Dr. Sharon Jean-Philippe currently has a split appointment serving as Professor of Urban Forestry and the Urban Forestry State Extension Specialist at the University of Tennessee (UT). She is the faculty advisor for all urban forestry students and is the primary director of several summer internship opportunities for students across multiple disciplines. She was recently appointed to be the Faculty Director of Undergraduate Research and Fellowship within the Division of Student Success at UT. She provides leadership on best practices in undergraduate research to faculty, is the advocate, and liaises with academic and administrative units on undergraduate research.

She currently holds appointments with the Tennessee Forestry Commission as the Representative of the Public-at-Large where she serves as secretary for the Commission; member of the USDA Forestry Research Advisory Council; member of the Sustainable Forestry Initiative External Review Panel and a member of the Committee for Forest Policy for the Society of American Foresters. Dr. Jean-Philippe received her B.S. in Biology from Tennessee State University in 2002, and M.S. in Botany and PhD. in Natural Resources from the University of Tennessee in 2005 and 2010.

Samuel serves as the Director, Consulting Arborist & Climbing
Specialist of Kassod Arbor Tree Consultancy & Services Limited
(Hong Kong) & EmCypress Arborist Consultancy Limited
(Taiwan). Also, he teaches the Higher Diploma Program of Tree
Management & Conservation at Hong Kong Institute of Vocational
Education, VTCHK, aimed to teach the proper practices and
manner to the youngster besides of the regular Arborist works. On
the other side, Samuel speaks fluently in three languages including
English, Cantonese and Mandarin, and fair in Japanese. He was invited by various University, Institute, organization to provide the Arboriculture training, teaching, sharing in different countries such as Hong Kong, Taiwan, China, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, Australia, United States, etc.

Samuel Ma holds BSc degrees in Applied Biology from Hong Kong Baptist University, and now going back to the Faculty for his tree related research study. He is also an ISA Master Certified Arborist, Certified Tree
Worker - Climber Specialist, Qualified Chainsaw and Pruning (Ground) Technician and Tree Risk Assessment Qualified.

Samuel chaired the Tree Climbing Competition Committee from 2013 to 2015, and also as the member of the chapter's certification committee since 2013 and also. He helps the local Chapter development from 2013 and being the Board of Director since 2015. He has been the Asia Pacific Tree Climbing Championship Operations Committee since 2014. He is also the convener of The Hong Kong Institute of Professional Arborists, and also serves as the committee of Arboriculture & Horticulture Industrial Specification of Competency Standards helping to set up the local qualification framework. He enjoys being a travel Arborist helping the development of tree industry. Besides of the works, Samuel is also a tree climbing athlete for organizing and participating various Tree Climbing competition and related activities in the world.

Jessica serves as the Executive Director of the Sacramento Tree Foundation.  She fell in love with the Sacramento Tree Foundation’s holistic vision of urban forestry and prioritizes the organization’s goal of urban forestry from seed to slab, creating and cultivating an equitable urban forest through education and stewardship of trees in the Sacramento region.  She has a doctorate from Rutgers University and is a certified Project Management Professional. She previously worked at Casey Trees as the director of science and policy, overseeing community science, mapping, policy, partnerships, and land conservation.

Jessica has a passion for the urban forest, and her research has focused on developing and enhancing current urban forestry practices in order to better manage the urban interface. Growing up in New Jersey and spending her college years walking through Atlantic white cedar bogs, she wanted nature to be a daily experience, not a destination. Jessica has worked at the intersection of science communication and creation of long-lasting urban forestry policy.

She served as the chair of the conference program committee and the nominations and elections committee for the International Society of Arboriculture.  She was a board member for the Mid-Atlantic Chapter (MAC) of ISA and has served as President of AREA.  In her free time, you can find her reading, outside with her partner and two pups paddle boarding on the river, or hiking. 

Caitlyn Pollihan serves as CEO and Executive Director for the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA).  She began her role as Executive Director in 2017, with the Board adding the CEO title in 2020 to better reflect Caitlyn’s leadership responsibilities. During her tenure Caitlyn has successfully led the organization’s relocation to Atlanta, GA US, initiated the modernization of ISA systems and operations, and has increased the global connectivity and accessibility of the association.

Prior to joining ISA, Caitlyn served as the executive director of the Council of Western State Foresters (CWSF) and the Western Forestry Leadership Coalition (WFLC). In this role, she facilitated the development of the organization’s strategic goals and agendas and worked with members and CWSF/WFLC staff to ensure the organization’s success. Prior to this role, Caitlyn was the CWSF/WFLC governmental affairs director where she was instrumental in the creation of key legislation and educating members and partners on legislative proposals and national policy with western implications.

Caitlyn previously served as the staff vice president for government and environment affairs for the Home Builders Association of St. Louis and Eastern Missouri. In this role, she worked on state and local legislative initiatives, green building programs, and helped create and implement a ground‐breaking approach to building site safety inspections with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. 

Caitlyn participates in several coalitions and committees, such as the Sustainable Urban Forestry Coalition Steering Committee, the i-Tree Executive Committee, and previously served on numerous public policy committees and was an appointed member of the National Advisory Committee for Implementation of the National Forest System Land Management Planning Rule.

Caitlyn holds a bachelor’s degree in contemporary media and journalism/public relations from the University of South Dakota and a master’s degree in organizational communication from the University of Missouri‐St. Louis. She has a Certificate in Nonprofit Organization Management from the US Chamber of Commerce Foundation’s Institute for Organization Management and has earned the Certified Association Executive (CAE) credential, the highest professional credential in the association industry.

Dr. Asia Dowtin is an Assistant Professor of Urban Forestry in the Michigan State University Department of Forestry. Her work explores the relationships that exist between urban forest structure, spatial context, and water and nutrient cycling in metropolitan areas. Through this work, she aims to broaden our understanding of the influence that species composition, related physical tree traits, and surrounding land use have on urban forest function and ecosystem service provision. A major goal of Dowtin's work is to utilize this knowledge to inform the development of urban forest management plans, specifically aspects of these plans that are intended to optimize the yield of ecosystem services provided by urban trees. Her research and editorial contributions have been published in Urban Ecosystems, Urban Forestry and Urban Greening, Forest Ecology and Management, Science, Journal of Environmental Management, Journal of the American Water Resources Association, and IMPACT (the American Water Resources Association Magazine). She has secured more than $1.6 million (USD) through competitive grant funding to support her research and program development initiatives. Her work at Michigan State University includes research, teaching, and extension related to urban and community forestry. Her extension efforts largely focus on building municipal capacity for urban forest management and creating inclusive educational and workforce development programming for K-12 and college students, in addition to a diverse array of adult learners. 

She is a member of the National Urban and Community Forestry Advisory Council, TREE Fund Board Trustees, International Society of Arboriculture – Michigan Chapter Executive Board, Michigan Urban and Community Forestry Council, Women’s Forest Congress Advisory Council, Sustainable Forestry Initiative/Project Learning Tree Education Operation Committee, Green Communities Leadership Institute Core Leadership Team, Michigan State University Campus Arboretum Committee, and US Endowment for Forestry and Communities Inclusion Council. She previously served on the Sustainable Forestry Initiative Urban and Community Forestry Standard Development Task Group and currently serves as an Associate Editor of Arboriculture & Urban Forestry. She holds a B.S. in Meteorology from the State University of New York College at Oneonta, and an M.S. and Ph.D. in Physical Geography from the University of Delaware.

John Coles is employed as the Senior Tree Officer to the Royal Court of Norway. He is responsible for the management and maintenance of the historic tree population that grows on the Royal estates. The largest of these areas being The Royal Palace Park in central Oslo. John has also worked part time as an arboricultural tutor and climbing instructor at Norway’s only government arborist school.
 
He has been an ISA Certified Arborist for more than 20 years and is TRAQ qualified.

John’s strong interest in practical arboriculture has led to his involvement in several ISA committees over the years. He has served on both the ITCC and ETCC operations committee as well as the ITCC rules committee and international safety committee.
 
John is a past Chairperson of the ISA Norway Chapter and a former ITCC and ETCC competitor. He is a current member of the ISA Board of Directors.

Dedicated and experienced arborist, trainer, and board member with over 15 years in the arboriculture industry. Accomplished tree climber and international tree climbing champion, highly skilled in advanced rope techniques (SRT/MRS), spikes, and MEWPs. Certified specialist trainer and assessor with extensive experience delivering hands-on instruction in climbing, chainsaw use, wood chipper operation, and pesticide application—always with a strong focus on safety, performance, and environmental awareness. 

In addition to fieldwork, I bring a deep background in organizational leadership, volunteer coordination, budget management, and technical standards development. I have served on national and international boards, led large-scale professional events, and contributed to educational and policy initiatives across Europe. Known for cross-cultural collaboration, member engagement, and a passion for raising industry standards, I combine technical excellence with strategic vision and a strong commitment to arboriculture’s future.

Mike Watson is the Sales Manager for Shady Lane Expert Tree Care in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) in Ontario. He is also a Consulting Arborist and past Co­ Owner of Thomson Watson Consulting Arborists.

Certified Arborist ON-0246A (Since 1990) Qualified Tree Risk Assessor

Oak Wilt Qualified-Ontario MIOWQ-047{ON}

Mike is currently serving as a member of the Council of Representatives Executive Committee and is a Past President of his home Component of ISA Ontario, serving as a Board of Directors member for Ontario from 2013 to 2022. He has been very involved in ISA Ontario over the years as past chair of the Strategic Planning Committee, Education Committee, and the Ontario Tree Climbing Championship.

Mike was influential in starting Women in Arboriculture Ontario. An ISA Ontario committee that has grown over the last 6 years to increase awareness of women in our industry as well develop programs that increase Component membership while positively influencing Arboriculture in Ontario. He is one of 6 people involved in creating and developing the Ground Worker Training program in Ontario that over the last 4 years has brought over 120 new workers into the industry with hands-on training in a safe and practical manner.

Mike has shown he has the necessary leadership skills to work in further developing the relationship between ISA International and our local Components to enhance that relationship. He understands that we both need each other to succeed in getting the message to the world that ISA is a leader in Arboriculture Awareness, Education, and Safety.

Beyond his passion for worker safety and his love of trees, Mike enjoys cooking, good movies, travel, motorcycles, and the love of his life.

Randall ("Randy") H. Miller serves as Director of Research and Development at Eocene Environmental group (formerly CNUC). He is responsible for conducting utility vegetation management research (UVM), providing subject matter expertise to utility vegetation management programs across North America, and serving as an expert witness in vegetation management litigation.

Randy served as Arborist at Medinah Country Club in Medinah, Illinois, Wasatch Front Community Forester for Utah State Lands and Forestry, and as an Area Forester and System Forester/Director of Vegetation Management for PacifiCorp, an electric utility serving parts of California, Idaho, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming. He holds a BS degree in Horticulture from the University of Wisconsin - Madison and an MS in Urban Forestry from the University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point. Miller has been an ISA member since 1986 and is an ISA Certified Utility Specialist™ and ISA Board Certified Master Arborist® and is tree risk assessment qualified (ISA TRAQ).

Randy has been an ISA Board member; he has served on the ISA Certification Test Committee. He currently serves on the ISA Appeals Committee and is an incoming Member of the ISA Awards Committee. He has also served on the ISA Editorial Board. Outside of the ISA, he has been Chair of the TREE Fund Board of Trustees, President of the Utility Arborist Association (UAA), Chair of the Edison Electric Institute Vegetation Management Task Force and President of the Oregon Community Forest Council. He has over 30 years of continuous volunteer service to arboriculture and urban forestry non­profit organizations.

Miller has been recognized as the ISA 2005 R.W. Harris Authors Citation award recipient, in addition to the 2001 UAA Utility Arborist Award, 2007 UAA President's Award, 2007 Pacific Northwest Chapter ISA President's Award, 2008 ISA Utah Chapter Distinguished Service Award, 2011 UAA Utility Arborist award, 2017 Utah Chapter ISA Lifetime Achievement Award and 2022 UAA Utility Arborist Award. He has nearly 100 published writing credits, including the ISA Integrated Vegetation Management Best Management Practices and, as coauthor with Geoff Kempter, Utility Arboriculture: The Utility Specialist Certification Study Guide. Randy is an accomplished speaker and over three decades has delivered hundreds of presentations on arboricultural topics. He is a eleven-time Tour des Trees rider and has raised well over $65,000 for the TREE Fund.

Lori Brockelbank has been involved in the arboriculture industry for 17 years, previously she worked as a forester for 8 years. She is an ISA Certified Arborist, Municipal Specialist, TRAQ qualified and in the past year became a Registered Consulting Arborist.

Lori recently completed her term on the New York State International Society of Arboriculture Chapter in which she volunteered for 13 years. She served as the New York ISA Certification Liaison for 9 years and as a liaison to the Tree Fund for 8 years, she is currently serving for the past two years as the Tree Fund Liaison Chair. She has participated on five tour des trees and is planning on riding again on future routes.

 In addition, she is reprising her role as Certification Liaison to assist the Executive Secretary. She continues to volunteer on the Executive Board for the NYS ReLeaf Council which serves as an advisory board to the NYS DEC Urban Forestry Department and provides educational workshops and grant programs throughout NYS. She assisted the first Tree Campus USA Community College in NY to become recognized and continues to support them by teaching an Urban Forestry Internship in which students from a variety of disciplines and majors learn how they can become Lorax’s in their communities. She has presented at numerous Master Gardener Programs and Tree stewardship programs in Western New York. She was the keynote speaker for the Chautauqua Institutions annual Bird and Garden Club luncheon in which she shared her research on the many historical trees found on the grounds.

Lori holds a bachelor’s degree in Natural Resources from The University of New York Environmental School of Forestry and an Associate degree in social sciences from Jamestown Community College. She attended Municipal Forestry Institute in 2008 and has attended ISA Leadership workshop.

Beyond her passion for trees and plants, Lori enjoys working on her 160-year-old cider mill estate, cooking, hiking, working out in her gym, travel, and spending time with her boys.

Rebecca Johnson is the founder and principal owner of Arborholic, LLC, a consulting arborist firm with a focus on outreach and education, working to improve tree care across the central Texas region. Rebecca facilitates the Austin Certified Arborist prep course, which has provided education to over 250 arborists and enthusiasts and counting.

Rebecca is an ISA Certified Arborist® and a true arborholic. She is addicted to helping trees and the people who care for them. Rebecca regularly provides education to fellow arborists and the general public, speaking at professional conferences, such as ISA, Society of American Foresters, and the Partners in Community Forestry conference. She has served on the ISA Texas Chapter board of directors since 2015 first as Editor of their newsletter (on ISAT's Executive Committee), then through their leadership track from Vice President, to President Elect, to President and is finishing her board service as Past President. One of her accomplishments was bringing the Women's Tree Climbing Workshop to Texas for the first time and continuing to support this program locally. In addition, she facilitates a monthly "Women in Trees" chat, which serves as a sounding board for challenges and celebrates the successes of women in the industry. She was recognized with the 2020 ISA President's Award for her work with Women in Arboriculture.

She is a TCIA Certified Treecare Safety Professional (CTSP) and Qualified Trainer, Tree Risk Assessment, Texas Oak Wilt and Wildfire Risk Reduction Qualified, and has a degree in Forestry from Oklahoma State University.

Steve is the Lead Consultant, GIS Director, and Outreach Coordinator for Great Lakes Urban Forestry, a midsize consulting firm based in the west suburbs of Chicago. He is also currently the ISA CoR Representative from Illinois, as well as the co-Chair of the Illinois Arborist Association’s Advanced Training Program, and is on the American Society of Consulting Arborist’s Editorial Committee.

Steve graduated from the University of Oregon in 2004 with a major in Environmental Science and a double minor in Biology and Geography. He has also been the President of the Illinois chapter of ISA, the 2nd largest single state chapter in the United States. He chaired the Advanced Training program in Illinois, a one-of-a-kind training program, and has helped countless Arborists advance their careers by teaching courses and assisting with course material preparation. Steve is also a member of the Urban Forest Strike Team, where he leads crews after storm events and prepares risk management reports for the state Department of Natural Resources. He is currently in the ISA’s QIAP program to become a TRAQ Instructor.

Steve has spoken across the country on topics ranging from hard science (GIS in Urban Forestry) to soft skills (Public Relations in Arboriculture) at events up to and including the ISA International conference. He also donates a significant amount of time to advancing the Arboricultural industry in his free time, teaching classes as a volunteer for the Openlands TreeKeepers program, the Illinois Arborist Association’s Certified Arborist Prep courses, Chicago Region Tree Initiative’s Urban Forestry Basic Training, and the Indy Tree Stewards in Indiana, among others. He is passionate about expanding our industry and growing it to its full potential and was picked to be part of the Steering Committee / Sector Partnership as an advisor for creating the 1st ever Arborist Apprenticeship program in Illinois.

A true believer in the power of the profession, Steve enjoys spending a lot of time in the woods recreationally hiking and learning more about plants and rare ecosystems. He also maintains his love of music, and plays the bass guitar with a bunch of lousy garage bands you’ve never heard of, and hopefully never will.

Lauren Marshall, an ISA Certified Arborist and professional Landscape Architect, is an innovative, flexible, and resilient leader who believes in collaborative problem solving, cultivating the strengths of others, and listening before acting. In her current role as the Senior Manager of Program Innovation at the Arbor Day Foundation, Lauren leads the development of innovative, equity-driven programs through strategic partnership cultivation and industry research. Lauren's prior roles at the U.S. Forest Service, including serving as a Legislative Affairs Specialist and in national leadership roles in Urban & Community Forestry, integrated policy analysis with practical solutions, fostering collaboration and catalyzing significant investments in our nation's forests.

Lauren has been active in service and leadership roles in the natural resources sector for more than a decade. Since 2020, she has served as a Board Member for Nature Sacred and served on the Committee on the Environment for the City of Takoma Park, Maryland from 2013 to 2017. Lauren's role as a leader on the Presidential Management Fellows Board at the U.S. Forest Service from 2013 to 2019 and her service on the Green Communities Leadership Institute Steering Committee from 2020 to 2023 underscore her passion for fostering leadership development within the environmental sector.

Holding a Ph.D. from the University of Maryland, Lauren's research focused on community co-design of vacant land economic systems demonstrates her commitment to merging environmental stewardship with community led design. She also holds a Master's in Landscape Architecture from the University of Michigan and a Bachelor of Science in Plant Science from Cornell University.

Tim Walsh is the Vice President of Safety & Training for The Townsend Company, LLC.

Tim is pursuing his doctorate in ergonomics and safety, focusing his research on the ergonomic efficiencies of different climbing systems. Holding a master's degree in ergonomics from the University of Massachusetts-Lowell, Tim also earned master's and bachelor's degrees in Urban Forestry from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point.

As a Certified Treecare Safety Professional, an ISA Certified Arborist, and an ISA Certified Tree Climber, Tim's credentials reflect a deep commitment to maintaining the highest standards in tree care and safety practices.

Tim has played an active role in industry standard revisions, serving as a voting member of the 2022 revision of the ANSI Z133 and acting as a task chair for two groups within the Accredited Standards Committee. His commitment to advancing safety practices extends to his involvement with the National Occupational Research Agenda Safety Workgroup, where he collaborates on stimulating innovative research and improving workplace practices.

An active member of industry organizations, Tim serves on the Utility Arborist Association (UAA) Board of Directors as Past President. His contributions to the UAA include chairing the Safety Committee and serving as the chair of the Professional Development Committee. Tim is also a member of the Tree Care Industry (TCI) Magazine Editorial Advisory Committee.

Kevin K. Eckert is President, Managing Director and Chief Consulting Arborist of Arbor Global USA and Arbor Global Hong Kong Ltd. (AG). AG provides arboriculture and urban forestry consulting, training, tree management and expert witness services to diverse clients throughout the United States, Hong Kong, Asia, Australia, Central and South America, and around the Pacific Rim. Because of his love of trees and tree work, Kevin continues to climb and conduct tree management work on occasion for select trees. 

Kevin has served within the arboricultural industry for over 45 years. He is an International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) Board Certified Master Arborist and is a very active leader within the profession currently serving as a member of the Western Chapter ISA Board of Directors and its past President, Hong Kong Urban Forestry Advisory Panel, Director of Trees For Honolulu’s Future and President of Smart Trees Pacific, an NGO supporting urban and community forestry. He has received numerous awards from professional associations, government and private organizations for his extensive education work and leadership in arboriculture. 

Kevin is an Instructor and Mentor for many programs including ISA’s Tree Risk Assessment Qualification, climbing and lift aerial rescue, Chainsaw safe operation, tree felling, Electrical Hazard Awareness Program (EHAP), Certified Arborist and Certified Tree Worker preparation, and occupational safety for tree workers and the arboriculture industry. He has served as a lecturer in Arboriculture at the Hong Kong University SPACE program and the University of Hawaii. 

Kevin developed and is the Master Instructor for the UpSkill California Utility Vegetation Management Pre-inspector training program offered at colleges throughout California. This program is designed to build industry capacity in qualified, limited visual tree risk inspectors focused on minimizing the incidence of wildfires caused by trees in power lines. 

His ultimate goal is to build a legacy of students, colleagues and sustainable urban and wildlands forests that will enhance the human and natural environment through safe, healthy trees for current and future generations.