The College is thrilled to announce that Dan Brown has agreed to be reappointed director of the School of Environmental and Forest Sciences (SEFS) for a four and a half-year term, effective January 1, 2023, through June 30, 2027.

Dan’s research interests focus on land-use change as an outcome of social and ecological processes, and its effects on ecosystems and human well-being. His work connects a simulation modeling of land-use-change processes with GIS and remotely sensed data on historical patterns of landscape change and social surveys.

For the last four years, Dan has served as director of SEFS, playing a vital role in guiding the School’s academic growth and developing new initiatives. Dan provides leadership and management of SEFS programs, centers, and research grants, allocating revenues in a manner that supports its mission while enhancing its sizable and growing endowment. In addition, the SEFS director also sits on the Natural Resources Board of Washington State, which oversees the management of state lands. Dan will continue to serve as the Corkery Family Environmental and Forest Sciences Director’s Endowed Chair.

“I do not need to tell you how challenging the last few years have been for everyone. As such, I am grateful that Dan is willing to stay on to guide SEFS through the strategic planning already underway within the School, and to continue to build up a school that is already thriving in many ways, ” said UW College of the Environment Dean Maya Tolstoy. “The Review Committee highlighted the strong desire of the SEFS community to work together with a mutually agreed upon mission, so the strategic planning is particularly timely and important. I look forward to working with Dan and all of you to help maintain the excellence of the School, within a culture that welcomes and supports all faculty, postdocs, staff and students.”

Thanks are due to the School of Environmental and Forest Sciences Director Review Committee for their hard work and outreach to the SEFS community, including Elizabeth Van Volkenburgh, Chair (Professor Emerita, UW Department of Biology), Greg Ettl (SEFS Associate Professor), Caroline Feng (Dean’s Office), Jim Pfaendtner (Professor and Chair, UW Chemical Engineering), and Aaron Wirsing (SEFS Professor).

Please join the College in congratulating Dan and extending our thanks for continuing to serve in this critical leadership role.