Gary Dunning, Natasha James, Tania Munz, Nicole Stiffarm, and Danielle Watson

In this opening session, the series co-hosts will introduce the YFF spring speaker series, set the stage for conversations on how forestry has changed over the past 50 years, and discuss what those shifts mean for the future of forests and forestry.

Speaker Biographies

Gary Dunning – Executive Director, The Forest School at the Yale School of the Environment

Gary Dunning is the Executive Director of the Forest School at the Yale School of the Environment. His primary responsibilities center on strategic planning, institutional collaborations, communications and programming. He also lectures at the School on stakeholder engagement, leadership in the forest sector and timely issues in forestry. Dunning is also the founding Executive Director of the Forests Dialogue (TFD). Established in 2000, TFD provides global forest leaders with a neutral, multistakeholder dialogue platform and process focused on building mutual trust and shared understanding while working toward collaborative solutions to the challenges of sustainable forest management and forest conservation worldwide. Previously, Dunning served as Director of the Yale Forest Forum from 1998 to 2000. He holds an MF degree from the Yale School of the Environment and a BA in geography and natural resources from Humboldt State University.

Natasha James, PhD – Senior Director of Future Forests, Society of American Foresters

Natasha James is the Senior Director of Future Forests with the Society of American Foresters (SAF). She brings her strong background in finance, policy and research to SAF to address key challenges in forestry and support professionals across the field. Before joining SAF, James served as a program analyst with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, where she worked on forest-related policy and research initiatives. She has also contributed to academic research focusing on forest economics and stakeholder engagement. James holds a PhD in Forest Economics from North Carolina State University and uses her multidisciplinary experience to advance resilient, forward-looking solutions for forests and the people who depend on them.

Tania Munz, PhD – President and CEO, Forest History Society

As president and CEO, Tania Munz oversees all Forest History Society programs and operations. Before joining FHS in 2023, Munz served as Chief Program Officer for the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in Cambridge, Mass. There, she led the independent research center, which conducts work in areas spanning science, the humanities, international affairs and education. Previously, Munz served as Vice President for Scholarly Programs at the National Humanities Center and as Vice President for Research and Scholarship at the Linda Hall Library, where she oversaw collections, public services and scholarly programs. She has taught history of science and environmental history at Princeton University, Sarah Lawrence College, the University of Chicago, and Northwestern University, and was a research scholar at the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science in Berlin, Germany. Munz holds a PhD in the history of science from Princeton University, an MA in the history of science and technology from the University of Minnesota and a BA from the University of Chicago in the history of science and medicine. She authored the award-winning book “The Dancing Bees: Karl von Frisch and the Discovery of the Honeybee Dance Language” (University of Chicago Press, 2016).

Nicole Stiffarm (Chippewa Cree) – Tribal Partnerships Manager, Environmental Policy Innovation Center

Nicole Stiffarm is an enrolled member in the Chippewa Cree Tribe of Rocky Boy, Montana. She currently serves as Tribal Partnerships Manager at Environmental Policy Innovation Center. Her background includes specializing in workforce development and internship pathways for Indigenous and underserved students in forestry, wildland fire, and allied natural resources. Her expertise includes federal internship management, cross-sector partnerships, recruitment, and program evaluation. She also previously served as Program Manager for the Center for Tribal Research and Education in Ecosystem Sciences (TREES) at Salish Kootenai College, advancing internship cohorts and employer partnerships for indigenous students. Nicole has held leadership roles with the Intertribal Timber Council’s education and workforce initiatives and served as a delegate in the inaugural Women’s Forest Congress. 

Danielle Watson – Senior Director, Policy, American Forests

Danielle Watson manages American Forests’ climate policy portfolio, focusing on programs, policies, and funding that empowers those who steward state, private, and Tribal lands. As part of the Policy and Partnerships team, she also supports policy and government relations needs for the Tree Equity and Resilient Forests programs. Prior to joining American Forests, Watson worked for over a decade in the forest policy arena with the Society of American Foresters and led its efforts to cultivate and convene stakeholders around pressing issues facing forests and forestry professionals. Watson holds a JD from Vermont Law School and a BA from James Madison University.