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2023 GAA OFFICERS AND DELEGATES BOARD
He is looking forward to serving you and your needs as President. When not serving he loves spending time with his family outdoors.
DELEGATES
Josh Goodman - Josh is is a utility Arborist for the Northwest Region for the Southern Company. He has his Bachelor of Science in Forest Resources. He became certified as an ISA Arborist in 2015. He has served four years as a delegate. Jason Gordon - Jason has worked in the green industry for nearly 15 years. After working as an assistant forester, he became an instructor of forestry at Mississippi State University. Today he is employed by the University of Georgia as an instructor in the Community Forestry and Arboriculture (COFA) program. He teaches classes in community forest management, a senior capstone course, and the required COFA summer field course. He is a Certified Arborist and ISA Tree Risk Assessment Qualified. He has served in previous leadership roles, including president, for ISA Southern Chapter. This is his first year on the GAA Board.  Travys Harper - Travys, a graduate of Auburn University holding a B.S. in Environmental Design, currently is The Green Infrastructure Manager at Trees Atlanta. He has held previous roles in the organization as an Urban Tree Technician, Youth Tree Team + Workforce Development Supervisor. Travys has helped plant over 1200+ ball and burlap trees along Atlanta's Beltline Eastside & Westside Arboretum Trails in addition to 30+ Green Infrastructures throughout Fulton and Cobb Counties. Travys is steadily pursuing certifications and environmental education to keep the program cutting-edge. This is his third year serving as Delegate.
Jessie McClellan - Jessie earned her ABJ from the Grady College at the University of Georgia and also holds BA in Anthropology from UGA. She has worked as the office manager for New Urban Forestry since 2011. She is an ISA Certified Arborist. In her spare time, if she’s not reading, she likes to run in the woods, go on adventures with her husband Jason and son Koah, and hang upside down at Canopy. Though this is her first term on the Board, Jessie has already been heavily involved in the GAA for many years volunteering with the annual Tree Climbing Championship. Matt McKelvey - After spending almost a decade in the oilfield in Oklahoma and West Texas, Matt decided it was time to come back home to Georgia. He found a love for the tree industry and has been fortunate to have grown quickly. He looks forward to helping fellow tree workers grow and raise their standards in caring for our beautiful Georgia trees. Jessi Pollard - Jessi is a graduate of the Warnell School of Forestry & Natural Resources at UGA and has worked with Georgia Power’s Forestry and Right-of-Way Services since 2018. In her role at Georgia Power, Jessi oversees all vegetation maintenance along the distribution lines in eastern metro Atlanta. She is an ISA Certified Arborist, ISA Utility Specialist, TRAQ, Georgia Licensed Pesticide Applicator, and Georgia State Registered Forester. This is her second year serving as Delegate.
Robert is an avid fisherman and enjoys spending time on his farm with his family. STAFF |
President - Brian Ziegler - This is Brian's sixth year serving on the board, three of those as Vice President. This is Brian's second term as President. Brian is the Operations Director for Gunnison Tree Service. He has worked for AKA, Davey Tree and Bartlett. He also served as Foreman for Asplundh Tree Expert Co. for 10 years. He has his degree in Project Management from Waubonsee Community College.
Vice President - Logan House - Logan is an arborist representative at Arbor Equity. He graduated from the University of Georgia with a degree in Forestry and in Parks Management. He has worked with the Georgia Forestry Commission helping municipalities develop tree ordinances and Tree City USA programs and worked with the US Fish and Wildlife Service to build forest habitat for endangered species. He has served two terms as a delegate. This is his second term as vice president.
Secretary - Joelette Crawl Joelette just began a new position as Utility Arborist Technician II at Georgia Power Company. She previously served as the Agricultural and Natural Resource Agent with DeKalb County Extension assisting homeowners with troubleshooting and landscape issues, and conducted workshops on a variety of arboriculture topics. Joelette has a Bachelor of Science in Forestry Science from Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical University. She has over 12 years of experience in Invasive Plant Control, GIS database and Natural Resource Management. She has previously served the GAA board as Secretary, Treasurer and Delegate for a total of five years of service.
Treasurer - Kay Evanovich - Kay serves as the City of Decatur Arborist. Kay is a certified arborist with 34 years of experience in the field. Her primary experience came from 1999 to 2010 when she was DeKalb County’s Chief of Environment, Land Development and Building Inspection. From 2009 to 2014, she was a self-employed arborist, substitute teacher and soccer coach. She also served as Brookhaven’s City Arborist and Land Development Inspector for Brookhaven. She has served three years as a delegate.
John Colavecchio - John has worked in the green industry for more than 30 years. He began his career as a climber trainee in Central Park New York City. Today he is employed by Bartlett Tree Experts as the Southeast Division Consulting Arborist with responsibilities in Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Alabama. He is an ASCA registered consulting arborist, an ISA Board Certified Master Arborist, ISA Tree Risk Assessment Qualified, a Certified Treecare Safety Professional, and holds pesticide licenses in the five southeastern state mentioned above. John has served two years as Delegate. 
Amanda Corr Russell - Amanda has worked in the green industry for more than eight years. She began her career reviewing tree plans for Clark Patterson Lee (CPL) as a consultant for a Metro Atlanta city. She has been the City Arborist for five cities in the Atlanta area. Today she continues her career with CPL and is the acting City Arborist for two Metro Atlanta cities. She was responsible for obtaining the Tree City USA status for a City in the Atlanta Area. Amanda is an ISA Board Certified Arborist, a GSWCC Level 1B Erosion Control Inspector and manages a team of inspectors for multiple Metro Cities and is a GSWCC Tan Level Reviewer. She assists multiple cities with their Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) programs and the yearly GA EPD requirements. Amanda is also an NPDES Certified Stormwater Inspector. She is the current President of Women Arborists of the Southeast. This is her first term on the Board.
Danae Jackson - Danae has worked in the green industry for almost 20 years as an insurance agent specializing in tree care companies, for the TCIA as the southeast Regional Outreach Coordinator, and Davey Tree as a recruiter and as a field Production Manager. Today she works for Redwing Rigging Solutions (not affiliated with Redwing Boots) as a nationwide business developer, working with tree care businesses to develop a "Full Stacked Safety™ approach with the gear and equipment their crews use in the field. Danae is a TCIA Certified Tree Care Safety Professional and an ISA Certified Tree Worker – Climber Specialist ®. Tree Care is the "Family Business" as her husband, brother, and oldest son are also in the industry. This is Danae's first year on GAA's Board.
Robert Seamans - Robert joined the Georgia Forestry Commission in July 2021 as a Community Forestry Specialist. Robert is retired from local government after 37 years working in both public safety and public works. Robert is an ISA Certified Arborist, ISA Municipal Specialist Arborist and is (TRAQ) Tree Risk Assessment Qualified. Robert has more than 22 years of experience working in community forestry. This is Robert's first year on the Board.