Meet Rhiley, in the Guild’s Pacific West office

Written by Rhiley Allbee

Based in Seattle, WA, I began working for the Forest Stewards Guild as the Pacific Northwest Region Coordinator in November of 2022. I am excited to be with the Guild again after having worked as a Program Assistant in the SW office in 2019 and having been a student Guild member at Michigan Technological University.

I earned my B.S. in Biology at Saginaw Valley State University and M.S. in Forest Ecology and Management at Michigan Tech. I paired my graduate studies with Peace Corps service, in which I worked as an Agroforestry and Extension Agent in rural Senegal, and I conducted research for my master’s thesis. This experience gave me a greater empathy and understanding for the ways in which people use and interact with their environments. After completing my M.S., I spent a short time working for the Guild in the SW office as a Program Assistant prior to starting the Mickey Leland International Hunger Fellowship that led to me working on the Global Green Growth Institute’s (GGGI) Sustainable Landscapes team in Seoul, South Korea and remotely with their Landscape Investment team in Indonesia during the pandemic. During that time with GGGI, I had the opportunity to work on a range of projects across multiple countries all focused on climate change adaptation and mitigation in vulnerable landscapes. I hope to use this experience to expand the Guild’s work related to climate informed ecological forestry.

I look forward to connecting with Guild members across the Pacific Northwest and hope to see many of you at upcoming events this year related to the Northwest Innovative Forestry Summit and Forestry for the Birds.

“I am really excited for Guild members in the Pacific Northwest to meet Rhiley Allbee,” says Lake States Region Director Michael Lynch. “Rhiley brings valuable experience, enthusiasm, and a pragmatic approach to the Guild.” The Guild looks forward to expanding our work in the Pacific West and having Maura and Rhiley support partners in the northwest region.