AFF Coordinators are on Board to Support America’s Family Forest Owners
Family forest owners are passionate about their land, but many landowners face barriers – such as cost, awareness, technical expertise and more – that prevent them from actively managing their woodlands. To make sure that these landowners get the help they need, the American Forest Foundation (AFF) is investing in staff to support partners and landowners in creating healthy, more resilient forests.
Meet AFF's Coordinators
AFF has welcomed several new coordinators within the past year to support the mission of engaging more landowners in sustainably managing their land. Our team of enthusiastic coordinators are dedicated to helping family forest owners keep their woodlands healthy and productive for generations to come.
Chelsea Wilson, Midwestern Conservation Coordinator
Chelsea Wilson joined the AFF team in March of 2019. A native of the Shenandoah Valley and Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, Chelsea grew up on her grandfather’s farm, running and playing in the woods and fields. This early connection with nature created a passion for protecting the environment around her. She went on to major in Environmental Policy and Analysis and minor in Remote Sensing and GIS at Boston University. Before coming to AFF, Chelsea worked with various organizations—Massachusetts Department of Transportation, Next Step Living, and The Land Trust for Tennessee—focusing her work around implementing sustainable solutions and engaging the community. As AFF’s Midwestern Regional Conservation Coordinator, Chelsea informs conservation projects in the 11-state region with data collection, analysis, and reporting. Chelsea also provides administrative and communications support for the White Oak Initiative.
Cristina Zepeda-Almazan, Digital Communications Coordinator
Cristina Zepeda-Almazan came to AFF in January of 2019. She received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in Zoology and French and then went on to get her MFS from UW-Madison with her studies focusing on the use of social media in non-profit organizations. Having worked on the communications teams of various non-profits, such as the Madison Audubon Society and Nature Québec, Cristina has experience communicating the importance of conservation issues. As the Digital Communications Coordinator, she designs campaigns for social media, email and other digital channels to share the latest news on family forests, landowner stories and project updates from AFF to encourage more people to take action in supporting our nation’s family-owned forests.
Emily Thomas, Landowner Success Coordinator
Emily Thomas joined AFF in August of 2018 and works with our WoodsCamp team out of Nova Scotia. Originally from a small island off the coast of Maine, Emily decided to attend university in Canada. At Mount Allison University, she majored in Geography and minored in Planning and then went on to get her master’s degree in Island Studies at the University of Prince Edward Island where her focus was on fisheries policies and fisheries management in island communities. Before coming to AFF, Emily worked in the tourism industry and taught economic geography. She currently serves as the Landowner Success Coordinator, making sure every interested landowner receives the services and information that they need to take action on their land. She communicates directly with landowners and helps to identify barriers for landowners and partners, and connects them with the right tools, systems and services.
Jonathan Shears, Southern Conservation Coordinator
Jonathan Shears joined AFF in March of 2019. He graduated from Elon University in 2017 with a degree in Political Science and Strategic Communications and has worked with several conservation groups in D.C., including the Wilderness Society, American Rivers, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, and even worked as an Environmental Educator at the Living Classrooms Foundation’s Camp Fraser in Great Falls, VA. In his role at AFF, he works hand-in-hand with Southern regional staff to track the progress toward conservation goals. Jonathan also supports foresters and wildlife biologists with the resources they need to successfully assist landowners.
Lynn Riley, Northeastern Conservation Coordinator
Lynn Riley joined the team in April of 2019. She received her bachelor’s degree from Virginia Tech in Geography and GIS. An internship with KaBOOM! in D.C. introduced Lynn to the world of non-profits. She then went on to do work in public relations for non-profit organizations in Atlanta, GA, where she focused on editorial, marketing and graphic design work. Motivated to put her GIS skillset to use, the role as AFF’s Northeastern Conservation Coordinator was the perfect next step for Lynn. She is responsible for the landowner database, GIS projects, and supporting regional projects, all of which provide landowners with the information and resources they need to maintain healthy forests.
Megha Khadka, Western Conservation Coordinator
Megha Khadka the newest member of the AFF Conservation team, having just joined in May 2019. Megha received a bachelor’s degree in Geography and Community Development from St. Cloud State University, Minnesota and a graduate degree in Natural Resources from Virginia Tech. Megha also has several years of experience working for non-profit organizations including the Transportation Board of the National Academies of Sciences in D.C., and more recently at the Gangetic Dolphin Conservation Center located in Nepal. At AFF, Megha joins the Western Conservation team’s work in helping private landowners reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfires and protect critical watersheds. Specifically, Megha will provide the Western Team with data support and will work closely with place-based project coordinators to track landowner engagement and KPIs.
Natalie Alex, Policy Coordinator
Natalie Alex joined the AFF team in the spring of 2018 as the Coordinator for both the Policy and Conservation teams. Since then, she has transitioned to focusing solely on Policy to make sure family forest owners and the benefits their lands provide get the representation they deserve. Natalie graduated from Michigan State University with a Bachelor’s in Fisheries and Wildlife. Prior to joining AFF, Natalie worked for both public and private sector organizations, including the Forest Resources Association, where she focused on promoting the public policy interests of the forest products community. With Natalie’s help, AFF and our Advocacy Leaders have had a positive impact on family forest policy, including the passing of the 2018 Farm Bill and the recent passage of the disaster aid package. She is currently working on advancing legislation that improves forest management programs for private landowners, including policies that support strong markets for private landowners.
Our success relies on recruiting and developing a strong team of talented professionals to work with America’s forest landowners and their stakeholders. At AFF, we are passionate about creating an inclusive workplace that promotes and values diversity, so we can continue to be the best partners for these landowners. We are thrilled to have these talented professionals bringing their various backgrounds and skillsets to AFF to help engage more of America’s family forest owners in sustainable forest management.
Interested in joining the AFF team? Visit our career page to see available positions.
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