With the passing of the gavel, Tim Walsh became president of the UAA on August 31, 2022. For Tim, the opportunity to lead is a tremendous honor.
“Filling the role of president is truly an example of standing on the shoulders of giants,” Tim says. “We have a great staff, board of directors and many amazing volunteers. I’m looking forward to where we can move the organization in the next year.”
Tim’s involvement with the UAA started about 12 years ago, and he’s remained active ever since. His work has included volunteering on the Safety and Professional Development Committees, serving a term as director, being the Champion for the Safety Committee and a member of the Executive Director Search Committee. Tim’s involvement in the Student Society of Arboriculture (SSA) while studying at University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point was a natural path influencing his professional development and personal growth.
“The SSA has a strong link to the Wisconsin Arborist Association (WAA), the local ISA chapter. Many student members of the WAA became professional members of the association and ultimately held leadership positions in WAA and other industry associations. My time with the SSA, especially in a leadership role, paved the way for my involvement in the UAA and other professional groups,” he said.
Tim says launching his career in arboriculture was either fate or a matter of being in the right place at the right time.
“My collegiate career began at Nicolet Area Technical College in Rhinelander, Wisconsin, where I learned the tools and techniques for some aspects of arboriculture, tree identification, equipment uses and general safety. Fortunately, a job opening at a residential tree care company allowed me to earn the money needed to continue my education. At the time, I didn’t think I would stay in arboriculture, even though I enjoyed most aspects of the work, with the exception of some harsh winter days in northern Wisconsin.
“I heard about a tree climbing class while enrolled at UW-Stevens Point and I learned more about the Urban Forestry program there, which led me down the long and winding path to this point in my career.”
Today, Tim is the corporate safety director at The Davey Tree Expert Company, where he supports all aspects of health, safety and compliance.
“I work closely with operations and the other support groups to provide governance and oversight to our field teams. My days vary, sometimes developing new training, creating more effective policies and procedures, meeting with clients, getting out in the field with crews, and participating in numerous Teams/Zoom/Google meetings.
“Davey encourages stewardship for the industry and supporting our local communities through initiatives like the Davey Green Leaders volunteer program. My role as a safety professional directly supports my involvement in the UAA. The UAA and Davey both hold safety as a core value, so it’s a perfect fit.”
And when it comes to safety resources, the new president and former champion of the UAA safety committee wants members to always look first to the UAA for valuable information to help in their daily work.
“Start with the website to find valuable information. Look to the Newsline, listen to safety podcasts and sign up for webinars, read fact sheets, watch our PSA videos in English and Spanish, symposia proceedings, or learn while serving on our many committees. Additional resources available address the regulations from OSHA, ANSI, FMCSA, and manufacturers of industry equipment or gear.”
Growing the UAA and better serving the membership to understand and address their needs as well as those of sponsors will be a collaborative effort with staff, the board and volunteers, Tim says. And, of course, safety is at the core of everything he will do.
“As president, I want to focus on collaborative safety efforts with the vegetation management profession. The basis for these efforts surrounds Human Performance Improvement, or HPI, which is sometimes referred to as Human and Organizational Performance Improvement, or HOP. We all need to speak the same language around safety culture and how we view it. We need to understand and implement the new view of safety, often called ‘Safety Differently.’”
Cindy is the Senior Director, Vegetation Management Services and she manages departments responsible for maintaining vegetation in REC’s rights-of-way with the goal of reducing exposure of the electric grid to tree caused outages while encouraging habitat and species diversity. Cindy also has a consulting business, EcoAcumen, LLC that focuses on residential, commercial and government clients.
Kimberly Laing has had an exciting career in the energy industry, gaining valuable experience in various areas for almost 20 years. During her career, she has worked with numerous customers worldwide in a diverse cross-disciplined technical environment. She has extensive experience working with utilities, asset owners, equipment manufacturers, and consultants to facilitate transmission and distribution projects. Kimberly is particularly passionate about Utility Vegetation Management and its vital role in delivering safe and reliable power.
Josh Beaver is currently senior vice president of Eocene Environmental Group, a utility vegetation management (UVM) consulting and operations firm. Josh has more than two decades of experience within the UVM industry. He is currently responsible for relationship management and oversight of long-term UVM contracts throughout the United States and Canada. He considers customer and community communication to be vital aspects of his role, and he has a proven record of success working with utilities.
Sam joins the UAA crew with over a decade of non-profit experience behind her. As our Partnership Coordinator, her focused efforts on building relationships with diverse funders will include crafting proposals, cultivating connections, and cohesively earning dedicated sponsors to support the sustainability of UAA substantially and empowering our programs. Well equipped with professional skills which include program development, public speaking, proposal writing, donor relations, working with diverse stakeholders, coalition building, and public-facing service. Sam’s educational background includes a BS in Animal Ecology with a minor in Animal Science, and a MA in Philanthropy and Non-profit Development.
Sara Dreiser is a Senior Program Manager with ComEd. She works with a team to oversee ComEd’s routine cycle maintenance and ComEd’s interruption investigation programs. She has been working in the Vegetation Management industry for close to 15 years.
Matt Goff is a Transmission Vegetation Manager at Georgia Power Company. He lives in Brookhaven, GA with his wife, two daughters, and the family’s two dogs Sam, and Payton. For leisure, he enjoys sports with his family, bird hunting, and salt-water fishing.Matt holds a BSFR from the University of Georgia in Forest Resource Management and he graduated in 1997. He has worked in the vegetation management industry for 26 years. His work experience includes six years as a procurement forester for a forest products manufacturer, and 20 years in the utility vegetation management industry with Georgia Power.
Brandon graduated from Minnesota State University–Mankato with a B.S. in Geography. Brandon has been with Rainbow Tree Company since 2009 and has gained experience in several roles, including Business Developer for our utility products division, GIS Tree Inventory Analyst, and Technical Arborist. Brandon has been the Director of VM Services, the fastest growing division inRainbow Tree Company, since 2012.
A winner of the David H Nabi Award for dedication and service, Dr. Robert Vanderhoof earned his Ph.D. from the College of Forest Resources at Mississippi State University in 1995. A veteran natural resource manager, Robert spent 15 years as Florida’s Deer Management Section Chief during which time he coordinated range management activities across Florida’s seven-million-acre wildlife management area system.
Amanda Opp, Certified Utility Vegetation Management Professional Flathead Electric Cooperative, Integrated Services Manager, University of Wisconsin Stevens Point, Course Facilitator
Jim Neeser is a business developer for the Davey Resource Group, a division of the Davey Tree Expert Company. Jim primarily works with utility companies to provide innovative and customized solutions. Jim earned his AA from Vermillion Community College in 1997 and his BS in Forestry with an emphasis on Hydrology and Soils from the University of Minnesota in 2000. Jim is an ISA Certified Arborist with the Utility Specialist endorsement. Jim has been involved in the UAA training committee for nearly a decade as a past chairman and is currently the treasurer and Champion of the finance committee. Jim spent his first 7 years in the industry as a field arborist in the commercial and utility markets. The last 10 years, Jim has been working with utility companies to enhance their Integrated Vegetation Management programs. Jim’s other interests include spending time with his family, sports, hiking, fishing and coin collecting. Jim is also active with the Boy Scouts of America as an Eagle Scout. Jim lives in Forest Lake, MN with his wife and 2 children.
Adam’s experience includes leading business development strategies for a utility vegetation management consulting firm, vegetation management field operations at two major investor-owned utilities in the southeastern US, project management at a variety of utilities in the mid-Atlantic and southeastern regions, and vegetation management program development and assessments across the country. His utility arboricultural experience provides a broad understanding of the many different methods used to create a successful utility right-of-way, vegetation management program, including remote sensing, data analytics, optimization, and the utilization of third-party consulting foresters for planning and auditing duties.
Craig works for Pacific Gas and Electric as a Principal Program Manager in Land Management. His career spans 30 years in the utility industry serving numerous roles. He is an ISA Certified Arborist, Utility Specialist, and hold his TRAQ and is a TCIA Certified TreeCare Safety Professional. Craig has been engaged and involved in the UAA for many years, starting back in 2008. He then wanted more so he ran for UAA President and was elected in 2014. Today, Craig looks back over his 30-year career and wouldn’t change a thing, he’s made life-long friends and considers many as mentors. He also claims he would not be where is in his career if it weren’t for these people, and pledges to pay it forward to support others in their success.
Erin Creekmur has been in the UVM industry for over 20 years. After graduating with a Bachelors in Botany from Northern Arizona University she relocated to Northern California to start her professional career. Starting as a consulting utility pre-inspector with Western ECI she quickly moving up to the ranks to Supervisor under the tutelage of folks like Nelson Money. In 2004, Erin joined PG&E as a Quality Assurance Auditor for the VM program. Eventually becoming the Program Manager for the North Coast Division, helping stand up the beginnings of CEMA as the Emergency Drought Response Initiative Lead for the Enhanced Inspection & Mitigation Program, targeting off-cycle hazard trees across the system. In 2015, Erin moved back to her home state of Arizona and took the role of Division Supervisor with Arizona Public Service, managing both transmission and distribution UVM programs out of the Flagstaff area. As part of her role with APS Forestry Fire and Resource Management Department, Erin had responsibility for creating a Hazard Tree Mitigation program. maintaining APS’s ROW Stewardship Accreditation, FERC reporting, and the Transmission Lidar program. In 2021, Erin took a shift in her career and is now Supervising the Customer Construction and Design team for APS, expanding her overall understanding of the Utility industry. Erin continues to maintain her ISA Utility Specialist Certification and TRAQ. She has also completed certifications in both Six Sigma and Lean Sigma Green Belt through accredited universities. In addition to her current service on the UAA Board of Directors, Erin spent the last 6 years as an officer with the Arboretum at Flagstaff Board of Directors. In her free time, you can find Erin in the woods taking pictures of native plants and beautiful western landscapes.
Fallon is a Utility Arborist and Executive Director of the Utility Arborist Association. Prior to his current role he was responsible for leading vegetation management programs across several upper Midwest states on behalf of a large investor-owned utility. He’s also been an adjunct professor at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, where he facilitated the 
Renée is our Member Services Manager. She is available to UAA members for questions on committee assignments, educational opportunities, scholarships, CEU questions, and any other assistance.
Diona has been with the Utility Arborist Association (UAA) since December 2015 and has worked in various capacities within the organization.