Staff

Claire Gedde serves as Vice President of Operations & Advocacy for the Forest Resources Association, where she provides executive leadership for the Association’s operations, financial management, strategic initiatives, and advocacy efforts. Working closely with the President & CEO, she helps shape organizational strategy while leading the execution of FRA’s priorities across its advocacy initiatives, member programs, regional activities, national meetings, and day-to-day operations.

Before joining FRA, Claire built an accomplished career in the hospitality industry, spending ten years in the U.S. luxury hotel market in Washington, D.C. She then returned to her native England, where she served as Director of Events at Deloitte in London before joining the pre-opening team of a prestigious hotel company. Her experience spans operations, project management, sales and marketing, financial management, human resources, team development, and event management.

Claire holds a degree in International Hotel Management and brings a global perspective, a collaborative leadership style, and a passion for building high-performing organizations that deliver exceptional value to FRA’s members.

Vanessa Connelly serves as Director of Communications & Outreach for the Forest Resources Association, where she leads the Association’s communications strategy and oversees FRA’s publications, marketing, digital communications, and outreach initiatives. She works to communicate FRA’s advocacy priorities, educational programs, and member resources to audiences across the forest products supply chain.

Before joining FRA, Vanessa spent several years in the philanthropic sector, developing communications and outreach strategies for national nonprofits, family foundations, and donor-advised fund programs. Her work focused on helping individuals, families, and organizations maximize their charitable impact, including partnering with professional athletes and their families to establish charitable foundations that create meaningful community impact while providing a platform for long-term engagement beyond their playing careers.

Earlier in her career, Vanessa lived in Lima, Peru, where she founded a language consulting company that partnered with executives in the hospitality, logistics, and other industries to strengthen intercultural communication and leadership skills.

Vanessa holds a bachelor’s degree in Communications from Old Dominion University. She is bilingual in English and Spanish and enjoys helping organizations communicate complex ideas in ways that inform, engage, and inspire their audiences.

Clay Altizer has more than 20 years of professional experience supporting the forest products value chain in the Eastern United States. His previous employment experience includes serving as International Marketing Specialist for the North Carolina Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services, Utilization Forester with the North Carolina Forest Service, a Research Assistant Professor in the Division of Forestry and Natural Resources at West Virginia University, and a Research Associate in the College of Forest Resources at Mississippi State University.

Clay received a B.A. in Biology from Virginia Military Institute, an M.S. in Forestry and Forest Products from Virginia Tech, and both an M.P.P.A in Public Policy and Administration and a Ph.D. in Forest Resources from Mississippi State University. Clay is a native of Christiansburg, VA and currently resides in Clayton, NC.

Lindsay grew up with a forester father and has been in the woods all her life. As an adult, she discovered a passion for the timber industry and the opportunities and challenges associated with working in the natural resources industry. Before working as the Division Safety, Environmental, and Forest Policy Manager for Woodgrain (aka the Agency Handler), Lindsay worked as a Forest Policy Analyst for Boise Cascade. During her time there, she helped to develop multiple Northeast Oregon Collaborative efforts to increase timber supply and maintain the infrastructure in the region. She was also involved at a Regional and Federal level with the Forest Service to influence policies to ensure proper, scientifically based management in National Forests, contributing to economic benefits for the local communities.

Eric Kingsley, a partner in the firm Innovative Natural Resources Solutions, LLC, is FRA’S Northeast Coordinator. Eric brings twenty years of experience in forest industry, both in the Northeast and nationally. Eric has worked extensively on the development of new markets, wood procurement, and strengthening the industry through innovative financing tools.

Eric is the past executive of the New Hampshire Timberland Owners Association, that state’s forest industry and logging association. He is also a past board member of the NH SFI State Implementation Committee, the NH Tree Farm Committee, the Biomass Energy Resource Center, Small Woodland Owners Association of Maine, and CEI Capital Management Limited. He currently serves on the board of the Maine Forest Products Council and chairs the Maine Technology Institute’s Forestry and Agriculture Technology Board.

Josh brings over 16 years of leadership from Steigerwaldt Land Services, Inc., where he specialized in the area’s forestry operations and land services. His experience includes overseeing large land portfolios, timberland transactions, and timber harvest and forest regeneration across the Lake States. Based in Hayward, Wisconsin, Josh is deeply connected to the region’s forestry community and is well-positioned to support FRA members and advance forest industry priorities throughout the region.