graduate students outside sfws building after graduation
Conference Speakers
Featuring expert keynote speakers, panel discussions and concurrent and plenary sessions, Auburn’s conference will be a venue for scientists, forest managers, landowners and professionals to expand their knowledge within the areas of forest-based carbon and resilience, the role of forests and forest products in carbon storage and sequestration and the resistance, adaptation and resilience of forests in changing environments.
Welcome and Opening Remarks Provided By
Janaki Alavalapati is the Emmett F. Thompson Dean of the College of Forestry, Wildlife and Environment. Before joining Auburn University as dean of what was known as the School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences in 2015, Alavalapati served as a professor and department head of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation in Virginia Tech’s College of Natural Resources and Environment. Previously, he was a faculty member at the University of Florida’s School of Forest Resources and Conservation from 1998 to 2008. Alavalapati has a doctorate in forest resource economics and a master’s degree in rural sociology, both from the University of Alberta, Canada, and earned his master’s degrees in botany and forestry from universities in India. He has published over 200 publications and made more than 150 professional presentations on forests and natural resources.
Dr. Steve Taylor is the senior vice president for research and economic development at Auburn University. As Auburn’s chief research officer, Dr. Taylor reports directly to the president and is responsible for all aspects of research, scholarship and economic development across the university. Auburn University is designated as an R1 Carnegie class institution with annual research expenditures of $304 million. Dr. Taylor also serves on the Board of Directors of the Auburn Research and Technology Foundation and provides leadership to various research and economic development units, including sponsored programs, proposal services and faculty support, contracts and grants accounting, research compliance, the university veterinarian, research security compliance, electronic research administration, the IP exchange, external engagement and support and university-based start-ups.
Dr. Taylor previously served as the interim dean in Auburn’s Samuel Ginn College of Engineering at Auburn University from 2022 to 2023. He also served from 2016 to 2022 as associate dean for research in the Ginn College of Engineering where he was responsible for coordination and promotion of the college's research programs. Previous to this, he served as director of the university’s Center for Bioenergy and Bioproducts from 2007 to 2017 and as head of Auburn University’s Department of Biosystems Engineering from 2003 to 2016.
Dr. Taylor holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Florida and a doctorate from Texas A&M. He began teaching and conducting research at Auburn in 1989. His research focused on engineering for improved utilization of forest resources for structural products and energy feedstocks, as well as engineering for improved efficiency and environmental sensitivity of forest operations. He maintained a strong research presence in bioenergy and bioproducts as well as in developing geospatial tools for forestry and agriculture. He has been the principal or co-principal investigator on over $79 million in externally funded research.
Dr. Taylor previously served as the interim dean in Auburn’s Samuel Ginn College of Engineering at Auburn University from 2022 to 2023. He also served from 2016 to 2022 as associate dean for research in the Ginn College of Engineering where he was responsible for coordination and promotion of the college's research programs. Previous to this, he served as director of the university’s Center for Bioenergy and Bioproducts from 2007 to 2017 and as head of Auburn University’s Department of Biosystems Engineering from 2003 to 2016.
Dr. Taylor holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Florida and a doctorate from Texas A&M. He began teaching and conducting research at Auburn in 1989. His research focused on engineering for improved utilization of forest resources for structural products and energy feedstocks, as well as engineering for improved efficiency and environmental sensitivity of forest operations. He maintained a strong research presence in bioenergy and bioproducts as well as in developing geospatial tools for forestry and agriculture. He has been the principal or co-principal investigator on over $79 million in externally funded research.
Meet Our Keynote Speakers
Jesse D. Henderson is a Research Economist for the USDA Forest Service, Southern Research Station and Project Leader for the Forest Economics and Policy unit. His research focuses on bioeconomic modeling ranging from the forest stand to global scales and examines the relationships between forest product markets, disturbance and ecosystem outcomes. Prior to joining the USDA Forest Service, Henderson was a research associate with the Southern Forest Resource Assessment Consortium at North Carolina State University, which delivers research to a variety of forestry stakeholders, from non-profits to state agencies and forest industry. Henderson has made contributions to the Sub-Regional Timber Supply model and other forest product models which are used for policy analysis and evaluating impacts of markets on forest carbon. He holds a B.S. in Physics from The University of Tennessee. From North Carolina State University, he holds an M.S. in Natural Resources Policy and Administration and a doctorate in Forestry and Environmental Resources, focusing on forest economics.
Chris Woodall is director of U.S. Forest Science and Policy at CTrees, a global technology NGO advancing rigorous forest carbon estimation through cutting-edge data pipelines and software. With over two decades of leadership in forest science, Woodall previously served as the National Program Leader for forest carbon research at the USDA Forest Service. In that role, he informed technical aspects related to national initiatives on greenhouse gas monitoring, forest carbon accounting and international policies such as the E.U. Deforestation Regulations and the Biden Administration’s Executive Order on Mature and Old-Growth Forests. Earlier in his career, he spent nearly 20 years as a research forester and regional project leader with the Forest Inventory and Analysis Program and co-chaired the interagency technical team for forest GHG accounting and the Paris Climate Accords under the Obama Administration. His research spans carbon dynamics, forest density, regeneration and climate adaptation. He holds a B.S. in Forest Management from Clemson University and a master’s and doctorate degree in silviculture from the University of Montana.
Jiquan Chen is a professor of geography, environment, and spatial sciences in the Department of Geography, Environment, and Spatial Sciences in the College of Social Science at Michigan State University. His research and academic instruction programs focus on ecosystem processes and their interactive feedback to biophysical and human forcing, including community ecology to 3-D canopy structure, forest fragmentation, edge effects, riparian zone, conservation biology, landscape ecology, micrometeorology, and biophysics. His current research lies in the coupled effects of global climate change and human activities on terrestrial ecosystems, global change ecology, bioenergy, carbon/water fluxes, and biophysical modeling. He teaches special topics on coupled human and natural systems, environmental instrumentations, biophysical models in ecosystem analysis, and global change science. He is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS, 2011) and a fellow of the Ecological Society of America (ESA, 2014). Chen is also the editor-in-chief of Ecological Processes (Springer Nature) and a book series of Ecosystem Science and Applications (HEP & MSU Press). He is the founder and the chief scientist of the U.S.-China Carbon Consortium (USCCC). He is also a member of the Ecology, Evolutionary Biology, and Behavior (EEBB) Graduate Program and the Environmental Science & Policy Program (ESPP).
Colette supports The Nature Conservancy staff across the nine-state historic range of longleaf pine from east Texas to southern Virginia to restore and manage longleaf forests by building partnerships, increasing resources and influencing policy changes. She was previously chair of America’s Longleaf Restoration Initiative and led the creation and co-authored the 2024 Publication: Managing Longleaf Pine Forests for Our Future- A Longleaf Pine Climate-Smart Guide. She has a bachelor’s degree in wildlife biology from Clemson University and a master’s degree from Southern Illinois in zoology with minors in forestry and environmental policy.
Brent Keefer brings 35 years of experience to his role as chief executive officer. Brent is responsible for leading the American Forest Management (AFM) organization, which includes 50+ offices throughout 10 regions and over 300 employees. As CEO, he focuses on the company's strategic direction and building the organization and culture. Before joining AFM, Keefer served as the president of Hancock Timber Resource Group. He serves on the Boards of Directors of the Sustainable Forestry Initiative® and the Forest History Society. He is also a member of the Society of American Foresters and a regular speaker at timberland investment conferences and seminars. Keefer earned his bachelor's and master's degrees from Virginia Tech.
