The inaugural lecture will feature Thompson Distinguished Lecturer Brooks Mendell, president and CEO of Forisk Consulting.
Auburn University’s College of Forestry, Wildlife and Environment (CFWE) will present the inaugural Emmett & ViAnn Thompson Lecture in Forest Economics and Policy and reception on Thursday, Feb. 27, at 2 p.m. at The Hotel at Auburn University and Dixon Conference Center in Auburn, Ala.
The newly created lecture series was established in the CFWE by the college’s founding dean, Emmett F. Thompson, and his wife, ViAnn, to advance knowledge and expertise among industry professionals, faculty and students within the areas of forestry and natural resources economics and policy.
The inaugural lecture will feature Thompson Distinguished Lecturer Brooks Mendell, president and CEO of Forisk Consulting. Mendell will present a lecture titled “Forest Finance and Economics: Making Investment Decisions in Times of Uncertainty” at 2 p.m. in the Dixon Conference Center Auditorium. A reception will be held immediately after.
Drawing from three decades of consulting, operating and research experience in the forest products and timber industries, Mendell will examine how physical conditions, stakeholder priorities and the external policy environment impact the economic context in which investment decisions are made.
“Within this unique framework, we’re eager to learn what the economics of the south’s forest industry and timberland sectors indicate about its future competitiveness, and what lessons we can draw from it that might influence choices concerning emerging markets and natural resource assets,” said the chair of the lecture planning committee, Marc Walley, who is the current Earl H. and Sandra H. Weaver Professor at Auburn, and former president of Atlanta’s Forest Investment Associates, Inc.
The Thompsons established the educational lecture series with the goal of fostering engagement between the distinguished lecturers and forest economics faculty, acquainting the speakers with Auburn’s teaching and outreach activities and encouraging future collaborative research opportunities.
Thompson began his career at Auburn as Department of Forestry head in 1977, which was then part of the School of Agriculture. Later, in 1984, he was named the first dean of Auburn’s School of Forestry — a landmark designation as a stand-alone entity. Thompson is also credited with leading the effort to establish the Solon Dixon Forestry Education Center and providing insight to erect what is now the College of Forestry, Wildlife and Environment Building.
ViAnn Brown Thompson grew up in South Dakota and received a nursing degree from the Fairview Hospital School of Nursing in Minneapolis, Minnesota. During her career, she served various nursing roles in South Dakota, North Dakota, Oregon and Virginia.
“When Vi and I, along with our daughter, Meri, were discussing the idea of endowing a lecture series in the College of Forestry, Wildlife and Environment, the general area of forest economics seemed a natural fit,” Thompson said.
“As a faculty member at Virginia Tech, I taught and conducted research in forest economics and management. At Auburn, I could always more than justify our programs by pointing to the economic importance of forests, forest landowners and the forest products industry in Alabama. We enjoyed particularly strong support from the forest products industry, as represented by the Alabama Forestry Association.”
Janaki Alavalapati, the Emmett F. Thompson Dean of the CFWE, says that the new lecture series embodies the Thompsons’ dedication to land-grant education.
“Emmett and Vi exemplify Auburn University and its creed,” said Alavalapati. “They are always willing to contribute to something larger than themselves and continue to be friends of the college and its endeavors. We are excited and privileged that they established the educational lecture series in the CFWE.”
The Emmett & ViAnn Thompson Lecture series is anticipated to become a key venue for industry professionals, faculty and graduate students to gain up-to-the-minute forestry and natural resources economics and policy knowledge from national and internationally renowned topic experts.
Invited lecturers will encompass diverse expertise in forest economics, forest markets, forest policy and global trade. As part of the multi-day event, opportunities for networking and discussion will foster speaker engagement and knowledge transfer among attendees.
Members of the Auburn community and industry professionals from across the region are invited to attend the lecture and reception at The Hotel at Auburn University and Dixon Conference Center Auditorium and Grand Ballroom.
Admission is complimentary; however, pre-registration is required. Attendees are asked to RSVP to Alex Doss at wad0010@auburn.edu by Wednesday, Feb. 12. Parking is available adjacent to the conference center in the South College Parking Deck. For more information, contact Marc Walley, chair of the lecture planning committee, at mwalley@forestinvest.com.
To learn more about the lecture series and the inaugural speaker, visit cfwe.auburn.edu.
(Written by Jamie Anderson)
