New England SAF 2020 elections are now open until November 15th. All members have been e-mailed a ballot for voting. Each chapter has a unique ballot that includes the NESAF officer candidates and any candidates for that chapter. Below are the bios for each New England SAF Executive Committee candidate.
Chair (1 Candidate) :
Jake Metzler (Maine)
Jake is currently the Director of Forestland Conservation for the Forest Society of Maine. In that role he gets to work with landowners large and small throughout the state helping answer land conservation questions by crafting and stewarding projects that help ensure that forests remain sustainable, productive, and vibrant for all their users. Jake has previously served SAF through positions on the Maine Division Executive Committee and attended the SAF Leadership Academy in 2006. Jake earned both his B.S. and M.S. in Forestry from the University of Maine.
Chair-Elect (2 Candidates):
William Hill, CF (Massachusetts)
Bill has been the State Lands Forest Manager – Massachusetts Bureau of Forestry since 2008 and oversees forest management on +300,000 acres of Massachusetts Forests and Parks. Before that he worked in the western U.S. (Idaho and Black Hills – South Dakota) working in both government and industry in forest management and inventory positions from the late 1970s to 2008. Bill earned an AAS in Forestry/Land Surveying from Paul Smith’s College and a BS in Forest Resources Management from the University of Idaho. Bill served as MA representative to NESAF (2014-18); was the South Dakota State Society Chair in 1994 and 1998; and has been a SAF Certified Forester since 1998. He is a forest land owner in Bernardston, MA. The property is FSC Certified and a member of the American Tree Farm System.
Ed O’Leary (Vermont)
Ed worked for the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources, Department of Forests, Parks & Recreation from 1987 until his retirement in 2015. During that time, he served as State Lands Director, Director of Operations and Forestry District Manager. He received a M.A.T. in Earth Science from Bridgewater State College in 1978 and a B.S. in Forestry from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst in 1975. Ed has been a member of the Society of American Foresters since 1975 and currently serves as the Green Mountain Division’s representative to the New England State Society. He is also a member of the Forest Guild and the Vermont Woodlands Association. Since 1986, Ed has been a part time faculty member for The Community College of Vermont, Johnson State College, Champlain College and Sterling College, teaching natural resources related courses.
Ed and his wife Dale have lived in South Albany, VT for close to 40 years and have two grown married children and two grand children