City Trees

became an urban forestry trainee in the Southern Region office in Atlanta; that was an exciting time! It amounted to everything I wanted to do as an urban forestry professional, from program administration and performance to community engagement. The public service side is where I fit in then and now, ensuring that the Forest Service's resources are available for communities to improve the conditions of their urban forests. After two years in that position, I worked out of the Atlanta office as a budget coordinator for State and Private Forestry in the Southern Region. While working in that position, I went to school at night to earn my Master of Public Administration (MPA) from Kennesaw University. Having an under- graduate degree in urban forestry gave me the confidence to work in natural resources, while pursuing the MPA trained me in the budget man- agement and policy side of things. I knew this training would help me as I advanced in my career, especially as I moved into national-level roles managing and implementing a public program. In the last couple of semesters, my MPA program merged with Kennesaw's MBA program, which ended up expanding my horizons even further. I got to see the point of view of the for-profit side around conservation, and in that year we were frequently asked to take positions and defend them, which was invaluable training that I've used through my career. In 2007, I moved to Washington, D.C. to work as an analyst in fire and aviation management for the Forest Service, coordinating Government Accountability Office audits and national fire reviews. That was a step out of urban forestry, but very worthwhile, as the Forest Service is highly respected for its work on fire and aviation, among many other areas. I was able to travel quite a bit to see the agency's work on wildfire preparation and response and on aviation training and safety— including aviation for fighting wildfires—which I found fascinating. It provided me with a more advanced lens onto the Forest Service's abilities and highly respected role in the conservation community. >> I'm excited to have landed where I can operation- alize my urban forestry credentials but also have the opportunity to lead a program that I have enjoyed being a part of for the past 11 years. This is a moment where leadership is needed to ensure that urban forestry and urban forests serve communities equi- tably. The pandemic and social justice challenges of 2020 gives us a chance to focus on impact beyond implementation. It calls for us to listen to and learn from vulnerable communities more than ever, and to stretch urban forestry practitioners' program adminis- tration skills and abilities toward measurable impact. While in college at Southern, I interned every summer for the Forest Service. After graduation I At the SMA Conference in Cleveland Awards ceremony in 2019, outgoing SMA President Keith Cline honored Beattra with a President's Award of Appreciation. He said, "As a colleague, Beattra Wilson has offered me wise counsel and an ever-ready ear for over 15 years. Most recently, she has been a crucial partner in the creation of Diversity in MFI, continuing her career-long commitment to growing leaders and to promoting equity and diversity in our profession." 18 CityTREES

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