Forests and the future: 鈥楾he People Side鈥 explained at Carlton Owen Lecture April 9
Contact: Vanessa Beeson
STARKVILLE, Miss鈥擪athryn 鈥淜atie鈥 Fernholz, president and CEO of Dovetail Partners, will present Wednesday鈥檚 [April 9] 2025 Carlton Owen Lecture, an annual event hosted by Mississippi State鈥檚 College of Forest Resources.
Part of the university鈥檚 celebration of Earth Month, Fernholz will lead the public lecture 鈥淭he People Side of Forest Resources,鈥 at 2 p.m. in Thompson Hall鈥檚 Tully Auditorium. She will explore the needs and opportunities within the forest and wood products sector, spanning from land ownership to workforce development.
鈥淎ddressing the 鈥楶eople Side of Forest Resources鈥 is important because sustainability includes environmental, economic and social outcomes. The forest and wood products sector has been building a track record for ensuring environmental and economic sustainability for more than 70 years鈥擨鈥檝e even been involved in a few of those decades,鈥 Fernholz said. 鈥淭oday, as communities grow, land passes on to the next generation and we see opportunities for careers in this sector expand鈥攖his is the time for us to get to know the people-side better than ever.鈥
A Minnesota native whose family operates an organic farm, Fernholz has spent her career advancing responsible resource management and environmental stewardship.
鈥淲hen I was young, my parents made the decision to transition to organic farming and became engaged in research to develop new markets and production opportunities for farmers. My family continues to be involved in this work five decades later. Sustainability is all around us and is the work of multiple generations,鈥 she said. 鈥淢ost importantly, when we create opportunities for people and the places they love to be in long-term relationships, the paths for responsible management and environmental stewardship become abundantly clear.鈥
Steve Bullard, associate dean of the College of Forest Resources, said Fernholz exemplifies the leadership the lecture series was designed to spotlight.
鈥淲e aim to highlight conservation leadership at the highest levels through this lecture, and Katie Fernholz personifies this goal. She鈥檚 an international leader and is widely recognized in many areas of forestry and conservation, with a 25-plus year career focused on sustaining forests through both the economy and ecology associated with these critical resources,鈥 he said.
Fernholz has been with Dovetail Partners, Inc. for nearly 20 years, becoming president and CEO in 2019. She holds a bachelor鈥檚 degree in forest resources from the University of Minnesota and serves on multiple advisory boards, leading sustainability initiatives across state, national and international levels.
Established more than 30 years ago by Greenville, South Carolina, resident and 1974 黑料门大事记 graduate Carlton Owen, the 黑料门大事记 lecture series focuses on natural resource conservation and leadership.
Learn more about the College of Forest Resources at .
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