Board - Staff

Board of Directors

The Pacific Forest Trust's Board is a highly experienced and respected group of business and forestry leaders who are actively engaged guiding PFT's planning and projects.

Timothy N. Taylor, Co-Chair. Mr. Taylor is currently President and CEO of Built-e, Inc., a distributor of sustainable building materials through its store (the Environmental Home Center), call center, and website. Prior to forming Built-e, Mr. Taylor was the President and CEO of Laird Norton Company LLC. He also was a founding member of the Investors' Circle and serves on several other not-for-profit boards related to environmental, forestry and conservation issues.

Walter Sedgwick, Co-Chair. Mr. Sedgwick is the Vice-Chairman of Tall Timbers Research, Inc., and a forest landowner dedicated to restoring and maintaining the southern long leaf pine ecosystem. He has more than 20 years of experience in managing family forestlands and has a strong interest in demonstrating the economic viability of stewardship forestry.

William W. Stelle, Jr., Vice Chair. Mr. Stelle leads the Endangered Species Act Practice Group for the law firm of Preston, Gates & Ellis. Previously, Mr. Stelle served as Northwest Regional Director for the National Marine Fisheries Service; Associate Director for Natural Resources with the President’s Office on Environmental Policy; special assistant to the Secretary of the Interior; chief counsel and general counsel to the U.S. House of Representatives with responsibility for the National Environmental Policy Act. He holds law degrees in Natural Resource Law and Coastal and Marine Law from the University of Washington and the University of Maine respectively.

Charles Swindells, Treasurer. Mr. Swindells graduated from Northwestern School of Law and is an attorney who specializes in land conservation and development law. Prior to starting his solo practice, he was a staff attorney with 1000 Friends of Oregon, a lobbying group for forestland and farmland conservation. His other commitments on non-profit boards include serving as Board President of Friends of Trees, which focuses on urban forest replanting and maintenance. He is himself a woodland owner and manager.

Andrea Tuttle, Secretary. Ms. Tuttle served as Director of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CDF) from March 1999 to June 2004. Ms. Tuttle also served as Chair of the California Fire Alliance, member of the National Association of State Foresters (NASF) and Western States Forestry Leadership Coalition. Other service includes the California Coastal Commission and Northcoast Regional Water Quality Control Board. Her education includes a BA in biological sciences and Ph.D. in environmental policy from UC Berkeley.

Laurie A. Wayburn, Co-founder and President. Ms. Wayburn has over 20 years experience in conservation-based sustainable development both nationally and internationally. She serves on several boards to further conservation and stewardship including the Land Trust Alliance and the Sustainable Forestry Board. A frequent speaker and writer on the values of sustaining our nation's forests, she is co-author of America's Private Forests. She has also sought to further private forests through involvement with the Seventh American Forest Congress, University of California Center for Forestry, Oregon Board of Forestry Incentives Group and Society of American Forests Certification Task Force.

Constance Best, Co-founder and Managing Director. A recognized leader in advancing strategies that harness the power of commerce to accomplish conservation objectives, Ms. Best is the principal author of America's Private Forests: Status and Stewardship (Island Press 2001) and “Capital Markets and Sustainable Forestry: Opportunities for Investment." Prior to creating the Pacific Forest Trust, Ms. Best founded and managed the company that created America’s first all-natural soda and in the process revolutionized the soft drink business. She was PFT's founding chair and has served on the boards of the American Forest Foundation, Ecotrust, the Land Trust Alliance, Anderson Valley Land Trust and Investors' Circle.

William H. Banzhaf. Mr. Banzhaf has served as President of Sustainable Forestry Initiative, the non-profit organization operating the SFI forest certification system and successor to the Sustainable Forestry Board, since 2002. From 1988 to 2002, he served as Executive Vice President and CEO of the Society of American Foresters. From 1967 to 1998, Banzhaf served as President of George Banzhaf and Company, a natural resources consulting firm. Mr. Banzhaf is a certified forester with a graduate degree in forestry from the University of Michigan. 

Norm L. Christensen, Jr., Ph.D. Mr. Christensen is a Professor of Ecology at the Nicholas School of the Environment and Earth Sciences at Duke University, where he served as Dean for ten years. He has served in many capacities for government, corporate and nonprofit organizations, including as chair of California's Wetlands Task Force and co-chair of the Federal Advisory Committee on the California Spotted Owl.

O. H. Perry Lloyd. Mr. Lloyd is a socially responsible investor and entrepreneur. He has been instrumental in preserving more than 7,000 acres of land, from timberland in South Carolina to a barrier island in Georgia and a sheep ranch in New Zealand. Mr. Lloyd is currently converting his 50-acre vineyard in Potter Valley, CA to organic production.

Kirk Marckwald. Mr. Marckwald is the Founder and Principal of California Environmental Associates (CEA), a San Francisco-based consulting firm seeking to create economic incentives that will yield positive environmental outcomes. Prior to establishing CEA, Marckwald served as Under Secretary of California's Natural Resources Agency, Director of the Office of Appropriate Technology and held several positions at the U.S. Department of the Interior. In addition to PFT, Marckwald serves on the board of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance and on the Point Reyes National Seashore Advisory Committee. He previously served on the California Board of Forestry. Marckwald holds a M.S. in Natural Resources Policy and Management from the University of Michigan and a B.A. from Trinity College.

Timothy B. Pirrung. Mr. Pirrung serves as president of the executive search firm, Burgess Leighton & Associates. Previously, Mr. Pirrung worked with Coca-Cola and the U.S. Department of State. He serves on the boards of Tall Timbers, a Florida-based non-profit research organization focused on stewardship of wildlife and wild lands, and Island Conservation. His interest in forestry traces back to his service as general manager of a Georgia forestry and agriculture business which he and his brother still own.

James D. Range. Mr. Range is a Senior Public Policy Advisor with Baker Donelson Bearman & Caldwell, PC. He has served as Counsel for the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, and has served on several nonprofit boards related to wildlife and environmental issues. For his work Mr. Range has received the Great Blue Heron Award, the highest honor bestowed on an individual at the national level by the Department of Interior.

Hal Salwasser. Mr. Salwasser is Dean of the Oregon State University College of Forestry and Director of the Oregon Forest Research Laboratory. Prior to joining OSU in 2000, he spent 22 years with the U.S. Forest Service, most recently as Director of the Pacific Southwest Research Station. In addition to PFT, Salwasser serves on the boards of the World Forestry Center, Oregon Forest Resources Institute, National Advisory Board of the National Forest Foundation and the Conservation Education Committee of the Oregon Garden.  Salwasser holds a Ph.D. in Wildland Resource Science from UC Berkeley.

Gregory Tebbe. Mr. Tebbe retired from Goldman Sachs in 2007 after working for 21 years in the securities division. Most recently, he was managing the global foreign exchange and emerging market trading businesses within the fixed income, currency and commodities division of the firm. In addition to PFT, he serves on the boards of the Santa Barbara High School Education Foundation and the Harvard Tennis Team. Mr. Tebbe is also involved with various environmental and educational non-profits in the Santa Barbara area. He holds a bachelors degree from Harvard College.

William Hutton, PFT Counsel. An attorney who has pioneered the application of conservation easement law in the United States, Mr. Hutton is a member of the San Francisco firm of Coblentz, Patch, Duffy and Bass LLP, as well as a Professor of Law at Hastings College of Law, University of California.

Staff

The staff of the Pacific Forest Trust is a team of dedicated professionals who work collaboratively and with conviction to protect America's working forests.

Constance Best, Co-founder and Managing Director. See Board biography.

John Bernstein, Vice President for Conservation. Trained as a physician, Dr. Bernstein has been involved with land conservation work for the past 20 years, most recently as Director of Conservation for the Land Trust Alliance. Previously, he was Executive Director of the Maryland Environmental Trust, one of the largest Eastern land trusts, where he brought the easement holdings of the organization from 60,000 to more than 100,000 acres. He holds a M.D. degree from Johns Hopkins University and a B.A. in Biochemistry from Harvard University.

Randall Beren, Communications Director. Mr. Beren is a writer, designer and brand strategist who brings 15 years of professional marketing and communications experience to PFT. Prior to joining PFT, Beren led Waterseed Marketing as Creative Director and Principle. His previous experience includes staff positions with prominent agencies TMP Worldwide, McCann-Erickson, Cohn & Wells and Cymbic Interactive, as well as editorial roles with magazines San Diego Metropolitan and San Diego Home/Garden.

Ann Chan, California Policy Director. Ms. Chan has more than 10 years of experience as a lawyer and environmentalist. Previously, Ms. Chan served as Assistant Regional Counsel for the United States Environmental Protection Agency. Ms. Chan also worked as a securities and finance attorney for the law firm of O’Melveny & Myers LLP. She received her law degree from Yale Law School and her bachelor’s degree in Economics from Stanford University.

Steve Van Landingham, Director of Development. Mr. Van Landingham has been fundraising for environmental causes since 1994, first with the California League of Conservation Voters and then for 11 years with Greenbelt Alliance. He has also held leadership positions with NAMES Project, Aids Memorial Quilt and the American Heart Association. Van Landingham holds a Masters of Divinity from Golden Gate Seminary and a B.A. in Speech Communication Consultancy from Oklahoma State University.

Peter Kodzis, Director of Finance and Administration. Mr. Kodzis holds an Executive MBA degree from St. Mary’s College of California. Prior to joining PFT, Kodzis served as Executive Director of Odyssey Inc. and as Deputy Director of Program Management with RIDES for Bay Area Commuters. Mr. Kodzis also volunteers his time as a President of the Polish-American Educational Committee of San Francisco.

Kevin Raymond, Washington State Director. Kevin is a Seattle-based attorney with degrees in environmental science, theology and law. In addition to his policy role with PFT, Kevin serves as Director of External Relations for Washington Biodiesel, chairs the Western Washington University board of trustees and is an Earth Ministry board member.

Sally Ericsson, National Policy Representative. Previously, Ms. Ericsson seerved as Director of Outreach at the Pew Center on Global Climate Change. During the Clinton administration, she served as Associate Director for Natural Resources on the White House Council on Environmental Quality and as both Deputy Chief of Staff for Management and Associate Undersecretary for Economic Affairs at the U.S. Department of Commerce.
Prior to her work with the Clinton administration, Ms. Ericsson served on the staffs of House Speaker Tip O'Neill and Senator John Kerry. Sally holds a Masters Degree in Public Policy from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University and a Bachelors Degree in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Illinois. 

Dale Thornburgh, Ph.D., Senior Forester. Dr. Thornburgh is a Professor of Forestry at Humboldt State University in Arcata, CA and teaches forest ecology and silviculture. He is a leading practitioner of, and authority on, sustainable forestry practices in the Douglas-fir, redwood and ponderosa pine regions of the Pacific Northwest. Dr. Thornburgh is a California Registered Professional Forester (License #430).

Christine Harrison, Communications Manager. Ms. Harrison is a communications professional with more than 15 years of experience working in public affairs, media relations and journalism. She has worked in print and electronic news, as a reporter and editor for KGET-TV, The Kern Valley Sun, The Bakersfield Californian and The Children's Beat. Prior to joining PFT, Christine served as Director of Communications for The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. where she led national-level media relations for eight years. Ms. Harrison holds a B.A. in communications from California State University, Bakersfield.

Sean O'Sullivan, Office/Information Technology Manager. Mr. O'Sullivan previously worked as a computer consultant in Healdsburg, Calif. and has extensive experience in web design and with numerous software programs and operating systems. Sean was an adventure tour guide in Alaska with Cross Roads Adventure Tours for five years and is currently working towards a bachelor's degree in psychology.

Megan Wargo, Conservation Project Manager. Ms. Wargo holds a Master of Environmental Management degree from Duke University and a B.A. in environmental studies, economics, and policy from Claremont McKenna College. She has previously worked as a Land Protection Specialist for the Piedmont Land Conservancy in Greensboro, NC and a Stewardship Associate at the Kachemak Heritage Land Trust in Homer, AK.

Jonathan Remucal, Stewardship Manager. Mr. Remucal earned his Masters of Environmental Management in May of 2004 from the Nicholas School of Environmental and Earth Sciences in Durham North Carolina. Jon was a policy consultant here at PFT beginning in 2003 and helped draft the Forest Carbon Protocols for the California Climate Action Registry. Jon previously was a research assistant at Duke University where he worked for an international conservation education program and authored material on threats to biodiversity.

Matt Fehrenbacher, Stewardship Forester. Mr. Fehrenbacher holds a B.S. in forest management from Oregon State University in Corvallis and has more than six years of experience as a professional forester. Prior to joining PFT, Matt managed 100,000 acres of commercial timberland in Oregon – focusing on silviculture and salmon habitat restoration – on behalf of Campbell Group and Hancock Timber Resources Group.

Rachael Katz, Policy Associate. Ms. Katz holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and German Studies from New York University. While at NYU, Rachael served as an intern for U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell, NARAL Pro-Choice New York, and New York City Councilman Eric Gioia. Prior to joining PFT, she worked as a policy fellow for the Population Institute in Washington, D.C. where she focused on the impacts of population growth on maternal health, global warming and other societal issues. During a short leave from PFT, Ms. Katz completed the International Parliamentary Scholarship program with the German Bundestag in Berlin, where she conducted research on national sustainable development indicators.

Emily Russell-Roy, Policy Associate. Ms. Russell-Roy holds a bachelor's degree in Biology with a concentration in Environmental Studies from Williams College. Emily has previous experience with forest management and conservation through fieldwork with the School for Field Studies in British Columbia, Canada. Prior to joining PFT, she worked on a climate initiative focused on developing policies and greenhouse gas emissions reductions programs for her alma mater.

Rachel Freund, Conservation Associate . Rachel received a B.S. in Conservation and Resource Studies from UC Berkeley in 2005 and worked for the Bureau of Urban Forestry at San Francisco’s Department of Public Works prior to joining PFT. She remains dedicated to volunteering for urban greening efforts and is working towards becoming certified as an arborist.

Nicole Schuetz, Development Associate. Ms. Schuetz earned a B.S. in Earth Systems with a focus in Environmental Economics from Stanford University in 2006. Before joining PFT, Nicole completed a research fellowship with the Environmental Protection Agency in Narragansett, RI, and volunteered with the San Francisco Department of the Environment to help launch the Business Council on Climate Change.

Alex Page, Development Associate. Alex earned a B.A. in English and World Literature from Pitzer College where he was an active member in environmental programs and studies. He worked as an environmental educator in Claremont, CA and took that passion across the world as a Fulbright Fellow in South Korea. Prior to joining PFT, he volunteered on organic farms throughout New Zealand.

Jessica Neff, Stewardship Associate. Ms. Neff earned her Masters of Community and Regional Planning in June of 2007 from the School of Architecture and Allied Arts at the University of Oregon. Jessica spent a year between her studies interning for the McKenzie River Trust in Eugene working as their Land Steward. After completing her internship, Jessica joined the Trust's Board of Directors.