UAA Past Presidents Share Keys to Board Candidate Success
Nominations for the UAA Board of Directors will open on May 1, 2025. If you’re considering a run or plan to endorse someone for the positions available, two of our past presidents offer insight and more as they reflect on their time in UAA leadership. Here’s a recent conversation with Steve Hallmark, principal advisor at Iapetus Infrastructure Services, and Randy Miller, Director of Research and Development at Eocene Environmental Group.
It’s been a minute since the two of you served as UAA President. What did you enjoy most about your role?
Randy Miller: “The interaction with people dedicated to advancing professionalism in utility arboriculture. The caliber of people in my “cabinet” when I was president included Larry Abernathy, Ryan Brockbank, Chip Brown, Ray Henning, Nelsen Money, Ward Peterson, and Will Nutter. Derek Vannice and Jessica Carroll rounded out the UAA staff. It was quite a lineup and rewarding group to work with.
“2008-2009 was a dynamic period in the UAA. Much of the credit goes to Derek for his vision and leadership during that period.”
Steve Hallmark: “Being president in the mid-1990s was enlightening for me. It created so many opportunities to meet professionals in the industry and would never have happened if I had not served in that capacity. Those people are among the many professional acquaintances I still maintain today. Being UAA president is a terrific way to support the organization and develop professionally.”
What are your proudest accomplishments as president that have benefited the UAA over the years?
Randy: “When I was president-elect, we organized the first System Forester’s Summit in Oak Brook, Illinois, which led to a second summit and established a tradition. We funded and Bob Novembri completed the “Utility Best Management Practices: Tree Risk Assessment and Abatement for Fire-Prone States and Provinces in the Western Region of North America.” The UAA Editorial Committee formed to lead the UAA newsletter (now Newsline) and T&D World supplement. We also took a lead role on the ROW Symposium Steering Committee, organizing ROW 9 in Portland, Oregon, while strengthening relationships with the ISA, ISA chapters, and the former Municipal Arborist Association.”
Steve: “At the time, I was also a board member of ISA’s Pacific Northwest Chapter. During my tenure on the UAA Executive Committee we adopted an awards program like ISA-PNW to initially recognize three areas: utility arborists, education and lifetime achievement.
“The development of the Utility Arborist Specialty was also a highlight. It was the first professional affiliation of ISA that created an accreditation for UA recognition that was managed by ISA, and part of its certified arborist program. We formed the proposal and got it adopted by UAA membership. Those were the things that continue to grow today and remain a part of our association.”
Any best advice for candidates to gain the trust and support of UAA membership for a Board seat?
Steve: “If you want to develop professionally, get involved. There are opportunities out there and committees where you can serve. There are a lot of good people who would do well serving on the Board, but they are not well known. Show your willingness to step up and volunteer for a committee role or other position, present at conferences and regional meetings, and people will notice.”
What are among the reasons to be hopeful for the UAA’s future?
Randy: “I believe the UAA will continue to grow and influence. We’re increasingly involved in arborist education through the Professional UVM Credential with the UVMA and University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, and with community colleges like Butte College in California for our front-line workforce. We must continue emphasizing the importance of “boots on the ground” utility arboriculture. Our success will depend on integrating data analysts and remote sensing software engineers into UVM, as these tools are the most significant development in the past decade and will become even more refined, useful and important in the next decade.”
NOTE: Stay tuned for more on UAA Board nominations in the next issue of the Monthly Update, on social media, and the Member Portal.
Boost Your Brand at ROW 14: Sponsorships Available
Want your name associated with the Rights of Way Symposium in Vancouver next year? Sponsorships are open for this global, environmental research forum. ROW only happens every few years, so partner with us now for the May 2026 event.
Consider various sponsorship levels, exhibit space, special recognitions, and promotional opportunities in the ROW 14 Symposium Sponsorship Guide. Watch for the full prospectus coming soon!
New Quizzes to Earn CEUs
If you missed the February or March webinars, there is still a chance to earn CEU’s through the UAA’s Webinar Quizzes. Find them here.
Cody Woodward is the Membership Office Coordinator for the Utility Arborist Association, where she supports membership operations with a focus on organization and engagement. She blends her experience in organizing systems, interpreting data, and working closely with people to support both the day-to-day and big-picture needs of the UAA.
Jodie Braskich is an experienced professional in the utility industry with a strong background in supply chain and vegetation management. With over 18 years of industry expertise, Jodie continues to contribute her time and knowledge to the continuous improvement of the professional field of UVM. She has been a member of the UAA since 2007.
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.
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.
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.
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.