Hilary Franz is the President and CEO of American Forests, the nation’s oldest nonprofit dedicated to forest stewardship and conservation. In this role, she leads bold initiatives, across 45 states, to restore forests, end the wildfire crisis and ensure tree canopy for every community – combining data, science, policy, partnerships and on-the-ground action to maximize impact.

Hilary has spent almost three decades working to conserve natural resource lands, restore fish and wildlife habitat, and create healthier, more resilient communities. Prior to joining American Forests, Hilary served two terms as the Commissioner of Public Lands for Washington state where she managed 6 million acres of public lands and led the state’s wildfire response, developing the state’s first Wildfire Strategic Plan and launching a forest health strategy that restored one million acres of public, private and tribal forests. She also championed historic investments, including $500 million in wildfire, forest health, and community resilience funding, and over 250,000 acres of forests conserved. During her tenure, 95% of wildfires were kept to 10 acres or less – a landmark achievement.

As Commissioner, she partnered with American Forests to launch the Washington Tree Equity Analyzer and Tree Equity Collaborative and increase funding to 16.6 million for urban forest investments statewide. Setting a goal for the state to reforest one million acres of land, in partnership with American Forests she developed a comprehensive reforestation needs analysis, reflecting her deep commitment to restoring forests once lost to wildfires, disease, and development and advancing solutions for a healthy environment and sustainable economy.

Hilary has been nationally and internationally recognized for her work in climate resilience, wildfire response, forest conservation, clean energy and fish and wildlife habitat recovery. Above all, her proudest achievement is raising three incredible sons. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Smith College and a juris doctor from the Northeastern University School of Law.