Other American Forest Foundation Executive Appointments
Experience is Key in New Executives
PORTLAND, Ore. – The American Forest Foundation (AFF) incoming Vice-Chair Connie Best is well known as a national leader in forest conservation, focusing on strategies that harness the power of commerce to accomplish conservation objectives. She 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 founding the Pacific Forest Trust, Ms. Best founded and managed the company that created America's first all-natural soda pop, a revolutionary development in the beverage industry.
She has served on numerous boards including the American Forest Foundation, Ecotrust, the Land Trust Alliance, Anderson Valley Land Trust, and Investors' Circle. Pacific Forest Trust has been a national leader in demonstrating the potential of using national carbon markets to conserve forests and offset adverse impacts of climate change.
AFF Treasurer Ken Stewart was appointed to his post as Commissioner, Georgia Department of Economic Development, by Governor Sonny Perdue in January 2007 and previously was director of the Georgia Forestry Commission. As chief marketing officer for the state of Georgia, he leads Georgia's efforts to recruit new businesses and expand existing ones; grow the state's tourism, international trade and entertainment industries; and support the growth of small businesses and entrepreneurs. Mr. Stewart spent the majority of his career in private industry, holding senior positions with Unisource Worldwide, Georgia-Pacific, Weyerhaeuser Company, and Mississippi Power & Light. He is a member of the State Bar of Georgia, and has held numerous board and advisory positions, including the Governor's Energy Policy Council, State Water Council and Land Conservation Council.
AFF's Tom Martin said the diverse background of these officers-covering business, landowner, government, education, and conservation perspectives-parallel that of the entire board and accounts for the group's unique success. "Our programs succeed because we convene stakeholders who may otherwise have been polarized, and we get them to work together on comprehensive solutions that will actually work on the ground," he said. "It's not a new conservation model, but few have been able to make it work for the forest community. That's our niche, along with educating the next generation, since we'll need broad support to solve big problems like loss of our forests and climate change."