Consulting and policy work

Panels, webinars and talks

2025 Panel on additionality. Michigan State University and Society of American Foresters – Forest + Climate Learning Exchange Series. Recording here: https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/2025-learning-exchange-series-additionality

2024 Invited webinar talk: Managing forests for carbon offsets—opportunities, risks, and the way forward (2023-24 Learning Exchange Series: Managing forests for carbon offsets—opportunities, risks, and the way forward). Recording here: https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/2023-24-learning-exchange-series-managing-forests-for-carbon-offsets-opportunities-risks-and-the-way-forward

Register here: https://esa.org/career-development/professional-development-from-esa/#abstract

Project examples

Ecological Society of America – Emerging Ecological Issues Task Force (2024-)

The ESA Task Force to Establish a Research Agenda in Actionable Ecological Science (lead by Dr. Diane Pataki) will develop a funding proposal to convene workshops that bring together scientists, practitioners, community and Tribal leaders, and decision makers. The workshops will advance a decadal research agenda focused on actionable ecological science to address urgent socioecological and environmental challenges. Key focus areas include ecology’s role in the bioeconomy, biodiversity metrics for nature-positive outcomes, nature-based climate solutions, and the intersection of environmental justice and ecology. Task force members, including myself, will contribute to workshop planning, participate in developing reports and publications, and report back to the ESA Governing Board annually over a three-year term.

Society of American Foresters – Policy Committee (2022-)

As a member of the Society of American Foresters (SAF), I am committed to advancing the sustainable management of forest resources through science, education, and technology. I am currently serving a three-year term (2022–2025) on the SAF Policy Committee, which is responsible for drafting SAF’s position statements. These statements provide a foundation to guide SAF’s actions on specific issues and act as a catalyst for further dialogue and engagement with policymakers, the media, partner organizations, and SAF units. A comprehensive list of SAF’s position statements is available on their website. I have served as the main author and corresponding author for the statement forest carbon offsets and forest clear-cutting, as well as contributed to all other statements during my tenure.

Policy and Advisory Contributions

Society of American Foresters (SAF) – Committee on Forest Policy

  • Lead Author — Forest Management and Climate Change (2025, pending SAF Board approval)
  • Lead Author — Clearcutting as a Silvicultural Practice (2025, pending SAF Board approval)
  • Lead Author — Forest Offset Projects in Carbon Trading Systems (Approved September 2024)
  • Co-Author — Biodiversity in Forest Ecosystems (Approved February 2024)

Peer reviewer for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) competitive grant programs (2024-)

In this role, I collaborate with other expert panelists nationwide to evaluate applications aimed at addressing expertise shortages in food and agricultural sciences. Our collective efforts ensure the effective allocation of federal grant funds, supporting graduate students and advancing education in these critical fields. This experience has so far been both professionally and personally rewarding, and I look forward to future opportunities to contribute to NIFA’s peer review panels in the future.