About Us
Board of Directors
Ara Erickson
Chair

Ara is the vice-president of corporate sustainability at Weyerhaeuser, one of the world’s largest private owners of timberlands and one of the largest manufacturers of wood products in North America. The company is proud to manage one of the most sustainable, versatile resources on earth – forests – while making products that people need.

“I unabashedly love forests and am enamored by all the amazing benefits they provide. I believe we can work alongside nature to grow trees to turn into products we all rely on, every day, while at the same time ensuring forests are cleaning the air, filtering water, providing canopy and wildlife habitat, and just being absolutely beautiful and stunning in their own right. American Forests is working to create a world where these benefits are balanced and valued.”
Chad Hesters headshot
Chad Hesters
Vice Chair

Chad is the President & CEO of Boyden, the oldest international people advisory firm with over 70 offices in 40+ countries. He has substantial leadership experience in the top global executive advisory firms with a practice focus on CEO, Board, and C-Suite recruitment and advisory assignments within the Natural Resources sector. His previous career experience includes corporate finance and strategic planning roles in global companies with his early career spent as an Intelligence Officer with the United States Navy.

Chad holds an MBA from University of Colorado, and a bachelor’s degree in Forestry from Texas A&M University. He has completed executive education and leadership programs at the Yale School of Management and Harvard Business School. Chad has a lifelong commitment to supporting America’s forests and is an ISA Board Certified Master Arborist and a Member of the Society of American Foresters.

“Now, more than ever, the health and sustainability of our rural and urban forests is a critical issue. American Forests is not just a leading voice, but it has a recognized reputation for almost 150-years of taking action on the front lines of securing and promoting healthy and resilient forests. I am honored to be part of this team and the rich heritage of the organization.”
E. Zimmermann (Zim) Boulos
Treasurer

Zim is very active in the Jacksonville, Florida, community. He has been a board member of Greenscape, the nation’s second oldest community tree planting organization, since 1988. Zim founded the Greenscape Flowering Tree Sale, which has since added more than 200,000 trees to the area’s landscape.  He has been recognized by the state of Florida with an Urban Forestry Award.

“From my own experience, I know that trees and parks play a major role in making cities healthier and better places to live. American Forests is a champion for urban forests from coast to coast.”
Nes Parker
Secretary

Nes Parker is a Principal leading Sustainability for Deloitte’s Government & Public Services (GPS) Practice. Nes has led strategy-focused transformations for government, nonprofit and philanthropic clients to achieve outcomes that are good and equitable for people, planet, and prosperity.

Nes is passionate about applying Deloitte’s capabilities and solutions for social impact. She was a founder and leader of Deloitte's Anti-Human Trafficking (AHT) Community, Refugee Community of Interest (RCOI), and Deloitte to International (D2i) teams over the years which support various pro bono projects and thought leadership. She serves on the board of Free the Slaves and is an advisor to the board for Survivor Alliance, which leads the fight against modern day slavery and elevates the voices of experts with lived experience. She is thrilled to bring these experiences to the Board of American Forests.

Nes holds a BA from Vassar College and a MPA from Columbia University. She is based in Washington, DC with her partner and their English Bulldogs.

“Healthy trees have so many benefits for environmental, physical, and mental health in our communities. The burdens of declining forests, like many climate risks, fall heavily on people and communities who historically may have had little power, representation, or resource. American Forests is doing important, equity-focused work to ensure that the benefits of nature are accessible to all.”
Hilary Franz
President and Chief Executive Officer

Hilary Franz joins American Forests as its new President and CEO.

Prior to joining American Forests, Hilary most recently served as the Commissioner of Public Lands for Washington state from 2017 to 2025, where she led the state's wildfire response, managed six million acres of aquatic, forest, agricultural, clean energy, commercial and residential lands, and oversaw Washington Geological Survey. In that role, Hilary led the transformation of Washington state's wildfire response, so that in the last four years, 95% of fires have been kept to 10 acres or less. In 2017, she developed the state’s first Forest Health Resilience Plan, setting a goal to restore 1.25 million acres of federal, state, private and Tribal forest lands. In just 7 years, 940,000 acres of forests have been restored, setting the state up to achieve its 20-year plan in half the time. She secured a nine- figure funding from both state and federal government to advance forest conservation and restoration, prevent and fight wildfires, and build community resilience.

Hilary has spent almost three decades, working to restore fish and wildlife habitat, conserve natural resource lands and create healthier more resilient communities. She has been a longstanding partner with American Forests, from her forest restoration work to the Washington Tree Equity Collaborative she launched with American Forests, reflecting her deep commitment to advancing solutions for a healthy environment, sustainable economy and a just society.

She has been recognized nationally and internationally for her work in climate resilience, wildfire response, forest conservation and restoration, clean energy, critical fish and wildlife habitat restoration and recovery. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Smith College and a juris doctor from Northeastern University Law School.

“I am deeply grateful to American Forests for the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of all Americans by preserving and restoring our forests that bring countless benefits to our communities.”
Paul Boynton
Paul G. Boynton

Paul is the recent past CEO of Rayonier Advanced Materials, a global producer of high-value cellulose fibers and forest products, and previously CEO at Rayonier, a leading forestry company with timberland assets across the US and New Zealand.  Before Rayonier, Paul spent nearly a decade at 3M running businesses such as Scotch-Brite® and O-Cel-O® sponge products and Post-it® flags.  Paul serves as a director of the Brink’s Company and was a member of the Board of Directors of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta’s Jacksonville Branch and a member Board of Governors for the National Council for Air and Stream Improvement.

“I’m excited and honored to be part of American Forests and to support their invaluable initiatives to help create a more sustainable environment. I’ve spent a career working in forestry and with forest-based products and I’m passionate about the positive role forests can and should play in climate change solutions.”
Taldi Harrison

Taldi is chief program officer at the Foundation for America’s Public Lands, the official charitable partner of the Bureau of Land Management. In this capacity, she oversees the Foundation’s government relations, community engagement, and program development. With nearly 20 years of experience working on public lands, Taldi plays a key role in shaping and executing strategic initiatives, including leading the Foundation’s grantmaking programs. Taldi serves on the Board of Directors of EasTrail Partners and the Recreate Responsibly Steering Committee. Raised in the Flathead Valley in Montana, Taldi is an avid outdoors woman who enjoys hiking, mountain biking, climbing, mountaineering, skiing, and camping with her partner and two young daughters.

“At the Foundation for America’s Public Lands, we believe everyone should have access and feel connected to their public lands and waters, yet millions of Americans lack access to a quality green space close to home. When governments, nonprofits, and business leaders come together to ensure resiliency of our public lands and waters, communities win. American Forests plays a catalytic role in bringing these entities together to ensure restoration and reforestation is happening at scale across America.”
David Hunter, Ph.D.

David is Senior Advisor for Government and External Relations at the Electric Power Research Institute. He is an earth scientist by training and life-long environmentalist with 30 years’ experience in energy and environmental policy.

“I’m passionate about climate change and trees, so I was naturally drawn to American Forests’ ground-breaking work in both. While my career has been dedicated to climate, my pastime is teaching my children the magic and majesty of America’s forests, and the joy of planting and caring for trees on our farm in Western Maryland.”
Michael Klein

Michael Klein, Executive Vice President, is President of Personal Insurance for Travelers. He previously led the Middle Market business, served as President of Commercial Accounts, and was Senior Vice President, Industry and Product Group.

Klein joined the company in 1990 and has held various positions in Commercial Insurance, Underwriting Knowledge Management, Corporate Planning and Development, Global Health Care Underwriting, and Financial and Professional Services.

Michael has also served a variety of industry-related and not-for-profit organizations over more than two decades. He currently serves as a Trustee for Malta House of Care in Hartford, Connecticut. He also serves as a member of the Executive Committee for Gamma Iota Sigma, a professional fraternity organized to encourage student interest in insurance as a profession.

Klein holds a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Minnesota State University – Mankato and is a fellow of the Casualty Actuarial Society.

“A healthy environment is essential to a resilient future—for communities, ecosystems, and the economy. The way American Forests grounds its work in science and data ensures their impact is both measurable and meaningful. In particular, American Forests’ commitment to Tree Equity resonates strongly with me. Their science-based, community-driven approach in cities across the country ensures we’re not just planting trees, but building healthier, more resilient neighborhoods. Serving on the Board and partnering on projects is an opportunity to support this mission in a hands-on way, and I’m proud to be part of it.”
Paolo Mottola

Paolo Mottola is REI's Divisional Vice President of Brand Marketing, leading campaigns and events, brand channels, and content marketing. He has served in marketing and creative leadership roles for REI's most renowned, Cannes Lions-winning campaigns, “Opt Outside” and “Force of Nature.” As the creator or REI Co-op Studios, Paolo has extended REI’s influence beyond retail to feature films, podcasts, and multimedia content. His brand and agency communications work includes Microsoft, Samsung, U.S. Army, and Eddie Bauer. He is an alumnus and senior affiliate faculty at the Communications Leadership graduate program at the University of Washington and studied journalism at Western Washington University.

“As an outdoor enthusiast and parent who enjoy spending time mountaineering, hiking, fishing, and skiing, I believe in the transformative power of nature to connect families and communities. I am thrilled to be part of the team at American Forests to help ensure that our natural and wild places are as healthy and accessible for future generations.”
Sunya Norman

Sunya Norman is the Senior Vice President of Impact at Salesforce, where she leads global sustainability and philanthropy initiatives focused on climate solutions and education. A results-driven executive operating at the intersection of innovation and impact, Sunya ensures these efforts deliver measurable business value. With deep expertise across sectors, Sunya is a trusted advisor known for turning vision into action and mobilizing stakeholders to drive meaningful impact. She holds an MBA from Presidio Graduate School and a BA from Brown University.

“I’m honored to be a part of American Forests and support leadership in creating a more sustainable future. I believe deeply that access to nature creates better community and economic outcomes for all.”
Pamela Tate

Pamela Tate served for 28 years as President and CEO of The Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL), a national, non-profit educational organization committed to expanding lifelong opportunities for adults and advancing experiential learning and its assessment. Since 2018-2019, Tate has devoted her life to addressing the climate crisis. As a Certified Climate Reality Leader and Chair of the Campaigns Committee of the Chicago Metro Chapter of Climate Reality, Tate works on regenerative agriculture practices, tree conservation and preservation, electrification of public transit and private vehicles, and federal and state policy to de-celerate global warming.

“I have followed and supported the terrific work of American Forests for a number of years and believe this is our climate moment — when we must take major programmatic and policy action at both the local and federal level to save the forests and larger ecosystems of which we are a part. The work of American Forests, in my view, is central to solving the climate crisis and I am excited to become a part of this important effort.”
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