Members and partners, 

I am grateful to have been given the opportunity to serve our Council of Western State Foresters (CWSF) and Western Forestry Leadership Coalition (WFLC) members in this new capacity as the Executive Director. Our mission of leading collective action, fostering learning and resource sharing, providing credible expertise, and engaging with partners is critical now more than ever with such historic investments being made in the forestry sector. I am honored at the responsibility of leading this organization at this pivotal time and look forward to building upon the previous success while exploring new opportunities to support leadership throughout the western United States and Pacific Islands. 

During this transition to Executive Director from my policy role, I have to thank this amazing team, our membership, and in particular, the CWSF Executive Committee and WFLC Executive Board for their support and assistance. The outreach and knowledge-sharing from all of you and our close partners have been invaluable. The commitment to the collective issues facing our nation’s forests is inspiring, and I truly appreciate being part of this community of dedicated professionals. 

In the coming weeks, staff and I are incredibly excited to gather in Boise, Idaho, with our full membership for the CWSF/WFLC Spring Meeting. We anticipate productive dialogue, shared learning, and continuing to grow the partnerships and coordination vital to the work being done across the West. Recruitment has also begun to fill our vacant Competitive Grants Manager and Director of Policy positions, and I am eager to find talented individuals to join this team and serve our members. 

I’d be happy to discuss how we can continue to improve the services we provide, enhance our existing partnerships, and forge new ones. Please feel free to reach out with any thoughts or ideas you may have to dokst@westernforesters.org or 303-835-9911.   

Sincerely, 

Danielle Okst
CWSF/WFLC Executive Director