construct the "first of a kind" process that will convert low-commercial-value forest biomass into an environmentally clean, high BTU synthesis. This would create a fuel free from Alkaline earth metals that have a tendency to poison SCR catalyst that are used to control NOX emissions from power plants. This process would net zero CO2 emissions to the atmosphere,  and could be mixed with natural gas or other fuels in order to provide an economically acceptable fuel blend. The synthesis gas would also reduce the consumption of fossil fuel, increase the use of renewable fuel, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and enhance the value of local forest biomass.
    Tourtellotte holds a Master of Science Degree in Chemical Engineering, and is an Alabama Registered Professional Engineer. He has held many positions in all aspects of process equipment design, including Process and project engineer, consultant, project manager, and even director of marketing. Source: Tourtellotte and Associates LLC's Credentials, 10/03.

Edward F. Travis, RF, ACF, is principal of the Edward F. Travis, Company, Inc. Ed is a 1969 graduate of the University of Alabama where he earned a BS degree in Commerce & Business Administration with a real estate major. Ed began in the real estate appraisal business in 1971, after service in Vietnam as an Army artillery officer. Ed completed a Master of Forestry (MF) degree in 1992 from Duke University’s School of Forestry and Environmental Studies in Durham, North Carolina. The firm encourages participation in professional societies. Ed has served as past chairman of several groups including the Alabama Chapter of the Association of Consulting Foresters (ACF), The Jubilee Chapter of the Society of the Society of American Foresters, the Alabama Chapter of American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers (ASFMRA) and the NW Florida Chapter of the Appraisal Institute. After serving as board chairman, Ed currently serves as a board member of the Alabama Forest Resources Center, which is a land trust seeking and managing conservation easements on working forestlands. Ed is a steering committee member of the Alabama Prescribed Fire Council (ALPFC). Ed, for many years, was a certified instructor for the ASFMRA. He taught national courses on appraisal, forestry subjects and conservation easement valuation. Ed is a Certified Burn Manager in Alabama and Mississippi and is trained and qualified as Wildland Firefighter II by the National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG). Ed is a Registered Forester in Alabama, Mississippi and North Carolina. He is a licensed real estate broker in Alabama and Mississippi.
     The firm is actively involved in timber sales, rural land sales, prescribed burning, timber appraisal, timber basis allocation studies, estate valuations, forest litigation support, highest and best use analyses, hunting lease administration and numerous day-to-day forest management activities for clients.
. Source: Personal Résumé, 3/13.

George Tremblay taught biochemistry and was active in biomedical research at the University of Rhode Island for thirty-four years before retiring as professor of biochemistry in December 2000. He lives with his wife and two dogs on twenty-eight acres of woodlot in Charlestown, Rhode Island, near enough to the ocean to dig his own clams and satisfy the family's penchant for fresh seafood. Source: Sawmill & Woodlot Management Magazine August/September 2004: Issue No. 46, p. 16.

Shelley Tschida is the CEO of Quality Services, Inc. QSI has been providing access and recreation management services to private industrial forestland owners for the past eight years. Currently, QSI has over 1 million acres of forest land involved in custom designed active access management programs. Source: Personal Résumé, 7/08.

Wayne Tucker graduated from Oklahoma State University with a degree in Forest Management. He worked in many positions with Georgia-Pacific Corp for 28 years, mostly in forest management. He then spent 3 years with Forest Resources Association in the SouthCentral Technical Division. In January 2004, he started to work with the Mississippi Institute for Forest Inventory, which is working toward accomplishing a statewide forest inventory. Source: Personal Résumé, 7/04.

Robert A. Tufts is an Attorney and Professor Emeritus in the School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences at Auburn University. Robert has earned a B.S. and M.S. in forestry from Louisiana State University; a Ph.D. in forestry from Virginia Tech; a J.D. from Jones School of Law, Faulkner University; and an LLM (taxation) from the University of Alabama. Robert taught courses in timber taxation, estate planning, property law, choice of business entity and environmental law, as well as the Senior Capstone Project, surveying and road design and maintenance. He retired from full-time employment in February of 2015 and is currently a Visiting Professor for the Alabama Cooperative Extension System (ACES) where he presents workshops on legal issues affecting landowners primarily in the areas of estate planning, business entities and property law. Robert also has a part-time law practice limited to tax planning, estate planning, business entities and property issues. Source: Personal Résumé, 1/16.

T. Adam Tullos currently serves as the North Mississippi Wildlife Associate for the Natural Resource Enterprises Program. His position is housed at the North Mississippi Research and Extension Center in Verona, MS where he covers the Northern 41 Counties of Mississippi. Adam holds a Bachelor of Science, 1993, in Marine Biology and Environmental Science form Livingston University, and a Master of Science from Mississippi State University, 2000, from the College of Forest Resources in Forest and Wildlife Management. During his past working experience Adam has held various positions dealing with environmental monitoring, habitat restoration, and wildlife ecology. He has also worked in industry as an environmental specialist with Entergy Operations and later with Geo-science Engineering. He has also worked as a planner and field forester with two national conservation organizations, The Great Outdoors Conservancy & Ducks Unlimited, Inc., and prior to working for the Extension Service he served as a District Wildlife Biologist with the Mississippi Dept. of Wildlife, Fisheries & Parks. His current position was formulated to provide technical assistance for private landowners in the areas of wildlife and fisheries and natural resource enterprise development. Adam routinely provides expertise for the development of wildlife enterprises on private lands and assists with other topics relevant to integrating forestry, agriculture and wildlife management. Source: Personal Résumé, 4/08.

Tom Urban began his professional career in banking with Goldman, Sachs & Co. in 1988. He subsequently spent 14 years in the agricultural seeds business with Pioneer Hi-Bred and E.I. DuPont de Nemours. In May of 2004, Urban left DuPont to become the CEO of CellFor Inc. Tom received his undergraduate degree from Middlebury College and a Masters of Business Administration from Harvard University. Source: Personal Résumé, 8/04.

Zoltan van Heyningen joined the U.S. Lumber Coalition in July 2005, and has been the Executive Director of the Coalition since April 2006. Mr. van Heyningen led the Coalition during the difficult negotiations that established the U.S. – Canada Softwood Lumber Agreement. Prior to joining the Coalition, Mr. van Heyningen worked on trade policy initiatives for over a decade during his time at Dewey Ballantine LLP. Mr. van Heyningen's work at Dewey included trade policy initiatives related to various international trade disputes, including softwood lumber and seafood products, but primarily focused on trade policy issues related to the U.S. integrated steel manufacturers. Source: Personal Résumé, 7/16.

Eric D. Vance is a principal scientist with the National Council for Air and Stream Improvement (NCASI) (www.ncasi.org), a non-profit environmental research organization serving the U.S. and (now North American) forest products industry since 1943. Eric has published numerous scientific reviews, serves on advisory boards, and manages research projects in collaboration with industry, agency, and university partners on a range of sustainable forest management and productivity topics. Source: Personal Résumé, 8/10.

Charles A. "Buck" Vandersteen is Executive Director of the Louisiana Forestry Association, a private non-profit trade association promoting forestry in Louisiana. His duties also include the management of the Louisiana Forestry Foundation and the Forestry Political Action Council, ForPAC. Mr. Vandersteen is a professional forester. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in forestry from the University of Massachusetts and a Masters in Business Administration from Louisiana Tech University. He is a graduate of the Institute of Organizational Management in Association Management from Oklahoma University. Buck has served in the forest products industry in various capacities – growing, harvesting, and utilizing forest resources. He has served with the Peace Corps in Liberia, West Africa as an advisor to that government in forestry related matters. In his current activities with the Louisiana Forestry Association, Mr. Vandersteen is involved in membership development, governmental affairs, education programs, and public awareness. Mr. Vandersteen serves as secretary/treasurer of the Southern Forest Heritage Museum. On the national scene he serves as Regional Director, and Treasurer of the Alliance for American and is on the Board of Trustees for the Forest Products Industry National Labor Management Committee. He has served on the National Operating Committee of The American Tree Farm Program. Mr. Vandersteen is also active in community affairs. He currently serves on the Board of the Louisiana State University Agriculture Development Council. He represents LSU on the Council for Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching (CARET) of the National Association of State Universities. He serves on the Governor’s Task Forces on Environmental Protection and Preservation and Oversize Vehicles. He serves as Treasurer of the Louisiana Society of American Foresters. He has served on the Boards of the Central Louisiana YMCA, United Way, Louisiana Society of Association Executives, Agricultural Leaders of Louisiana, Bolton Avenue Lions Club, Dixie Girls Softball and President of the Rapides High School PTA. Mr. Vandersteen received the Distinguished Service to Forestry Award in 1996 from the Louisiana Society of American Foresters. Mr. Vandersteen is married and has two children. Source: Personal Résumé, 8/02.

Dane VanDervoort is a geologist with the Geologic Investigations Program (GIP) at the Geological Survey of Alabama (GSA), and his recent work focuses primarily on Alabama's critical and non-fuels mineral resources. Dane is a native of Georgia and he obtained his Bachelor of Science in Geology at Georgia Southern University and his Master of Science from Auburn University. His professional interests include economic and structural geology, igneous and metamorphic petrology, and geological mapping, and his professional research focuses largely on trying to decipher the early Paleozoic tectonometamorphic evolution of the Piedmont terrain in the southernmost Appalachian Mountains of east-central Alabama. Dane has been with the Geological Survey of Alabama since graduating with his MS degree in 2016, and in his current position, he serves as the Agency's Liaison for the U.S. Geological Survey's (USGS) Earth Mapping Resources Initiative Program.Source: Personal Résumé, 7/21.

Allen E. Varner is Registered Forester #1982. He has twenty-seven years forestry experience working in private industry and state government service. Twenty-four (24) years were spent with forest industry supporting the manufacturing process for a pulp and paper mill and the last several years managing state wide programs to assist private landowners achieve their forest management goals. His responsibilities with industry included: Forest Management, Landowner Assistance, Wood Procurement, & Support Staff. Varner served in both field and staff capacities managing field activities with the emphasis on site preparation and reforestation. He provided analytical and technical assistance to the forest management and paper/pulp manufacturing processes for a mill in central Alabama. Allen has been with the Alabama Forestry Commission since 9/2005. His principle program responsibilities include: Legacy, Stewardship, & Accomplishment Reporting. Source: Personal Résumé, 9/08.

Ian Vásquez is the director of the Cato Institute's Project on Global Economic Liberty. His articles have appeared in newspapers throughout the United States and Latin America.  Vásquez has appeared on CNBC, NBC, C-SPAN, Telemundo, Univisión, and Canadian Television as well as National Public Radio and Voice of America discussing foreign policy and development issues. He received his bachelor's degree from Northwestern University and his master's degree from the School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University. He is the editor of Global Fortune: The Stumble and Rise of World Capitalism (2000) and coeditor of Perpetuating Poverty: The World Bank, the IMF and the Developing World (1994). Vásquez is a term member of the Council on Foreign Relations and a member of the Mont Pèlerin Society.  Prior to joining the Cato Institute in 1992, he worked on inter-American issues at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and Caribbean/Latin American Action. Source: Personal Résumé, 5/04.

Pamela Villarreal is the National Center for Policy Analysis (NCPA) expert on retirement, Social Security, economic growth and tax issues. Villarreal has written studies and analyses on specific topics such as the danger of 401(k) borrowing, Social Security disability, the expiration of tax cuts and the future of Social Security and Medicare. She authored and co-authored numerous publications on diverse topics such as medical malpractice reform, Medicaid reform, the estate tax, smart growth policies, monetary policy and teacher pay. One of her studies, "Wealth, Inheritance and the Estate Tax" was coauthored with noted economist Jagadeesh Gokhale. She also has written "The Coming Tax Tsunami" and "Would you Benefit from a Roth IRA," among other reports.
     Villarreal's work on the NCPA's 401(k) borrowing calculator and the negative consequences to borrowing from a 401(k) has been recognized by media throughout the country. Among those was Kathy Kristof, the award-winning personal finance columnist with The Los Angeles Times.
     Villarreal routinely shares her insight with media outlets throughout the country, including The Washington Post, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and Newsday. She also has written commentaries that have appeared in the Washington Times and the Ft. Worth Star-Telegram, and provides interviews for radio stations in major markets.
     Villarreal has bachelor's and master's degrees in Applied Economics from the University of Texas at Dallas. Source: www.ncpa.org/about/pamela-villarreal, 3/09.

Neil Waer, Associate Director, Préceda Education & Training and Wildlife Biologist, Préceda Wildlife & Forest Management Services, received a BS in Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences from Texas A&M University and a MS in Wildlife Science from Auburn University, and will receive a PhD in Wildlife Science from Auburn University Summer 2000. Neil is a Certified Wildlife Biologist and has worked as a private wildlife management consultant for eight years, specializing in the development and management of wildlife and timber resources on private hunting lands.  Source: Préceda Education & Training Course Description, 3/00.

Frank Walburn is Senior Vice President, Timber Fund Manager, Regions Morgan Keegan Trust, Birmingham, Alabama. Mr. Walburn comes to Regions from AmSouth Bank, which he joined in August 2003. Prior to joining AmSouth, Mr. Walburn worked at MacMillan Bloedel, Inc. where he began as a field forester, moved to sawmill and plywood mill management and ultimately became Woodlands Manager for over 400,000 acres of timberland. Mr. Walburn holds a B.S. in Forest Management from Auburn University and has served as President and Chairman of the Board for the Alabama Forestry Association and as Chairman of the Alabama Division of the Society of American Foresters. He currently serves on the Alabama Board of Registration for Foresters. Source: Personal Résumé, 1/10.

Mike Walker received an electrical degree at Gadsden State College and a degree in industrial maintenance from Marshall County Technical School. He has worked as a maintenance man, supervisor, and later manager at a local poultry plant, where he managed the plant for the next 21 years. When Davis Lee started building Lee Energy Solutions, a biomass facility in Crossville, Alabama, Mike transferred as plant manager and has been there for 8 years. Mike is married to Charlene Walker and has 2 grown children and a dog named Tucker. He likes to spend his spare time playing with his grandson and playing golf. Source: Personal Résumé, 4/14.

Lawrence E. Wall has a unique background to be able to address Estate Planning issues today. He graduated with a degree in Forest Management in 1980 and worked in the field for 7 years with the MS Forestry Commission. While there, Larry brought the county from dead last in the state (82nd) to consistently being in the Top 10 programs. From there he was with various bank trust companies assigned to roles such as an estate planner, a trust and estate administrator, a regional manager, and a bank-wide manager for all charitable trusts and private foundations. Since 2002, Larry has been a personal financial advisor with designations as a Certified Financial Planner and a Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy. Today, he directs WealthArc Advisors where his work focuses on “For Generations to Come.” Source: Personal Résumé, 3/23.

Howe Q. Wallace has served as Chief Executive Officer of PalletOne since its inception in 2001. Previously, he was the Executive Vice President of Human Resources for IFCO Systems North America, Chief Human Resources Officer for PalEx, Inc., and Director of Human Resources for Ridge Pallets, Inc. Wallace holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Florida and a master’s degree from the College of Education at Michigan State University. Since 2005, he has been sharing his thoughts on the organization, leadership, and communication in an online daily note to teammates called Daily with HQ. More than 50 of his notes were recently compiled in a Field Guide, available at Amazon.com.

Marc A. Walley graduated from Auburn University with a degree in Forest Management in 1985. He started his forestry career with Scott Paper Company in Mobile, Alabama where he held positions in timberland operations and management. He has been with Forest Investment Associates (FIA) since 1994 where he is Executive Vice President, leading the Portfolio Management Team which has responsibility for timberland management, land sale and disposition activities and client relationship management. FIA is a Registered Investment Advisor headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia and acquires and manages timberland for institutional investors. The firm operates in 20 U.S. states and in Brazil managing approximately 2.5 million acres of timberland with a market value exceeding $4 billion. FIA is an employee-owned company and is recognized within the industry for its high standards and strong culture. Marc is a member of the Board of Directors at FIA as well as the Executive and Investment Committees. He is a member of the Auburn School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences Advisory Council and chairman of the school’s Campaign Leadership Team, and is on the Board of Directors of the Longleaf Alliance, a conservation organization dedicated to the restoration and conservation of longleaf pine forests. Marc is a Registered Forester and member of the Society of American Foresters and speaks frequently at conferences, forestry schools and civic groups on the subject of forest management, timberland investments and conservation. He is a deacon at First Baptist Church of Roswell, Georgia and is married to Penny, also an Auburn grad. They have two daughters, Adrienne and Madison, and reside in Milton, Georgia. Source: Personal Résumé, 3/15.

Noreen Walsh is the Deputy Assistant Regional Director for Ecological Services with the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Southeastern Region. The Fish and Wildlife Service is a Federal agency within the Department of the Interior whose mission is to work with others to conserve fish and wildlife and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. Ms. Walsh received a B.S. and M.S. in wildlife biology from Michigan State University and Colorado State University, respectively, and has worked for the Fish and Wildlife Service for 13 years. She has been involved with Endangered Species Act policy issues for the past eight years, and was in the Service's headquarters office in Arlington, Virginia before coming to the southeast. In addition to endangered species issues, Ms. Walsh's program responsibilities within the Ecological Service's Division include working with States and other Federal agencies to review impacts of projects on fish and wildlife and providing technical advice and assistance to private landowners. Source: Personal Résumé, 5/03.

Dr. Linda Wang is a forest taxation specialist with the USDA Forest Service, a national resource located in Atlanta, Georgia. She is responsible for timber tax education to foresters, landowners, loggers and tax professionals and attorneys. She is the co-author of the frequently used Tax Tips for Forest Landowners for the 2006 Tax Year. She is also involved in timber tax policy studies and assessment. She has a Ph.D. degree in forest economics, master and undergraduate degree in taxation and a CPA certificate from Washington State. Source: Personal Résumé, 8/07.

Mike Ward: "I am a native Mobilian, a local business owner and an avid outdoorsman. It is my love for the great outdoors that ultimately led me into the real estate business, specifically, land and timber.
     "In 1976, my dad, Fred Ward and I opened Ward's Sporting Goods. It has been a successful business and has served Mobile with the best hunting and fishing products for 30 years. Owning this business gave me the opportunity to meet people who enjoy hunting and fishing as much as I do, like Mike and Sheree Dees. I learned how to be of service to our customers and give them products that would make hunting and fishing enjoyable. It also gave me the opportunity to be associated with organizations like: the National Wild Turkey Federation, Coastal Conservation Association, Alabama Wildlife Federation, Southern Kingfish Association and the Mobile Big Game Fishing Club and others.
     "From 1989 until 1996, I co-hosted a weekly one hour live television show called the Mobile Sportsman. We traveled around the local area filming hunting and fishing events, aired it on the show and then answered callers' questions. Now, every Thursday at noon, I co-host a weekly radio show on WNSP 105.5FM, with Wayne Gardner and Sean Sullivan.
     "I really enjoy everything I do and do everything I enjoy with determination and commitment. That is why when you do business with SOUTHERN TIMBERLANDS, you'll be doing business with people who are dedicated to our profession and; who like myself, have that same spirit of commitment and determination to help you obtain that perfect piece of property to suit your family or business plan." Source: www.southerntimberlands.com, 7/08.

Neil A. Ward is Vice President, Public Affairs with the Forest Resources Association. Neil joined the FRA staff in 1982. As Vice President, Public Affairs, he is the point man for the 82-year-old Association's public policy, external affairs, and communications functions, working out of FRA’s national office in Washington, DC. Neil edits the quarterly Forest Operations Review and the electronic FRA Bulletin, and he oversees the Association's web site at www.forestresources.org, as well as several related web projects. Apart from his other responsibilities, including as an advocate for the Association’s policy positions, he serves as staff liaison for FRA's national Public Policy/Advocacy Committee, Supplier/Consumer Relations Committee, and Bio-Energy Task Group.
     Neil's background is in the arts and letters. He holds a BA in theater arts and German literature from Brown University and an MFA in playwriting from Carnegie-Mellon. Source: Personal Résumé, 7/16.

Bob Warren is a Certified Wildlife Biologist who serves as Professor of Wildlife Ecology and Management in the University of Georgia Warnell School of Forest Resources. Since 1974, Bob has conducted research on wildlife physiology, reproduction and nutrition, mostly focused on wildlife populations in parks and urban/suburban areas. Source: The University of Georgia Continuing Education Course Description, 7/00

Portrice Warren is a teacher in the Birmingham City Schools system, where she has been teaching since 1997. She received a Bachelor of Science degree in Child Development from the University of Montevallo, a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education from Miles College, and a Masters of Arts in Curriculum Instruction and Technology from Grand Canyon University. Source: Personal Résumé, 11/22

Garrett Watson is a Senior Policy Analyst at the Tax Foundation, where he conducts research on federal and state tax policy. His work has been featured in The Washington Post, The Atlantic, Politico, the Associated Press, and other major outlets. Previously, Garrett was a program manager at the R Street Institute and conducted policy research on economic opportunity and labor markets, including non-compete clause reform. Garrett earned a bachelor's degree from St. Lawrence University in upstate New York, where he studied economics and philosophy. Garrett lives near Fayetteville, Arkansas, and is an avid hockey fan and snowboarder. Source: Personal Résumé, 10/21

Lawrence Reed Watson, Jr. is the executive director at Property and Environment Research Center. His research focuses on the implementation of market-based solutions to natural resource conflicts focusing particularly on public lands, water, and wildlife issues. With Terry Anderson and Brandon Scarborough, he co-authored Tapping Water Markets (RFF Press, 2012).
     Watson holds a J.D. and M.A. in Environmental Economics from Duke University and a B.S. in Economics from Clemson University. Watson lives in Bozeman with his wife, son, and dog. He is an avid outdoorsman and enjoys trail running, skiing, and hunting. Source: www.perc.org/staff/reed-watson, 5/16.

Richard Watson is an international expert in electronic commerce. He has authored several books including Metamorphosis: A Guide to the World Wide Web & Electronic Commerce, Data Management: Databases and Organizations, and Electronic Commerce: The Strategic Perspective. His work has been translated into Portuguese, Chinese, German, and Dutch. Dr. Watson is a Professor of MIS in the Terry College of Business at the University of Georgia. His research interests include electronic commerce, management of the information systems function, and national culture and MIS. He is the inaugural chair of the Academic Advisory Committee of ezgov.com, on the board of advisors of SelfhelpWeb.com, and Director of the Terry College's Center for Information Systems Leadership. In ten years at the University of Georgia, Dr. Watson has been recognized eight times for the quality of his teaching. He has given invited presentations in more than a dozen countries for companies such as IBM, 3M, PowerGen, Telenor, and Apple. Source: The University of Georgia Continuing Education Course Description, 5/00.

Michael M. Weathers is the Chief of Enforcement for the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries Division. Michael began his career with the department in 1999 as a Conservation Enforcement Officer stationed in Chambers County. He has worked as a game warden across the state and has been the Chief of Enforcement since 2016. He has degrees in Criminal Justice and English from Jacksonville State University and lives in Shelby County with his wife Stephanie and their two children Addie and Jackson.

John Weir is currently a research associate on the faculty of the Natural Resource Ecology and Management Department at Oklahoma State University. Prior to that he was the superintendent of the OSU Research Range for 16 years. He teaches two prescribed fire courses, conducts fire ecology research and has extension responsibilities relating to prescribed fire training and prescribed burn associations. In the past 20 years he has conducted over 750 prescribed burns in vegetation ranging from shortgrass prairie to Oak-Pine forest in four states. He also has a book coming out in October titled Conducted Prescribed Fires: A Comprehensive Manual. It is being published through Texas A&M University Press. Source: Personal Résumé, 7/09.

Paul D. Wellborn: In 1962, my brother, Doug Wellborn, and I founded Wellborn Cabinet, Inc., in Ashland, Alabama. The company began in a small service station where we began manufacturing low-cost cabinetry for contract sales of government-financed housing. In 1986, I purchased the company to become sole owner and changed the marketing strategy to focus mostly on residential kitchen and bath dealers and distributors. The company is family owned and operated. My wife and 5 children all work for Wellborn Cabinet, Inc. Each bring success to the business. Wellborn offers 2,757 door style and finish combinations and the facility size has grown to 2 million square feet. Source: Personal Résumé, 6/08.

Gene Wengert has been active in the forest products industry for over 40 years and is well known for his ability to translate the complex into easily understood, practical operating procedures. He has managed a mill in Virginia and has taught practical hardwood sawing, edging, and trimming for 15 years. He has written numerous texts and magazine articles and columns (including monthly contributions to Southern Lumberman and to Sawmill and Woodlot Management). He is also the technical advisor to the Sawing and Drying Discussion Board at www.woodweb.com. Prior to starting The Wood Doctor's Rx, LLC, Gene was an extension specialist at the University of Wisconsin and Virginia Tech for 25 years and with the US Forest Service for 15 years. Source: LSU AgCenter Research & Extension Continuing Education Course Description, 7/00. 

Gregory William West graduated from Auburn University in 1973 with a B.S. in Forest Management. Greg is a self-employed consulting forester, Alabama Registered Forester #961, and a contract logger. Source: Personal Résumé, 4/17.

Ben Westfall is a Deer Outreach Specialist with the National Deer Association where he provides guidance to landowners and hunters on wildlife management, establishes and supports wildlife management cooperatives, assists with Chronis Wasting Disease outreach, and helps manage NDA's education and certification programs. Ben originally comes from Missouri where he worked as the biologist for a private free-range deer management property before joining the NDA. Source: Personal Résumé, 6/21.

E. P. "Buck" Whatley, Jr. is a landowner, real estate developer, and retired Episcopal Priest in Hale County, Alabama. He and his son own and operate the Magnolia Restaurant, Greensboro. In 1989, he successfully organized fellow landowners under the title, "North Hale County Landowners Association", a group representing 64,000 acres and successfully leased to ARCO and Victory Resources for methane/oil exploration and drilling. That same group was successful in having internet services brought to North Hale County, opposed and prevailed in an attempt to annex farm land into town limits - an action which would have raised taxes and provided few, if any, benefits - and today is working with part of same group in getting better deal from gas/oil leases. Source: Personal Résumé, 8/05.

Ernest Whatley was born and raised in Beauregard, Alabama. He is a retired dairy farmer who held the honor of having the highest producing herd of dairy cows in the state in 1989. He is married with three children, one of whom does woodworking and furniture, mostly out of Alabama wood. He runs a 4-wheeler track in Opelika in addition to leasing land to hunters. Source: Personal Résumé, 6/04.

Andy Whitaker is the Publisher and Editor of Wildlife Trends Journal based out of Montgomery, Alabama. He is a graduate of Troy University and has been the Owner of Wildlife Trends since it’s beginnings in 2001. Wildlife Trends is a bi-monthly publication offering research based wildlife management information to landowners and land mangers throughout the southeast. Source: Personal Résumé, 1/09.

Ben Whitaker received a B.S. in 2007 from Auburn University in forest management and is expected to complete a M.S. in 2009 from Auburn University in tree physiology and forestry. Forestry work experience includes an internship for the D. W. McMillan Trust located in Brewton, Alabama and various supporting roles for the Tree Physiology Laboratory directed by Dr. Lisa Samuelson at Auburn University. Source: Personal Résumé, 4/09.

Jaime White is Administration Officer of The Ridge Riding Club. Happily married for 13 years to Jason White (one of the 2 owners of The Ridge), mother of 2 children. Enjoys outdoor activities such as ATV riding, snow skiing, hiking, boating, and most recently gardening. Quiet times include a good cup of coffee and a great book. Source: Personal Résumé, 5/08.

Ira Jay Whitehead is a Supervisory Special Agent assigned to the Agriculture and Rural Crime Unit of the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency. Jay has been with the unit since it was created in 2013. Prior to working in the unit, he was assigned to the Alabama Department of Public Safety’s Motor Carrier Unit. Sgt. Whitehead has been in law enforcement for approximately 24 years. Source: Personal Résumé, 1/15.

Dan Whiting is the Director of Communications for the National Alliance of Forest Owners. He previously served as Chief of Staff for the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service. Prior to this appointment, he served for 11 years on the staff of U.S. Senator Larry Craig, R-Idaho, advising him on natural resource policy, representing him in North Idaho, and working as his press secretary and then communications director. Source: Personal Résumé, 3/11.

Gregory N. Whitis is an Extension Aquaculture Specialist and Associate Professor in the School of Aquatic Sciences and Aquaculture at Auburn University. He has been at Auburn for thirty-three years. He works primarily with Alabama's catfish industry out of the Alabama Fish Farming Center in Greensboro. He also assists recreational pond owners in west Alabama. He has earned degrees from Iowa State University and Auburn. Gregory is married and has two grown sons. He owns a Treasure Forest in Hale County.

Carl P. Wiedemann retired as General Manager of Forest Parks with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. Carl has forestry degrees from Syracuse and Oregon State. He is “family forest owner” of an 83 acre woodlot in upstate New York since 1980. Carl is a member of the New York Forest Owners Association and the Society of American Foresters. Source: Personal Résumé, 9/12.

T. Bently Wigley is Manager of the Sustainable Forestry Research Program for the National Council for Air and Stream Improvement, Inc. (NCASI), a non-profit research organization that addresses environmental issues of importance to the forest products industry. Through research and other activities, NCASI develops technical information that helps the forest products industry meet its environmental goals including the sustainable management of forests. Dr. Wigley has a B.S. in forestry and M.S. and Ph.D. in wildlife ecology, all from Mississippi State University. He also serves as an adjunct faculty member at several major land-grant universities in the South. Source: Personal Résumé, 3/13.

George F. Will is one of the most widely recognized, and widely read, writers in the world. With more than 450 newspapers, his biweekly Newsweek column, and his appearances as a political commentator on ABC, Will may be the most influential writer in America.
    Will began his syndicated column with The Writers Group on January 1, 1974, just four months after The Writers Group was founded by Ben Bradlee and Katharine Graham. Two years later Will started his back-page Newsweek column.
    In 1977, he won the Pulitzer Prize for commentary, for his newspaper columns, and garnered awards for his Newsweek columns, including a finalist citation in the Essays and Criticism category of the 1979 National Magazine Awards competition. He was also the recipient of a 1978 National Headliners Award for his "consistently outstanding special features columns" appearing in Newsweek. A column on New York City's finances earned him a 1980 Silurian Award for Editorial Writing. In January 1985, The Washington Journalism Review named Will "Best Writer, Any Subject." He was named among the 25 most influential Washington journalists by the National Journal in 1997.
    Today Will serves as a contributing analyst with ABC News and has been a regular member of ABC's "This Week" on Sunday mornings since 1981.
   Will was born in Champaign, Illinois, and was educated at Trinity College in Hartford, and Oxford and Princeton universities. Prior to entering journalism, Will taught political philosophy at Michigan State University and the University of Toronto, and served on the staff of U.S. Sen. Gordon Allott. Until becoming a columnist for Newsweek, Will was Washington editor of the National Review, a leading conservative journal of ideas and political commentary.  Copyright 2007, Washington Post Writers Group, 1150 15th St., NW, Washington, D.C. 20071

Bob Williams has been a forester since the mid 1970s; he worked for ten years in the state of Washington. Now for the past twenty five years Bob has been a consultant forester helping several hundred landowners in southern New Jersey with the management of their private forests. He has worked extensively on trying to keep a forest policy that continues to permit forestry as a permitted land use. For several years Bob has been writing extensively for the advocacy of forest management. He is the owner and president of Pine Creek Forestry LLC. Our lands are primarily located in the Pinelands National Reserve. Bob is also working with New Jersey Audubon on the first reintroduction of wild quail from Georgia onto a private forest here in New Jersey. Source: Personal Résumé, 5/16.

Chris J. Williams is a Certified Public Accountant and Tax Manager for Jamison, Money, Farmer and Company, P.C. Chris specializes in preparing and reviewing tax returns for businesses, individuals, estates, trusts, and non-profit organizations with a special focus on Timber, Oil, and Gas Taxes. He is an expert advisor in general business consulting, income tax planning and estate planning. He acts as an advisor and mentor to many of the new professional accounting staff and assists in the management and maintenance of tax software. His educational background includes a B.S. in Commerce and Business Administration and an M.S. in Tax Accounting at the University of Alabama. Professional Affiliations include American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, The Alabama Society of Certified Public Accountants, the Alabama Forest Owners' Association, and The National Association of Certified Valuation Analysts. Civic and Community Activities include Past Corporate Sponsor Chairman, DCH Help & Hope Funds annual Barbeque and Blue Jeans, Board member and former Treasurer, Children’s Hands on Museum of Tuscaloosa, Member and former Board Member, Kiwanis Club of Tuscaloosa, Member and Current Treasurer, Druid City Business League, and Current Treasurer, Verner Elementary School PTA. Source: Personal Résumé, 11/14.

Ellen Williams is a retired secondary English teacher and author of a political novel, "Bedford, a World Vision." She has done rather extensive speaking to historical organizations across the state. She is a political activist who generally opposes raising taxes and believes state government should be more accountable. Source: Personal Résumé, 4/04.

Mike Williams is Director of Strategy & Planning for the Westervelt Company, the parent of Westervelt Renewable Energy, LLC. Founded in 1884, Westervelt owns over 500,000 acres of land with interests in timber, lumber, minerals, real estate, ecological services, renewable energy, and forest recreation. Westervelt Renewable Energy focuses on conversion of renewable raw materials to produce electric power and solid wood fuel products. Mike is the Project Manager for the Aliceville Pellet Plant, serves on the board of directors for the U.S. Industrial Pellet Association and is an advisory board member for London-based Earth Capital Partners LLP Latin America Timber Investment Fund. Mike holds a BS degree from Morehead State University and is a certified Six Sigma Black Belt. Source: Personal Résumé, 4/12.

Pete Williams is a writer, author and broadcaster who since 2013 has served as editor of Forest Landowner magazine. The Virginia native and University of Virginia graduate began his career as a USA Today sportswriter and is the author or co-author of 21 books, including Mark Verstegen's landmark "Core Performance" fitness series and maverick marketer Mike Veeck's "Fun is Good' business motivational book. Williams specializes in helping busy professionals and families tell their stories in book form. An avid endurance sports athlete, Williams lives in Central Florida with his wife and two sons. Source: Personal Résumé, 11/15.

John L. Willis graduated with a Ph.D. in Forestry and Evolutionary Ecology from Michigan State University. John previously worked as an Assistant Professor of Silviculture and Forest Ecology in the Department of Forestry at Mississippi State University. Currently, Dr. Willis works as a Research Forester with the United States Forest Service in Auburn, Alabama. His research focuses on the direct and indirect effects of silvicultural manipulation on stand dynamics and ecosystem functioning. Source: Personal Résumé, 5/21.

Bart J. Wilson is Professor of Economics and Law and the Donald P. Kennedy Endowed Chair of Economics and Law at Chapman University. His research explores the origins of property and the human propensity to truck, barter, and exchange. He also studies how Adam Smith’s ideas in The Theory of Moral Sentiments and Wealth of Nations can inform the modern study and interpretation of economics. Another of his research programs compares social decision making in humans, apes, and monkeys. He is the author of The Property Species: Mine, Yours, and the Human Mind, published by Oxford University Press, and co-author of Humanomics: Moral Sentiments and the Wealth of Nations for the Twenty-First Century, published by Cambridge University Press. Source: Personal Résumé, 1/21

Ed Wilson is educated in Forestry with a Bachelor of Science in Forest Resource Management and a Master of Science in Forestry Economics from West Virginia University and a Ph.D. in Industrial Forestry Operations from Virginia Tech. He is vice-president of Outdoor Underwriters, Inc. located in Columbia, South Carolina, and specializes in timber and landowner insurance programs. He has been involved with forestry and landowner liability programs since 1990. Source: Personal Résumé, 9/21.

Orman R. Wilson is a Certified Public Accountant with the firm, JamisonMoneyFarmer PC. He focuses on providing estate tax planning and compliance services primarily to trust clients. With more than 22 years of experience in public accounting, he also assists clients with corporate, partnership, and individual income tax return reporting, as well as complex issues surrounding tax reporting matters. Orman's educational background includes a B.A. in Mathematical Statistics, a B.S. in Accounting and a Masters in Tax Accounting, all from the University of Alabama. He holds memberships in the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Alabama Society of Certified Public Accountants (ASCPA). Orman was the President of the Tuscaloosa Chapter of ASCPA, the President of the Tuscaloosa Estate Planning Council, Board member and Past President of the Big Brothers Big Sisters of West Alabama, a member and past president of the Tuscaloosa Exchange Club, and a Graduate of  Leadership Tuscaloosa. Source: Personal Résumé, 2/24.

Josh Windham is an attorney at the Institute for Justice, a national public-interest law firm dedicated to the protection of constitutional rights, including private property rights. Josh is currently representing two Tennessee property owners in a constitutional challenge to a state law that allows wildlife officers to search their properties without a warrant.

Jan Witt is retired from owning a catering business and has 3 grown children. Her family owns a farm in St. Clair county. Source: Personal Résumé, 4/14.

Amanda Wood acquired a B.S. in Wildlife Management from the University of Georgia and a M.S. in Wildlife Science from Auburn University. Amanda owns Woodlands & Wildlife Consultants, LLC providing wildlife and timber consulting services to private landowners. Source: Personal Résumé, 8/04.

Grant Woods was raised in the Ozark Mountains of Missouri. Grant was schooled at Southwest Missouri State, University of Georgia, and Clemson University. For the past 15 years, Woods has directed a wildlife research and management consulting firm that serves corporate, university, agency, and private clients throughout the white-tailed deer’s range. Grant recently coauthored a book titled Deer Management 101 - Manage Your Way to Better Hunting. Source: Personal Résumé, 11/04.

Lois Cason Wooten was reared on her father's  farm in Dooly County, Georgia. The farm was engaged in tree farming, timber harvesting, and had a mill operation. Her father was also a merchant and owned a cotton gin. Lois attended local schools and graduated from the University of Georgia. She served as a trustee of the University of Georgia Foundation and is currently an emeritus trustee. Lois is married to Frank Wooten, who was president of Kaiser Agricultural Chemical Company and founder of G & C Fertilizer Company. Lois  manages their farms, which are all in natural forests or planted pines. Lois is associated with Four Seasons Travel in Savannah, and she and Frank have one daughter and two grandchildren. Source: Personal Résumé, 2/04.

Robert C. Wright is a 1969 forestry graduate of the University of Tennessee. Bob worked as a service forester, area forester, and district forester with the Tennessee Division of Forestry until 1975. For a brief period Bob was employed as a farm and acreage real estate auctioneer (1975-76). Since then he has been employed by the Tennessee Division of Forestry as a staff forester working in forest products utilization and marketing. Source: Personal Résumé, 11/01.

Russell A. Wright: Rusty Wright received an undergraduate degree from University of North Carolina – Asheville, Masters from NC State. Rusty worked on fish interactions in the estuaries for his thesis research. For his PhD he attended the University of Wisconsin - Madison where he worked on largemouth bass growth and recruitment. After finishing the PhD, he spent some time in a post-doctoral research position at Ohio State until he joined the faculty in the Fisheries Department at Auburn University in 1997. His position is split 3 ways among extension, teaching, and research. As an Extension Specialist he provides information to the public about a variety of areas including fishing, recreational fish pond management, and aquatic natural resources in general. He teaches 2 courses and his research program involves projects in ponds, reservoirs, and the Mobile-Tensaw Delta. Faculty webpage: http://www.ag.auburn.edu/fish/directory/faculty/wright.php Source: Personal Résumé, 5/08.

Mark Wyatt is employed as a geologist in AmSouth's Natural Resources and Real Estate Department in Mobile, Alabama where he manages over 1.5 million acres of mineral rights located primarily in the Southeastern U.S. for private landowners, corporations, estates, trusts and foundations. His responsibilities include the leasing, development and appraisal of mineral rights. He earned a Bachelors of Science degree in geology from the University of Alabama and has 27 years of experience in the mining and petroleum industry. He is a Certified Professional Geologist and licensed in the states of Alabama and Mississippi. He is a member of AIPG, AAPG, AAPL and the Society of Petroleum Engineers. Source: Personal Résumé, 02/03.

Michael Wydner grew up in south Alabama (Dothan), where hobbies included hunting, fishing and anything sports related. Michael is the son of Jerry Wydner, and nephew of John Wydner, both owners of Hunter Safety System. Michael has assumed the role of National Sales Manager with the company, and is responsible for all sales activity. HSS is currently sold at over 2,000 retailers throughout the US, Canada and Europe. Michael manages a team of 22 sales reps that call on this vast array of dealers. As is the case with most small companies, Michael may be negotiating terms with a Big Box retailer one day, and unloading trucks the next. “I cannot fully express how much I love my job, and love the industry in which I work. Every day presents new opportunities to swap hunting stories, share tips and tactics, as well as preach safety to our fellow hunters. Having the opportunity to make a difference in people’s lives is incredibly rewarding, and being able to do it in an industry which I'm passionate about is just the icing on the cake. I've been blessed in more ways than I deserve.” Source: Personal Résumé, 11/14.

G. Kenneth Xydias is a quantitative silviculturalist who joined Resource Management Service in 1989. He is responsible for creating economic models of timberland acquisitions and for making performance projections for forestland managed by Resource Management Service. He is also responsible for the technical aspects of timber inventory, as well as growth and yield systems and silvicultural technology transfer. Ken has written at least 15 scientific articles for a variety of publications, including The Consultant, Forest Science, USDA General Technical Reports, the B. W. Baruch Forest Science Institute of Clemson University, School of Forest Resources at the University of Florida and American Pulpwood Association Technical Papers. Ken was a division research forester with Continental Forest Investments and a technical services supervisor with Stone Forest Products before joining RMS. He holds a B.S. and M.S. from the State University College of Forestry in Syracuse, New York. Source: Personal Résumé, 8/01.

Weihuan Xu is the Principal Economist of Texas Forest Service. He has been working for Texas Forest Service since 1998 and coordinates the economic development and forest inventory and analysis program of the agency. He holds a Ph.D. in Forest Resource/Economics and M.A. in Economics from the University of Washington, and a Master in Forest Economics from Chinese Academy of Forestry. He was a research scientist at the Chinese Academy of Forestry in 1991-1993 and a forester in Anhui province of China in 1983-1988. Source: Personal Résumé, 1/03.

Bob Yates received a degree in Animal Science from Auburn University and worked as a researcher, a teacher, a 4-H agent and a farm journalist. Upon the death of his father in 1970, he returned to the family farm near Woodland, Alabama. His farm interests include timber, cattle and poultry. He farms 2,000 acres, owned and leased. Source: Personal Résumé, 4/02.

Noel S. Yoho is a forest ecologist with degrees in forest management, wildlife management and forest ecology from West Virginia University and The University of Tennessee.  In 1985, following an eighteen-year career with International Paper Company, Mr. Yoho established a forest consulting business providing a range of services to forest landowners and specializing in herbicide technology, prescribed burning, and optimizing timber/wildlife productivity.  He has authored numerous publications in these areas of expertise. Source: Personal Résumé, 4/04.

William Preston York, MBA, is the owner/operator of FlowMotion Trail Builders LLC, located in Anniston, Alabama. He has been a professional trail building contractor for over 6 years and is a licensed General Contractor in Alabama with a $1,000,000 bid limit, specializing in Recreational Trail Construction. During this period, Preston has performed Multi-Use trail design and construction of over 100 miles in 18 unique locations in 5 states. Preston specializes in National Interscholastic Cycling Association compliant trails, tight and technical, Flow trail, gravity trail, jump lines, rock armoring and alternate features, water crossings, Green, Blue and Black sweet single track. Source: https://trailbuilders.silkstart.com/companies/flowmotion-trail-builders-llc, 4/22.

Cetin Yuceer is an assistant professor in the Department of Forestry at Mississippi State University. He received his Ph.D. from the same institution in 2002. Part of his research focuses on interactions between pine beetles and other organisms to understand survival strategies of beetles. The research team's long-term goal is to develop affordable and environmentally safe technologies for managing beetle populations. Source: Personal Résumé, 1/09.

Jim Zeigler has worked as an elder-care planner for senior citizens and veterans. He has a plan to turn the State Auditor’s office into a monitor of how our tax dollars are spent in Montgomery.
     Zeigler was born in Sylacauga, Alabama, where his father, Bloise Zeigler, was longtime Mayor of the town of Oak Grove, and he served twice as Chairman of East Alabama Regional Planning Commission.
     Jim Zeigler was led to Christ and baptized by pastor, William K. Weaver, who became the founding President of the University of Mobile. Zeigler earned a degree in Public Administration from the University of Alabama, where he was President of the Student Government Association. He served on the University of Alabama Athletic Committee along with Coach Paul “Bear” Bryant.
     Zeigler served on the Alabama Public Service Commission and twice as delegate to the Republican National Convention. He is married to Jackie Zeigler, longtime Principal of award-winning Mary B. Austin Elementary School in Mobile. They have two teenage children: James Baldwin “Win” Zeigler and Mary Magdalene “Maggie” Zeigler. Source: http://auditor.alabama.gov/bioJim.aspx, 5/15.

Yanli Zhang received his Ph.D. in Forestry in 2006 from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Dr. Zhang has been assistant professor at the Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture of Stephen F. Austin State University since 2009. He teaches six GIS related courses: Surveying and Mapping, Introduction to GIS, GIS Application, GIS Database Management, GIS Programming, and GIS for Water Resources. His research mainly focuses on GIS and its application in water resources and GIS programming. Software he has developed includes: watershed management decision support system, soil erosion modeling tool, LiDAR data processing tool, plant pattern analysis tool, traverse computation tool, and several web GIS application sites. As the corresponding author or co-author, he has published eleven peer reviewed papers, one book chapter, one proceeding, and eight technical papers for The Forestry Source. Source: Personal Résumé, 5/14.

Douglas Ziebach is a procurement forester with Ziebach & Webb Timber Co., Inc. Ziebach grew up in the timber business with his father, a Registered Forester in Alabama who has been owning and actively working in a wood dealership since 1979.  Ziebach was born in Mobile in 1969, but was raised in Monroeville, where he lives today. He is a 1995 graduate of Auburn University with a B.S. in Forest Resources.  He is a Registered Forester in Alabama, and shares responsibility for procuring, supervising logging, & marketing privately owned timber in Central & South Alabama, & North West Florida. Source: Personal Résumé, 4/04.

Biographical Information About Speakers/Instructors: A-C, D-I, J-Q