Michael J. Mortimer
NATIONAL CAPITAL REGION, Nov. 24, 2010 – Michael J. Mortimer of Alexandria, Va, director of graduate programs for Virginia Tech’s College of Natural Resources and Environment in the National Capital Region, has been elected a Fellow of the Society of American Foresters, a national scientific and educational organization representing the forestry profession in the United States.
Fellows are selected to honor those members who have provided outstanding contributions to the society and the forestry profession, and are limited to only 5 percent of the society’s more than 14,000 members.
“Being elected a Fellow in the Society of American Foresters puts me in the company of some of the most prominent and distinguished forestry professionals and scholars in the country, a great honor for me,” he said.
Mortimer has been active in state and national leadership for the society, serving twice as the chair of the society’s national Committee on Forest Policy. He co-authored the society’s certified forester examination, testified on behalf of the society before a U.S. congressional committee, and currently serves as an associate editor for the Journal of Forestry, one of the society’s refereed publications.
Mortimer, who has served as director of the college’s National Capital Region graduate programs since 2008, has responsibility for more than 145 master’s students and more than 25 adjunct faculty. He teaches graduate courses in natural resource law and policy, and environmental conflict management.
His research focuses on U.S. private and public forestry policy, as well as international forestry and natural resource policy issues. Mortimer has published more than 50 professional papers, articles, and book chapters on forest and natural resource policy, and has given more than 50 professional presentations in the United States, Belgium, Canada, China, France, and Sweden.
Mortimer received his bachelor’s degree from Washington and Jefferson College, his law degree from the Pennsylvania State University Dickinson School of Law, and his doctorate from the University of Montana.
The College of Natural Resources and Environment at Virginia Tech, which consistently ranks among the top three programs of its kind in the nation, advances the science of sustainability. Programs prepare the future generation of leaders to address the complex natural resources issues facing the planet. World-class faculty lead transformational research that complements the student learning experience and impacts citizens and communities across the globe on sustainability issues, especially as they pertain to water, climate, fisheries, wildlife, forestry, sustainable biomaterials, ecosystems, and geography. Virginia Tech, the most comprehensive university in Virginia, is dedicated to quality, innovation, and results to the commonwealth, the nation, and the world.
Virginia Tech has fostered a growing partnership with the greater metropolitan Washington, D.C., community since 1969. Today, the university’s presence in the National Capital Region includes graduate programs and research centers in Alexandria, Arlington, Fairfax, Falls Church, Leesburg, Manassas, and Middleburg. In addition to supporting the university’s teaching and research mission, Virginia Tech’s National Capital Region has established collaborations with local and federal agencies, businesses, and other institutions of higher education. Virginia Tech, the most comprehensive university in Virginia, is dedicated to quality, innovation, and results to the commonwealth, the nation, and the world.