US FOREST CAPITAL - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Trust Conserves 20, 000 Acres at Mount St. Helens
Columbia Land Trust and Pope Resources find solutions to keep working forestland and habitat protected at Swift Reservoir
Trained as a professional forester, Tom provides US Forest Capital's range of advisory services and coordinates the efforts of our strategic partners who offer specialized expertise on a project basis.
During his 30-year career in business, conservation and public policy, Tom has helped conserve tens of millions of acres of public and private forestland. In the last 10 years alone, his work has helped clients close fee and ecosystem service transactions valued at $300 million. Tom regularly assists clients in strategically resolving a range of complex land management, governance and public policy challenges and has created new financial tools that help individuals and organizations capitalize large-scale natural resource acquisitions.
Prior to founding US Forest Capital, Tom was Western Director and Special Assistant to the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture. During his tenure, he successfully directed negotiations and the implementation of the $480 million Headwaters Forest Agreement. He also was charged with designing and managing a Presidential Forum that resulted in the $50 million conservation management plan for Lake Tahoe.
In his capacity as a public servant, Tom also served as the Director of the U.S. Office of Forestry and Economic Development where he was responsible for developing and implementing the President's 24-million-acre Northwest Forest Plan and the associated $1.2 billion economic assistance program.
Tom also served as Professional Staff for the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture where he drafted the Forest Legacy Program on behalf of the Chairman, among other landmark legislation, and was Policy Director for Society of American Foresters.
Tom graduated with forestry degrees from Northern Arizona University and Pennsylvania State University and has served as Adjunct Professor at the Lewis and Clark School of Law. Tom speaks regularly on an array of natural resource topics and currently serves in board positions with Sustainable Northwest, Northern Arizona University's School of Forestry Advisory Board, and Kenyon College's Parent Advisory Council.