Tags: Alumni

Headshot of Brooks Mendell
ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT: Brooks Mendell (PhD ’04)

‘You have to take chances to do great things’   It was almost a challenge. Brooks Mendell had just earned his Ph.D. and was starting as a professor at Warnell when one of his committee members asked a tongue-in-cheek question: “How does it feel to be the world expert in something nobody cares about?” Of course, that wasn’t exactly the case—forest finance was a respected specialty within the industry. But it lit a spark for Mendell. “My…


Matt Goff (BSFR ’97): Small-scale management choices create ‘one big effect’

There is perhaps a bit of irony in Matt Goff’s role as a vegetation manager.   Trained in forestry and working after graduation as a procurement forester, his goal was to keep trees growing as tall and straight as possible. But after a few years traveling the traditional forestry route, he received an offer from Georgia Power to manage the utility’s rights-of-way.  Now, after more than 15 years with the company, he’s gotten pretty good…


Jeff and Myla Jordan: No matter your background, you’ll find a home

As high school graduation neared, Jeff Jordan (BSFR ’95, MFR ’97) figured he would follow in the footsteps of his father, who spent his career in the Marine Corps.  But then his dad sat him down and explained that if he had to do it all over again, he might not choose the same path. Jordan looked at his father, his hero, and asked, if not the Marines, then what?  “He said, well, something in the outdoors,” said Jordan. So, he…


Wendi Weber (MS ’97): ‘I love the mission’

On any given day, a range of issues might cross Wendi Weber’s desk. And by range, this could mean managing the country’s first marine national monument in the Atlantic, leading the multimillion-dollar Delaware River Watershed Program, or partnering to conserve the rich biodiversity of the Appalachian Mountains.  As regional director for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s North Atlantic-Appalachian region, Weber oversees activities on…


Alex Hinson (MFR ’99): ‘You’ve got to be credible in your life’

As his career took shape over the years, forestry is always where Alex Hinson found his footing.  Raised on his family’s farm in South Carolina, his goal after college was to return home and run the family business. A growing part of this business involved timber production—something the family was warming to after experiencing the ups and downs of row-crop agriculture. Hinson received his undergraduate degree from the University of…
Subscribe to Alumni

Support Warnell

We appreciate your financial support. Your gift is important to us and helps support critical opportunities for students and faculty alike, including lectures, travel support, and any number of educational events that augment the classroom experience. Learn more about giving.

Every dollar given has a direct impact upon our students and faculty.