At its quarterly meeting on Tuesday, April 8, Cleveland’s Urban Forestry Commission (UFC) swore in seven new commission members.
The UFC interviewed 28 applicants before sending its final recommendations to the mayor and Cleveland City Council. The job of the commissioners is to advise the city on forestry policies and the best way to maintain and increase the tree canopy.
The commission is required to nominate one developer, one resident, two people from the nonprofit sector, one person who works for an electric utility, one certified arborist and one person in an environmental justice organization. The new commissioners are:
Jennifer Chandler, Cleveland Housing Network (Developer)
Assistant director of the real estate development department at the Cleveland Housing Network (CHN Housing Partners.)
Laura Marks, Ward 8 (Resident)
Collinwood resident and founder of Heights Tree People.
Beck Swab, Holden Forests & Gardens (Nonprofit)
Director of conservation and community forestry at Holden Forests & Gardens. Swab has a Ph.D. in Ecology and a master’s degree in Environmental Science.
Sara Tillie, Cleveland Tree Coalition (Nonprofit)
Executive director of the Cleveland Tree Coalition. Tillie has a master’s degree in Public Health and Urban Planning and Development.
Ammon Danielson, Cleveland Public Power (Electric Utility)
Commissioner at Cleveland Public Power. He has worked in power administration since 2016.
Tom Schreiber, Western Reserve Land Conservancy (Certified Arborist)
Manager of community forestry for Western Reserve Land Conservancy and an ISA-certified arborist.
Whitnye Long-Jones (Environmental Justice Organization)
Founder and director of Organic Connects, Inc.
To watch the full April 8 meeting, click on the video below.
‘I walk away very happy’
Samira Malone, who has served as the Chair of the Cleveland Urban Forestry Commission since 2023, announced that she would be stepping down. She said the decision was difficult, but she is confident that the commission will continue to excel.
“I know that whoever is going to be serving as the chair following me is going to be surrounded by brilliant, very passionate individuals,” Malone said. “Thank you all for allowing me to serve.”
City Council Member Jenny Spencer, who serves as the council’s appointee on the Cleveland Urban Forestry Commission, will serve as the interim chair until Dec. 31.
