End of the Year Message from Endowment President and CEO, Pete Madden.

End of the Year Message from Endowment President and CEO, Pete Madden.

Dear Valued Partners and Grantees,

As a challenging year draws to a close, we remain focused on our long-term mission and our relationships with all our partners and grantees. We are looking to the future with hope and optimism, confident that the partnerships we enjoy with all of you will accelerate our shared mission to advance sustainable forestry and its myriad benefits. We are grateful for the opportunity to work with each and every one of you.

A talented team and dedicated leadership

Our ability to meet the tests we have faced this year makes me more grateful than ever for such a talented team at the Endowment. They remain dedicated to working with you on innovative and transformative partnerships and projects that will pay dividends for years.

This team reflects the talents and dedication exemplified by our departing CEO Carlton Owen, who has led the Endowment since its founding in 2006. Central to Carlton’s rich legacy is positioning the organization to be a “go-to” partner to work on ways to advance support for the forest sector.

I also deeply appreciate the wise counsel and dedication of our volunteer board members who help guide our work and who always challenge us to be even better than before.

Meeting challenges and seizing opportunities

Among the challenges and opportunities we will face in 2021 is understanding that companies and organizations are not waiting to invest in forests using an environmental, social, and governance (ESG) lens. ESG approaches must inform a broad cross-section of our work for they promote improved performance on issues such as equity, climate change, sustainable water impacts, corporate governance and highlight the role forests play in improving quality of life for all.

For more than a decade, the Endowment has been a trusted and valued partner with a broad range of organizations, including public agencies, private industry, and conservation organizations committed to working forests and the communities that rely on them. I’m confident this will remain true for decades to come.

A proven track record

As the nation’s largest charity dedicated to working forests, the Endowment has a consistent and proven track record of successful partnership ventures that link to at least one of five strategic areas: traditional markets, future markets, ecosystem markets, asset creation, and forest retention and health.

Thank you for your continued support for the Endowment and for the forests we all love and rely on.

Wishing you a happy and healthy holiday season.

Pete Madden

President and CEO