Who We Are

Dovetail's Staff, Board of Directors and Board of Advisors

Pictured from Left to Right, Back Row: J. Bowyer, P. Guillery, D. MacCleery, R. Hrubes, W. Banzhaf, P. O'Brien, M. Wenban-Smith;

Front Row: K. Carlson, K. Fernholz, E. Chanin, J. Howe, S. Bratkovich, J. Koosmann, A. Lindburg

Not pictured: D. Heise, P. DeLong, E. Bloomquist, B. Adams, Jeff Bowyer

Staff

Kathryn Fernholz, Executive Director

Jim Bowyer, Director of Responsible Materials Program
Steve Bratkovich, Project Manager for Recycling & Reuse

Alison Lindburg, Director of Eco-affordable Housing Program

Don Heise, Project Manager, Eco-affordable Housing Program

Jeff Bowyer, Associate

Board of Advisors

William Banzhaf, Former President, Sustainable Forestry Board, Retired

Paul DeLong, Wisconsin State Forester, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Division of Forestry

R. Philip Guillery, Forestry Consultant

Matthew Wenban-Smith, Director, OneWorldStandards

Staff

Kathryn Fernholz, Executive Director

Kathryn has worked on development and forest management issues in a range of roles.  With a consulting firm, Kathryn was a member of the environmental services department where her work included natural resource inventories, comprehensive planning, environmental impact assessments and the use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS).  While working for the Community Forestry Resource Center, Kathryn developed and managed a group certification project for family forests and worked to increase local capacity to provide forest management and marketing services that are compatible with certification standards. 

Kathryn has been a leader within the forestry community in the Upper Midwest through her service as Chair of the Minnesota Society of American Foresters and her appointment to the Minnesota Forest Resources Council. Kathryn is a member of the Advisory Board for the Blandin Foundation's Vital Forests/Vital Communities Initiative, and she is also a member of the Board of Directors for the Minnesota Environmental Partnership and the College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences Alumni Society. Kathryn has a B.S. in Forest Resources from the University of Minnesota, College of Natural Resources and also studied at the College of Saint Benedict in St. Joseph, MN and Sheldon Jackson College in Sitka, Alaska.

Dr. Jim Bowyer, Director of Responsible Materials Program

Dr. Jim Bowyer is professor emeritus, University of Minnesota Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems Engineering.   He is an Elected Fellow of the International Academy of Wood Science; President of Bowyer and Associates, Inc. – a wood science and bioenergy consulting firm; Member of the Governance Board and Chairman of the Scientific Advisory Board of the Temperate Forest Foundation (Portland, Oregon); and a  Member of the Blandin Foundation Vital Forests/Vital Communities Board of Advisors. 

Bowyer has served as President of the Forest Products Society (1993-94) and of the Society of Wood Science and Technology (1987-88), Vice President of the Consortium for Research on Renewable Industrial Materials (1992-2003), and Chairman of the Tropical Forest Foundation (2002-2008).   He was Head of the University of Minnesota's Department of Wood & Paper Science from 1984 to 1994, and Founder and Director of the Forest Products Management Development Institute at the University of Minnesota (an organization dedicated to education and development of industry professionals) from 1994-2003.   He served as Project Leader of the Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station project “Environmental Life Cycle Assessment of Bio-based Materials and Products” from 1988 to 2003 and he also led a research team focused on global raw materials consumption and supply trends for more than 30 years.  

Dr. Bowyer earned a BS degree in forest management from Oklahoma State University (1964), a MS in forest products from Michigan State University (1966), and a PhD in wood science in technology from the University of Minnesota (1973).   He has published widely on the topics of wood science and technology, environmental life cycle analysis, and relationships of wood and other raw materials use, forest policy, and environmental impacts. He is also coauthor of the leading introductory wood science textbook in North America Forest Products and Wood Science – an Introduction , now in its 5th edition, and of the widely used CD-ROM The Nature of Wood and Wood Products.

Steve Bratkovich, Project Manager for Recycling & Reuse

Steve Bratkovich, Ph.D., has 32 years of forestry and forest products experience.   His areas of expertise include business, marketing and strategic planning; urban wood utilization; primary and secondary wood processing; and sustainable forest management. Steve has authored over 100 forestry-related publications, articles and reports, and is a frequent contributor to forestry and industry trade journals.   He currently serves as an Associate Editor to the Journal of Forestry and is Managing Editor for Independent Sawmill and Woodlot Management magazine's “Green Column.”  

In 2002 Steve received the Excellence in Technology Transfer award from the Chief of the USDA Forest Service. Steve has also received outstanding service awards from the Ohio and Minnesota Society of American Foresters. Steve is a self-employed forestry consultant and an Adjunct Associate Professor with the University of Minnesota's Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems Engineering.


Alison Lindburg, Director of Eco-Affordable Housing Program

Alison joined Dovetail Partners in early 2006 and has brought building and design experience and an enthusiasm for green building to the team. Prior to working with Dovetail, Alison worked for The Lander Group, a Twin-Cities based housing development firm, where she wrote and implemented their green housing program. Alison's experience includes property management, financial planning and budgeting, and building construction supervision. Alison has a BA in Architecture, with a focus on green design, and a minor in Spanish from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. Alison is a LEED AP.

Alison and her work have been featured in publications and media outlets, such as Minnesota Public Radio and Livin' the Green Life, a national radio program providing information about earth-friendly living. Alison has presented information about green building and sustainable materials at events across the Midwest, and is a member of the Mississippi Headwaters Chapter of the USGBC and the Minnesota Green Communities Advisory Committee. Raised in a rural community herself, she is deeply committed to addressing the housing challenges of rural communities, and is especially dedicated to energy-efficient design and responsible building material usage. When not championing eco-housing, Alison paints, plays piano, and travels the great wide world.

William Banzhaf , Former President, Sustainable Forestry Board

William Banzhaf served as the President of the Sustainable Forestry Board, an independent 501(c) 3 not-for-profit organization. The 15-member body oversees the Sustainable Forestry Initiative® Standard, the most widely used forest certification standard in North America. Prior to his work with the SFB, he served as the Executive Vice-President for the Society of American Foresters (SAF) from 1988 to 2002. In addition, Banzhaf served as President of George Banzhaf & Company, a consulting firm with a national practice specializing in forest land valuation and present and future projections of sustainable wood supply for the forest products industry, from 1967 to 1988.

Banzhaf is a member of and holds positions on the boards of numerous professional organizations including the Sustainable Forestry Board, Resources For the Future, Roundtable on Sustainable Forests, American Society of Association Executives, Greater Washington Society of Association Executives, Council of Engineering and Scientific Society Executives, Pinchot Institute of Conservation, Seventh American Forest Congress, Natural Resource Council of America, USDA, National Commission on Wildfire, National Council on Private Forests, and the Association of Consulting Foresters.

Banzhaf is a Certified Forester, 2002 through Society of American Foresters. He graduated from the University of Michigan in 1967 with a BSF Forestry (one year graduate degree) and from the University of Colorado in 1964 with a BA History/Political Science.

Paul DeLong, Wisconsin State Forester,
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Division of Forestry

Paul DeLong was appointed Wisconsin State Forester in 2003, after serving 10-years at the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources in the Division of Forestry. The Wisconsin DNR's Forestry program has an annual budget of $42 million and 450 employees. The Forestry Division is responsible for the protection and sustainable management of the state's nearly 16 million acres of forestland and the millions of urban trees that are so critical to our quality of life.

Prior to joining the DNR in 1992, Paul worked as a senior program officer for the World Wildlife Fund in Washington, DC, and as a mediator for the RESOLVE Center for Environmental Dispute Resolution, also in Washington. DeLong holds a bachelor's degree in forestry from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point and a master's degree in natural resources policy from the University of Michigan.

R. Philip Guillery, Forestry Consultant

Phil Guillery has worked to link communities and conservation efforts for the past 17 years. Previously, Phil served as founder and director of the Community Forestry Resource Center and his work has focused on helping communities and family forests access resources to sustain their forests and develop meaningful markets for certified forest products. Phil has been closely involved with the development of certification and associated forest policy in the U.S. and internationally.

Phil has also worked with the SmartWood Program of the Rainforest Alliance, managing its Midwest program and leading forest certification audits. He has also co-authored a number of articles on the economics and marketing of responsible forest products in leading journals.

Phil holds a Master of Science degree in Forestry and a Master of Arts degree in Extension Education from the University of Minnesota, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Science Education from the University of Wisconsin.

Robert J. Hrubes , Ph.D., Senior Vice President, Scientific Certification Systems, Forest Conservation Program

Ph.D., Wildland Resource Sciences; University of California, Berkeley, CA

M.A., Economics; University of California, Berkeley, CA

M.S., Resource Systems Management; University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI

B.S., Forest Management and Outdoor Recreation Management; Iowa State University, Ames, IA

Dr. Hrubes has principal responsibility for leading the company's natural resource management and chain-of-custody programs. Dr. Hrubes is a registered professional forester and resource economist with over 30 years of professional experience in both the private and public sectors. Prior to joining SCS, he was managing principal of Natural Resource Associates, a Northern California-based forestry and resource economics consulting firm.

In 1991, SCS first engaged Dr. Hrubes' consulting services to design and implement its forest certification program. Dr. Hrubes is an internationally recognized expert in natural resources management and environmental certification. As principal architect of the SCS Forest Conservation Certification Program, Dr. Hrubes functions in the company in an executive leadership capacity while also maintaining his involvement as a certification practitioner. He has served as team leader on evaluations of more than 30 forest management operations worldwide, totaling more then 15 million acres. He has also served as auditor for many chain-of-custody certification evaluations, worldwide.

While principal consultant for Natural Resource Associates, Dr. Hrubes specialized in wildland management planning, sustainable forestry analysis, resource economics analysis, operations research analysis, and forest management. In addition, he applied management science techniques and principles to a broad range of resource management problems.

Dr. Hrubes served for four years on the Board of Directors of the Forest Stewardship Council and was the founding chair of the Board of Directors of the Forest Stewards Guild, a U.S.-based professional forestry society. Prior to establishing a private consulting practice in 1988, Dr. Hrubes worked for the USDA Forest Service for 15 years. His last position with the Forest Service was Principal Forest Economist/Operations Research Analyst on the Management Sciences Staff in Berkeley, California.

Douglas MacCleery, Senior Policy Analyst, Forest Management Division, National Forest System, Washington, D.C.

Douglas MacCleery is a graduate forester receiving his degree from Michigan State University. He was employed as policy analyst for the National Forest Product Association and has recently completed service with the U.S. Forest Service in Washington D.C. MacCleery's understanding and ability to define forestry issues makes his books and writing very popular and often quoted by people with forest policy and legislative responsibilities.

Patrick O'Brien, Organizational Development Consultant

Patrick is one of the most experienced facilitators of organizational change in the Twin Cities area. He began his practice in 1981 and is recognized for applying creativity and a focus on the whole person to his work with individuals and groups facing change. He is dedicated to building healthy and successful organizations in all sectors. He is particularly skillful in coaching leaders to become wiser and more knowledgeable in their roles.

Patrick also works with his wife of 34 years, Diana, to guide couples in creating more harmonious and purposeful relationships. Previous to his consulting work, Patrick founded The Malt Shop restaurants in Minneapolis. Patrick holds a B.A. degree in Social Work from Augsburg College in Minneapolis.

Matthew Wenban-Smith, OneWorldStandards

Matthew Wenban-Smith has been involved with the development of forest certification since 1994.   He was responsible for setting up the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) accreditation program, establishing its core requirements and systems for the evaluation and monitoring of certification bodies.   He then managed the Woodmark forest certification programme of the Soil Association, the UK's leading organic standards and certification body, before returning to FSC to head its new Policy and Standards Unit from 2002 through to 2005.