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CEO of EACOM joins Sustainable Forestry Initiative board of directors

November 22, 2018 – Kevin Edgson, president and CEO of Quebec-based timber company EACOM, has joined the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) board of directors alongside three other new appointments.

SFI is an independent, non-profit organization that provides supply chain assurances, conservation leadership and environmental education.

SFI’s 18-member board of directors comprises three chambers, representing environmental, economic and social interests. SFI board members include executive-level representatives of conservation organizations, academic institutions, Indigenous communities, family forest owners, public officials, workers and the forest products sector.

“These four board members join us at a critical juncture given SFI’s current work to set our strategic direction for the next five years,” says Mark Rodgers, president and CEO of Habitat for Humanity Canada and chair of the SFI board of directors. “I’m looking forward to working closely with each of them and am confident that their diverse experience and leadership skills will bring fresh perspective to SFI’s future plans.” 

The new members and positions are as follows:

• Economic chamber: Kevin Edgson, president and CEO, EACOM Timber Corporation. Edgson is a proven leader with more than 30 years’ experience in multiple sectors, provincial jurisdictions and roles in the Canadian forest products industry. Since 2015, EACOM has worked to expand certification to the SFI Forest Management, Fiber Sourcing, and Chain-of-Custody standards across its Ontario and Quebec operations.

• Social chamber: Lillian “Ebonie” Alexander, executive director, Black Family Land Trust. Alexander leads one of the United States’ only conservation land trusts dedicated to the preservation and protection of African-American and other historically underserved landowners’ assets. Black Family Land Trust programs are designed to engage landowners about conservation, natural resources, and environmental protection. Since joining the Black Family Land Trust in 2009, Ebonie has helped countless families retain their land assets.
• Economic chamber: Brent Keefer, president, Hancock Timber Resource Group. Keefer is responsible for overall investment management of the Hancock Timber Resource Group. For more than 30 years, Keefer’s career has carried him around the globe and has included forest operations, resource planning and analysis, timberland valuation, timberland acquisitions and dispositions, economic research, client relations and investment management.
• Environmental chamber: Dan Lambe, president, Arbor Day Foundation. Lambe oversees the innovative programs and partnerships through which the Arbor Day Foundation strives to educate, recognize, and empower people to plant, nurture, and celebrate trees. Dan has spent more than 25 years creating and directing programs to advance conservation and consumer-related issues across the United States and around the world. 

“The diversity and independence of our board is one of SFI’s defining characteristics and a foundation for our success. Each board member brings a range of impressive talents and skills to the table and I’m eager to see us all working together on behalf of sustainable forests,” says Kathy Abusow, president and CEO of SFI.