Richard W. Brinker

Dr. Richard W. (Dick) Brinker "has been Dean and Professor in the School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences at Auburn University since 1998. During this time, the school has become one of the most highly regarded and productive natural resource programs in the southern region of the United States.

"From 1988 to 1998, Dr. Brinker held a joint extension and teaching appointment at Auburn, and was involved in coordinating extension education activities for professional loggers, foresters, and landowners. More than 2,700 logging contractors have completed a five-day Professional Logging Manager Course he began in 1992. He also taught undergraduate courses in Forest Surveying, Timber Harvesting and Geographic Information Systems, and continues to teach Forest Surveying at the Forestry Summer Practicum.

"Dr. Brinker also served Auburn University’s Timber Harvesting Specialist for 10 years before his appointment as Dean. He has worked in forest industry for 12 years, with experience in land management, wood procurement, timber harvesting, and lumber mill management.

"From 2002 to 2008, Dr. Brinker was a member of the SFI External Review Panel, an independent group of 18 distinguished volunteer experts who advise the SFI Inc. Board of Directors on ways to improve the SFI program. He chaired the panel for two years.

"Dr. Brinker has a Bachelor of Science degree in forestry from Louisiana State University, an MBA from the University of Southern Mississippi, and a Ph.D. in forestry from Louisiana State University. A registered forester in Alabama and Mississippi, he is also a member of several professional organizations, including the Society of American Foresters (SAF), Forest Products Society, American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers, and Council on Forest Engineering.

"Dr. Brinker is a member of the Alabama Foresters Hall of Fame, and has won a number of awards, including Fellow, 2001 – Society of American Foresters; Technology Transfer and Extension Award, 2001 – Society of American Foresters; Extension Forester of the Year, 1997 – Forest Landowners Association, and Outreach Award for Excellence, 1997 - Auburn University.

"He is the Past Chair of the Southeastern Society of American Foresters; Past Chair and Historian for the Alabama Division, SAF; Past Chair of the War Eagle Chapter, SAF; and Past Chair of the Southeastern Section of the Forest Products Society. Brinker serves on the Board of Directors, Forest Landowners Association, and is Chair of the Forestry Research Advisory Committee that provides recommendations of federal forestry research to the USDA Secretary of Agriculture. He is a Colonel (Ret.) in the U.S. Army Reserve, with 30 years of service."

• Director, Sustainable Forestry Initiative