Current LAF Champions

Andy Hillman

City Forester and Society of Municipal Arborists Member

After earning his biology degree from the State University of New York in Oswego, Andy served as an officer in the United States Naval Reserve, later to become a supervisor for tree care for the City of Oswego and has since worked as a City Forester for the City of Ithaca, NY. Andy is a founding member of NY ReLeaf and New York State Urban & Community Forestry Council. He is also the Vice President and a member of the Executive Board for the Society of Municipal Arborists.

Andy started as a Champion in 2004 as part of Eagle Eye Institute's Wings Initiative and has since been providing Learn About Forests programs for Ithaca's youth.

Scott Jones

City Arborist/Manager of the Urban Forestry and Beautification Division
Society of Municipal Arborists member

Graduate of Auburn University in Landscape and Ornamental Horticulture, Scott served as the Forestry Administrator for the City of Columbus developing and implementing the administrative policies of the newly devised tree ordinance before stepping into his current role as City Arborist and Manager.

Scott has been providing Learn About Forests programs since 2003 and is dedicated to increasing access to nature for urban youth.

Champions from The Trustees of Reservations

Linton Harrington

Bioreserve Outreach and Education Coordinator - Fall River, MA

With a MS in environmental education from Antioch New England Graduate School, Linton has worked with young people for over ten years as a science teacher, naturalist and most recently as the Bioreserve Outreach and Education Coordinator for The Trustees of Reservations.

Linton began working as a LAF Champion in 2005 as part of a partnership between Eagle Eye Institute, The Trustees of Reservations, and YouthBuild U.S.A. to bring young adults from Brockton and New Bedford to the 13,600 acre Southeastern Massachusetts Bioreserve.

Jim Caffrey

Superintendent of Notchview Reservation - Windsor, MA

Jim holds an A.B. from the College of Holy Cross and a M.F. from Yale School of Environmental Science and Forestry. Jim worked as a high school science teacher before The Trustees of Reservations, where he has been for 20 years serving as property Superintendent and Forester. He is a Massachusetts licensed forester and active with the Westfield River Wild and Scenic Advisory Committee.

Jim began working as a LAF instructor in 2005 as part of the Green Industry Career Pathway program and is moving forward to become a Champion in 2006 to bring students from YouthBuild Springfield to TTOR's Notchview Reservation.

Jocelyn Forbush

Jocelyn Forbush is the CT River Valley Area Manager for The Trustees of Reservations and is involved in land conservation, land management projects, communications, and the oversight of an urban environmental education partnership in the Pioneer Valley. She has been with The Trustees since 2001, where she has also served as the Director of the Highland Communities Initiative and as a Land Conservation Program Assistant. She has a background in forest science and is a graduate of the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies.

Jocelyn began working with Eagle Eye in partnership with the Green Industry Career Pathway program in 2005 as a Learn About Forests Champion.

Chris Ward

As an outdoor enthusiast from the young age of four, Chris Ward has spent his life experiencing and studying the wonders of nature. From fishing with his grandfather and witnessing the grandeur of a buck, Chris was steered toward the direction of forestry and agriculture, and earned a B.S. in Environmental Science from Stockton College in New Jersey. After working for the USFS in Arizona and The Nature Conservancy in Florida, Chris found his way to the Quabbin Reservoir where he was the Quabbin Management Superintendent, managing 10 sites for The Trustees of Reservations. Currently Chris is the Andover/North Andover Superintendent and manages Stevens-Coolidge Place, Ward Reservation, and Weir Hill for The Trustees of Reservations (TTOR).

In September, Chris was a Champion for his first Learn About Forests programs and is excited to continue his work as an instructor for other programs and introduce YouthBuild students to TTOR’s natural sites.

Past LAF Champions (PDF)