Kodama Elected 2020 Vice President
November 14, 2019
Henry “Gene” Kodama, of Summerville, South Carolina, has been elected vice president of SAF for 2020. An SAF Certified Forester, Kodama retired in 2018 as the South Carolina state forester and is currently president of LLCs founded in 2006 to provide property and forestry services, and owner of Walnut Bluff, an American Tree Farm. Following his service as vice president, Kodama will serve as president in 2021, and as immediate past president in 2022.
In addition, four individuals have been elected to three-year terms on the SAF Board: Mark Buckbee of Roseburg, Ore., District 2; Tara Bal, CF, of Houghton, Michigan, District 5; Anne Jewell, CF, of Mechanicsville, Virginia, District 8; and William “Buddy” Stalnaker, CF, of Nacogdoches, Texas, District 11.
The member referendum to add a young professional representative to the SAF Board of Directors passed. This new non-voting board position will begin in 2021.
The four candidates elected to the board will serve three-year terms beginning January 1, 2020. They will sit on the SAF Board of Directors with representatives from seven other SAF voting districts, the vice president, president, and the chief executive officer.
SAF’s Board of Directors provides leadership and direction to SAF to ensure the achievement of its mission to advance the science, technology, education, and practice of forestry. Included among the Board’s duties are reviewing annual and long-range budget projections; serving as a communications link among the members of their voting district; reviewing SAF national office programs as they relate to the mission, representing SAF to the public, and evaluating the CEO’s performance.