New Members Added to Board of Directors; Officers Elected

The U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities (the Endowment) announced today the election of Board members and officers for 2017 at the organization’s semi‐annual meeting held this year in Greenville, South Carolina. The Board welcomes Jeffery Hearn and Mark Emmerson to serve three‐year terms.

Jeff Hearn of Raleigh, North Carolina, serves on the Board of Directors of Resolute Forest Products. He retired from International Paper in 2009. He has extensive experience in the forest industry having worked in Brazil, Canada and many roles in the U.S.

Of his election to the Endowment Board, Hearn notes, ”After having spent 43 years working with forests and forest‐related industries, I am extremely pleased to have an opportunity to serve on the board of the Endowment and to support sustainable forest management and the creation of employment opportunities for forest‐dependent communities. I am confident that the Endowment’s efforts will continue to demonstrate that economic development and forest and environmental management can jointly thrive when guided by sound principles.”

Mark Emmerson, Chairman & CFO of Sierra‐Pacific Industries headquartered in Redding, California, brings extensive forestry experience to the Board from work with his family’s forest products business that began when he was a teenager. Emmerson currently serves on the Board of Directors for the National Alliance of Forest Owners.

Colin Moseley of Seattle, WA; Jim Farrell of Ottawa, Canada; and Judith Stockdale of Chicago, Illinois, were re‐elected to three‐year terms.

Tamar Datan of Leesburg, Virginia, and Jon Voigtman of Nassau, The Bahamas, were re‐elected to one‐year terms as Vice Chair and Treasurer, respectively.

For more information contact:
Carlton N. Owen, President & CEO, 864‐233‐7646, carlton@usendowment.org

The U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities (the Endowment) is a not‐for‐profit public charity working collaboratively with partners in the public and private sectors to advance systemic, transformative, and sustainable change for the health and vitality of the nation’s working forests and forest‐reliant communities – www.usendowment.org;