My earliest childhood memories were in the forests of Western Carolina. Our community taught us the value of using the local forest resources in sustainable ways to provide both food and healthcare for our family. With those foundational experiences, I am now an Agroforestry practitioner dedicated to forest conservation by creating economic opportunities through non-timbering practices.With twenty years of technology consulting experience both domestically and internationally, I have led teams in developing solutions to diverse and difficult challenges facing society. I have developed software used by homeland security to improve safety in airline travel, revised national labor policies to offer more inclusive work opportunities, created organic and nutritious poultry products for children, and built infectious disease tracking databases with positive worldwide public health implications.I have learned success is not measured with titles and certifications. Success is a humble appreciation of the influences on society by the projects I have successfully implemented. The next challenge is to create favorable environmental outcomes for our forests using collaborative problem solving. I’m looking forward to working with those who share the same appreciation and respect for our natural resources.