Convention Leading Speakers:
This is the year to attend!
Our lineup of Plenary and Panel Presenters brings you high-level officials engaged in today's key forest products issues for creating a Global Green Economy.
Hear from:
- U.S. Cabinet Deputy Under Secretary
- Major Industry End User and Prominent Environmental Activist
- Global Industry Leader
- International Trade Analyst
And more
Be part of this comprehensive and thought-provoking Convention. Be part of setting the direction for the forest products industry as part of the Global Green Economy.
Mark your calendar! Registration is now open. Register now
PLENARY SESSION: POLITICS AND POLICY
Federal Direction in Forestry and Forest Products
Arthur "Butch" Blazer
Deputy Under Secretary of Agriculture
Natural Resources and Environment
In 2003, Governor Bill Richardson appointed Butch as "State Forester" of New Mexico, the first Native American to hold that position. During his tenure as State Forester, Butch was also named as Chair of the Council of Western State Foresters and Co-Chair for the Western Forestry Leadership Coalition. A member of the Mescalero Apache Tribe, Butch has been intimately involved in Tribal issues throughout his life.
Prior to his service as State Forester, he served 27 years in the Department of Interior's Bureau of Indian Affairs as a Range Management Specialist, Natural Resources Manager, and Agency Superintendent. Mr. Blazer is the former owner of Blazer Conservation Connections, a consulting company that specialized in connecting clients with the resources needed to enhance and protect the environment. He is a co-founder of the Native American Fish & Wildlife Society, and has served on their Board of Directors and as the organization's National President. In 1998, Mr. Blazer was elected to and served two consecutive terms on the Mescalero Apache Tribal Council. An avid outdoorsman when he can get to it, Mr. Blazer enjoys hunting, skiing, and just "hiding-out" in the vast wilderness of his beautiful Mescalero Apache Reservation.
Funding Direction for Biomass by Department of Energy
Valerie Reed
Acting Program Manager
Office of Biomass Programs
US Department of Energy
Prior to this position, Dr. Reed was Team Leader for Platforms Research and Development within the Office of Biomass Programs. She has been responsible for research and development for conversion technologies that include biochemical and thermochemical pathways to produce biofuels and bioproducts, as well as for algal biofuels.
For over 18 years, Dr. Reed has lead efforts on utilization of biomass for fuels and chemicals, resulting in significant cost reductions in cellulosic ethanol from above $7 per gallon to a current projected cost of approximately $2.15 per gallon. She has helped initiate research pathways that now include technologies that are projected to reduce the cost of diesel and jet fuel to less than $3 per gallon by 2017. Dr. Reed has twice been named to Biofuels Digest's "Top 100 People in Bioenergy" for her roles to date.
She is a founding member of the Metabolic Engineering Working Group, which is an interagency effort to advance metabolic engineering technologies for industrial, agricultural, and human needs. Dr. Reed also co-chairs the Interagency Working Group on Conversion Technologies established through the Biomass R&D Board, to coordinate the Federal effort on bioenergy. She holds a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from Georgetown University in Washington, DC.
Importance of Forest Products in Green Buildings
Chase W. Rynd
Executive Director
National Building Museum
Mr. Rynd is a nationally recognized leader in the museum and arts communities. Prior to his current position, he was executive director and CEO of the Tacoma (Washington) Art Museum and held the same position at the Frist Center for the Visual Arts in Nashville, Tennessee.
Mr. Rynd was the founder of Equivalents Gallery in Seattle, Washington and operated it for eight years. He served two consecutive terms as Chairman of the Seattle Arts Commission; was recruited by Security Pacific Bank to develop a public gallery space; served on numerous boards; and served as chair of the design committee for St. Mark's Cathedral in Seattle.
A graduate of Georgetown University and active in the museum community, Rynd is a member of the International Council of Museums; American Association of Museums; and Mid-Atlantic Association of Museums. He sits on the boards of the American Friends of Chantilly, France; the Downtown DC BID; Penn Quarter Neighborhood Association; and the Richardson Architecture Center, Buffalo. He also is a member of ACE Mentor Program's National Advisory Board; the ASCE Industry Leaders Council; and the vestry of St. John's Lafayette Square in DC. Mr. Rynd resides in Washington, DC.
Overview of the National Nanotechnology Initiative and Related Federal Initiatives
Dr. Altaf H. Carim
Assistant Director for Nanotechnology
White House Office of Science and Technology Policy
Dr. Altaf H. Carim is Assistant Director for Nanotechnology at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP). He serves as the OSTP co-chair of the Nanoscale Science, Engineering, and Technology (NSET) Subcommittee of the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC), which is the body responsible for the National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI), and is involved in a variety of other issues at OSTP. He served earlier (2006-2009) as the agency co-chair for NSET. He is currently on detail from the Office of Basic Energy Sciences at the Department of Energy, where he has been since 2001 and has led the management team for the Energy Frontier Research Center major collaborations, managed the construction and operation of Nanoscale Science Research Centers and other user facilities, and overseen grant and DOE laboratory programs in the structure and composition of materials.
Previously, Dr. Carim was for over a decade on the faculty at The Pennsylvania State University in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, including service as Chair of the Electronic and Photonic Materials program. Prior to that he was a faculty member at the University of New Mexico and had research posts and activities at the Philips Natuurkundig Laboratorium in The Netherlands, Philips Research Laboratories Sunnyvale, Bell Laboratories, and the Xerox Palo Alto Research Center. He also was a visiting (sabbatical) investigator at the Carnegie Institution of Washington. He received his Ph.D. and M.S. at Stanford University and S.B. at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, all in Materials Science and Engineering.
Dr. Carim's primary scientific contributions have been in microstructural and microchemical characterization of materials, including semiconductor interfaces, superconducting and ferroelectric oxide thin films and ceramics, crystal structure determination, crystalline defects, joining of ceramics and composites, development of anisotropic microstructures, electron holography, and morphology of nanoparticles and nanowires. He has authored or coauthored over 85 research publications in these areas and has given over 100 conference, seminar, and other presentations. His awards and honors include recognition as an Office of Naval Research Young Investigator, receipt of an AIST Foreign Researcher Invitation to lecture in Japan, and participation in project teams recognized with several of the Secretary of Energy's Project Management Excellence Awards.
PANEL SESSION: FOREST PRODUCTS IN A GREEN ECONOMY
Miles Drake
Senior Vice President, Research and Development
Chief Technology Officer
Weyerhaeuser
Mr. Drake has held his current position since he joined Weyerhaeuser in 2006. Prior to that, he was Vice President, Research and Development and Chief Technology Officer of Air Products and Chemicals Inc. (industrial gases) for 5 years, and before that held numerous other leadership positions with Air Products and Chemicals Inc. since 1986.
Jim Reaves
Deputy Chief
Research and Development
USDA Forest Service
Dr. Reaves' career spans 30 years in the Forest Service, where he has served in a number of executive positions. In his current position, he provides leadership for Forest Service research and development, covering a broad range of biological, physical, forest products, and social science fields to promote sustainable management of the nation's diverse forests and rangelands. Among his other duties, Dr. Reaves serves as the Co-Chair of the Sub-Committee on Ecological Systems for the White House Office of Science and Technology; as the Chair of the USDA Agroforestry Steering Committee; and as a member of the Forest Service Executive Leadership Team.
Prior to becoming Deputy Chief, Dr. Reaves served as Director of the agency's Southern Research Station in Asheville, North Carolina. He also held a number of high-profile assignments, including leading a group of scientists to China as the Ranking Forest Service Official; and participating as a U.S. delegate to the United Nations Forum on Forestry in Geneva, Switzerland, and the Forest Landscape Restoration Conference in Seoul, South Korea.
Dr. Reaves received his B.S. in biology from Voorhees College in Denmark, South Carolina, and his M.S. and Ph.D. in biology/plant pathology from Atlanta University in Atlanta, Georgia.
Paul Winistorfer
Dean
College of Natural Resources and Environment
Virginia Tech
Prior to his appointment as Dean in 2009, Dr. Winistorfer served as head of the Sustainable Biomaterials department (formerly the Wood Science and Forest Products department) at Virginia Tech.
Prior to his time in Virginia, he was at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville for 16 years, teaching and conducting research in wood composite materials. Dr. Winistorfer holds a US Patent, twice received the American Museum of Science and Energy award for Technological Advancement, and received several research and teaching awards. He was the founding director of the Tennessee Forest Products Center, recently renamed the Center for Renewable Carbon. He was also one of the founders of Quintek Measurement Systems, Inc., a manufacturer of x-ray-based measurement equipment for the wood industry.
Dr. Winistorfer served as Forest Products Society President from 2003 to 2004, during which time he organized strategic visioning sessions and authored several articles on the future of the Society. He is an elected fellow in the International Academy of Wood Scientists. He served as President of WoodLINKS USA from 2006 to 2008. Dr. Winistorfer received his BS and PhD degrees from Iowa State University.
Bob Johnston
Executive Director
Tropical Forest Foundation
Bob Johnston is Executive Director of the Tropical Forest Foundation (TFF) based in metropolitan Washington, D.C. TFF is an international, non-profit, educational institution committed to advancing environmental stewardship, economic prosperity, and social responsibility through sustainable forest management in tropical regions.
He was a member of the founding Board of Directors of TFF and served as Board President when he was Director of Corporate Relations for the office furniture manufacturer Herman Miller, Inc. His work at Herman Miller led to formation of the company's internationally acclaimed Environmental Quality Action Team and to the company receiving a White House award for its environmental practices. As a member of the U.S. government delegation to the renegotiation of the International Tropical Timber Agreement under the United Nations, he negotiated an international trade agreement for tropical forest products among 53 nations, pushing to increase supplies from sources adopting sustainable management. He has served as chairman of Government Affairs Committees for the International Wood Products Association, the Business and Institutional Furniture Manufacturers Association, and the Center for Office Technology.
He was also involved in the launch of the U.S. Green Buildings Council, recruited 30 manufacturers into the EPA's Green Suppliers Network, and developed a third-party incentive program for companies wanting to drive sustainable practices throughout their supply chains.
Bob lives in Alexandria, Virginia where he enjoys jogging, playing guitar and bass with local acoustic musicians, and having intelligent discussions on current events with people on both sides of the aisle.
LUNCHEON KEYNOTE
Chief Tidwell Will be Introducing the Keynote Speaker, Rep. Glenn Thompson, PA
Thomas L. Tidwell
U.S. Forest Service Chief
Tom Tidwell has spent 37 years with the Forest Service. He has served in a variety of positions at all levels of the agency, including as District Ranger, Forest Supervisor, and Legislative Affairs Specialist in the Washington Office. As Deputy Regional Forester for the Pacific Southwest Region, Tom facilitated collaborative approaches to wildland fire management, roadless area management, and other issues. As Regional Forester for the Northern Region, Tom strongly supported community-based collaboration in the region, finding solutions based on mutual goals and thereby reducing the number of appeals and lawsuits.
In 2009, after being named Chief, Tom set about implementing the Secretary's vision for America's forests. Under his leadership, the Forest Service is focusing on restoring healthy, resilient forest and grassland ecosystems-ecosystems that can sustain all the benefits that Americans get from their wildlands, including plentiful supplies of clean water, abundant habitat for wildlife and fish, renewable supplies of wood and energy, and more.
Such benefits are at risk from the effects of climate change, and Tom has led the way in forging a national response. Under Tom's leadership, the Forest Service has charted a national roadmap for addressing climate change through adaptation and mitigation. The Forest Service is taking steps to help ecosystems adapt to the effects of a changing climate while also taking action to mitigate climate change, partly by reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Tom has facilitated an all-lands approach to addressing the challenges facing America's forests and grasslands, including the overarching challenge of climate change. Such challenges cross borders and boundaries; no single entity can meet them alone. Under Tom's leadership, the Forest Service is working with states, Tribes, private landowners, and other partners for landscape-scale conservation-to restore ecosystems on a landscape scale.
Tom is married to Kim, and they have one daughter, MacKenzie.
Rep. Glenn Thompson, PA
Fifth District, Pennsylvania
U.S. House of Representatives
Importance of Forest Products and Natural Resources to the Future of the United States
Congressman Thompson is in his second term as his district’s U.S. Representative, is Co-Chairman of the Congressional Healthcare Caucus, and is a member of the House Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Education & Workforce Committees focusing on Conservation, Energy, and Forestry; Rural Development, Research, Biotechnology, and Foreign Agriculture; Energy and Mineral Resources; and Higher Education and Workforce Training.
Prior to being elected to Pennsylvania's most rural district, Congressman Thompson spent 28 years as a therapist, a rehabilitation services manager, and a licensed Nursing Home Administrator. He is a 30-year veteran with his local Boy Scout Council, and was that Council's President during 2007-2009. He has also been a school board member; a vice-chair of the Private Industry Council of the Central Corridor; and a volunteer firefighter
Congressman Thompson earned a BS from Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania; and a master’s degree in education from Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
PLENARY SESSION: INTERNATIONAL EFFORTS
The US International Trade Commission and its Importance for the Forest Products Sector
Alberto Goetzl
International Trade Analyst
US International Trade Commission
Since joining the U.S. International Trade Commission in 2009, Mr. Goetzl has contributed to several reports and investigations involving trade in forest products and other types of goods. Prior to that, he was the founder and a principal of Seneca Creek Associates, LLC, a consulting firm that specialized in resource economics and policy. In 2007, Mr. Goetzl led a team of collaborators in conducting a risk assessment of the legality and sustainability of US hardwoods. In 2004, he collaborated with Wood Resources International to author a landmark study on illegal logging and its impacts on U.S. industry competitiveness.
Mr. Goetzl has written on subjects ranging from sustainable forest practices to trends in world forest products supply and demand. He has a Master of Forestry degree in Natural Resources Economics & Policy from Duke University and holds a B.A. in Government from Bates College.
When he's not "working" professionally, Mr. Goetzl manages a horse farm that his family owns in the Frederick, Maryland area. The farm has a small woodlot of mixed upland hardwoods that he is bringing into a more productive condition.
The US Department of Commerce, Office of Materials Industries: Connection to Forest Products
Gary Stanley
Director
Forest Products and Building Materials
International Trade Administration
US Department of Commerce
In his current position, and as the department's senior building materials and forest products industry and trade policy specialist, Mr. Stanley monitors domestic and international industry trends and developments, and actively participates in trade policy issues that affect those industries.
He works closely with the US building materials industry through the Commerce Department's Industry Trade Advisory Committees on Building Materials and Forest Products. The committees comprise senior-level industry executives who advise the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, Commerce Department, and other US Government agencies on all trade issues that affect the US industry.
International Trade and Policy: Industry's Perspective
Brent McClendon
Executive Vice President
International Wood Products Association
Before taking on his current responsibilities with the International Wood Products Association, which represents mostly small American family-owned businesses that import and export wood products, Mr. McClendon spent the past 22 years in the forest products industry, with variety of work experiences in the private, public, and nonprofit sectors. He's worked as a field forester and a sales manager; was responsible for $35 million in international and domestic sales for a large hardwood veneer manufacturer; and has lobbied for multiple domestic wood products trade associations.
The US Government's War Against Rock and Roll and Gibson Guitar: Latest Developments
Henry Juszkiewicz
Chairman and CEO
Gibson Guitar Corp.
Mr. Juszkiewicz is committed to sustainability and conservation. He lives his commitment to a better world by leading numerous philanthropic endeavors under the Gibson Foundation banner and through his active participation in the Environmental Defense Fund, the Clinton Global Initiative, the Rainforest Alliance, and many other environmental causes. Mr. Juszkiewicz is also passionate about Nordoff-Robbins, which provides music therapy for severely handicapped children; the T.J. Martell Fund for Leukemia Research; the Teenage Cancer Trust, and the We Are Family Foundation. He is a board member of the Country Music Hall of Fame and of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum; a co-founder of Music Rising, a campaign to help aid musicians, schools, and churches of the Gulf Coast; and a member of the Society of International Business Fellows.
In 1986, Mr. Juszkiewicz and his partners acquired the faltering Gibson guitar operation and within a month's time, Gibson became profitable. He concentrated on the consumer rather than the retailer - a reflection of his personal experience as a guitar player, and Gibson has regained worldwide respect with annual average growth of 20 percent over the last decade.
Mr. Juszkiewicz worked his way through school playing guitar - a Gibson, of course - in various rock bands. He attended the General Motors Institute, began his MBA at the University of Rochester evening program, and completed the MBA at Harvard University on a General Motors Fellowship.
The Lacey Act - A WINNER for US Jobs and Healthy Forests Worldwide.
Jamey French
President and CEO
Northland Forest Products, Inc.
The French family has been in the hardwood industry, based in New England, since the 1880s. Mr. French is also a Director of Meadowsend Timberlands, LLC, which is the family land management company. He played a key role in bringing together a unique coalition of environmental groups and industry associations -- the driving force behind the Lacey Act amendments of 2008, which have led to the decline in the unfair competition related to criminally sourced wood and wood products from around the world and to a reduction in the devastation to international forests posed by illegal operators. Mr. French has held leadership positions with many organizations, including the Hardwood Federation, the Forest Stewardship Council (US), the American Hardwood Export Council, the Hardwood Manufacturers Association, and other state and regional nonprofits. He is currently on the boards of the Land Trust Alliance, the National Wildlife Federation Action Fund, the Quebec-Labrador Foundation, the Nature Conservancy NH Chapter, the Foundation for Seacoast Health, and the NH Fiscal Policy Institute.