Veteran policy advocacy communicator joins team
WASHINGTON, DC (March 27, 2009) — The National Alliance of Forest Owners (NAFO) announced today the appointment of Dan Whiting as the Director of Communications. Whiting is a veteran of the United States Senate, where he worked on natural resource policy and communications.
David P. Tenny, NAFO President and CEO, said, “This new position is vital to our advocacy mission on behalf of private forest owners. Dan’s experience in both policy and communications is invaluable to influencing policy makers and informing the public on the important role of private forests in federal policies like renewable energy and climate change.” Tenny added, “Whiting has a track record of using innovate methods to communicate. He was at the vanguard of implementing technology in the Senate and understands how to communicate across a variety of mediums. This will be important as NAFO seeks to increase the reach of its message to key allies and constituents important to policy makers.”
Whiting most recently served as chief of staff at the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), an agency that assists private landowners in conserving working lands. Previously, he worked for U.S. Senator Larry Craig for nearly 12 years, starting in natural resource and environmental policy and eventually serving as press secretary and communications director.
Whiting said, “I am passionate about working lands – they are the key to a healthy environment and a healthy economy. Ensuring they are here for us and continue to make their valuable contributions to society while returning value to landowners is what I did at NRCS and the Senate, and what I will continue to do at NAFO.”
Whiting earned a B.S. in Human Resource Management from the University of Idaho and a M.A. in Management and Entrepreneurship from Regent University.
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NAFO is a growing alliance of private forest owners, managers, and organizations dedicated to protecting and enhancing the economic and environmental values of privately owned forests. It focuses on targeted policy advocacy at the national level. NAFO has 43 members who own over 74 million acres of private forestland in the United States.
