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2024 GAA OFFICERS AND DELEGATES BOARD
DELEGATES
 John Colavecchio - John started college at a small school in New Hampshire and transfer to S.U. N.Y Alfred to study horticulture. After an extra semester and graduation, he went to Central Park, NYC, to climb trees. The rest of the tree crew was Cambodian and, even with a language barrier, they got along great. A highlight of his time there was attending a Cambodian wedding. He left NYC and headed to Maine. He lived in the Portland area for 15 years. He met my wife Sue in 1999 and started his career with Bartlett Tree Experts in 2002. They stayed in the area, but after a record snow fall year (144 inches!), they decided to move south. They started on Hilton Head Island and were in Tallahassee within 18 months, where they lived for five years; they moved to Atlanta in 2015 and now call Lilburn home with their two dogs (Bella and Bear) and cat (Ninja). John has enjoyed his 30+ years working with trees.
Josh Goodman - Josh is is a utility Arborist for the Northwest Region for the Southern Company. He has his Bachelor of Science in Forest Resources. He became certified as an ISA Arborist in 2015. He has served four years as a delegate.
STAFF
2023 GAA OFFICERS AND DELEGATES BOARD
He is looking forward to serving you and your needs as President. When not serving he loves spending time with his family outdoors.
DELEGATES
Josh Goodman - Josh is is a utility Arborist for the Northwest Region for the Southern Company. He has his Bachelor of Science in Forest Resources. He became certified as an ISA Arborist in 2015. He has served four years as a delegate.
 Travys Harper - Travys, a graduate of Auburn University holding a B.S. in Environmental Design, currently is The Green Infrastructure Manager at Trees Atlanta. He has held previous roles in the organization as an Urban Tree Technician, Youth Tree Team + Workforce Development Supervisor. Travys has helped plant over 1200+ ball and burlap trees along Atlanta's Beltline Eastside & Westside Arboretum Trails in addition to 30+ Green Infrastructures throughout Fulton and Cobb Counties. Travys is steadily pursuing certifications and environmental education to keep the program cutting-edge. This is his third year serving as Delegate.
STAFF
2022 GAA OFFICERS AND DELEGATES BOARD |
President - Logan House - Logan is a Board Certified Master Arborist at Peachtree Arborists. He has worked in sales for Arbor Equity, worked with the Georgia Forestry Commission to help develop tree ordinances and Tree City USA programs, and with the US Fish and Wildlife to establish and maintain endangered species habitat. Logan has dual bachelor's degrees in Forestry and Parks Management. He has served two terms as a delegate for GAA and two terms as Vice President.
Vice President - Dave Long - An Atlanta native, Dave first began his career as a laborer in the private landscaping industry before developing a more specialized interest in arboriculture and natural resource management in urban areas. He currently holds ISA and TRAQ certifications, a bachelors in environmental science and has in the urban forestry field for five years. Dave currently serves as a community forestry specialist for the Georgia Forestry Commission, and is honored to begin serving on GAA's board.
Secretary - Amanda Corr Russell - Amanda has worked in the green industry for more than nine years. She began her career reviewing tree plans for Clark Patterson Lee (CPL) as a consultant for a Metro Atlanta city. She has been the City Arborist for five cities in the Atlanta area. Today she continues her career with CPL and is the acting City Arborist for two Metro Atlanta cities. She was responsible for obtaining the Tree City USA status for a City in the Atlanta Area. Amanda is an ISA Board Certified Arborist, a GSWCC Level 1B Erosion Control Inspector and manages a team of inspectors for multiple Metro Cities and is a GSWCC Tan Level Reviewer. She assists multiple cities with their Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) programs and the yearly GA EPD requirements. Amanda is also an NPDES Certified Stormwater Inspector. She is the current Vice President of Women Arborists of the Southeast. This is her second term on the Board.
Treasurer - Kay Evanovich - Kay Evanovich is currently the City of Decatur Georgia Arborist and has held an International Society of Arboriculture Certification (ISA) as an Arborist for 20 years. Kay holds a Tree Risk Assessment Qualification from the ISA. Kay has taken numerous courses of study in environmental issues and tree/forest health thru the University of Georgia, Center for Continuing Education and the Warnell school of Forestry beginning in 1999. As a municipal and consulting Arborist Kay has been performing tree health assessments and tree valuations and reviewing plans and permits for the general public since 2005. Currently Kay is on GAA's Board and teaches the Certified Arborists training course for the GAA. Kay is an avid Soccer fan and enjoys watching games with family and friends.
David Breeden - David has served as Husqvarna Territory Manager since July 2003. He is an ISA Certified Arborist and is TRAQ certified. He is the president of Georgia Tree Masters, and also president of Arbor Pro Consulting.
Christie Bryant (Ex Officio) - Christie started her green industry career as a Landscaper and while getting her degree in Environmental Horticulture. She has also trained as a Horticultural Therapist and ran the Tree Health care division of Gunnison Tree Specialists. Christie decided to open her own consulting business where she could focus on becoming a better advocate for both the property owners and the trees.
Joelette Crawl-Bembry - Joelette has no kids but has been blessed to help care for her four nephews & one niece that she loves dearly. She has one Goddaughter and one Godson. Youth have been a passion of hers, volunteering at churches, after-school programs and athletic facilities. She is a native of Toledo, OH, and has spent most of her time in Toledo and parts of Alabama. Her passion for outdoors was born when she was a young child. When she entered Alabama A&M University, her major was chemistry, but that quickly changed to Forestry Science. Her mother and brother moved Huntsville, AL, while she was in college. Alabama is where she's gotten most of her life and professional lessons that have molded her into the woman she is today. Advocating for Farmers and Ranchers throughout the Southern Region has shown her where her passion lies in this industry. Her dream is to own at least 200 acres of land to use as a research demonstration site for Sustainable Natural Resource practice. In 2023, she switched career paths and began working as Utility Arborist Technician with Georgia Power Company. This career path has been the greatest decision she's made. 
Mandy Hall - Mandy is the organizational and systematic mastermind behind T2 Group, the parent company of Top Tier Trees, Top Tier Green Waste and Top Tier Stump Grinding. She met David, husband and business partner, in business school and encouraged the development of their shared dream of owning a business. She loves leading all the nuances of growing and building the company -- customer service, sales, marketing, team development and financial management. When she’s not focused on business, Mandy enjoys spending time with her children, rare occasions with David outside of work, going to hot yoga classes and planning a party or two.
James Hawkins - James is a new board delegate for 2024-2025. He's a native of the great state of Georgia -- originally from Grayson in Gwinnett County; he currently lives in Camak, GA, near Augusta. He found his passion for the environment and trees when he moved to Colorado for school. During this time James spent many months camping in the wilderness, working for Americorps, The Rocky Mountain Field Institute, Mile High Youth Corps, U.S. Forestry Service and Bureau of Land Management, cutting fire breaks, fighting wild fires, and reclaiming burn scars caused by wildfires such as the ones in Waldo Canyon. From there he moved to utility clearance in Colorado Springs with Asplundh Tree Experts. James moved back home to GA in 2020 to be closer to the ones he cares about and began working for Boutte Tree in Atlanta, where he still works. During his time at Boutte he has become an ISA Certified Arborist as well as TRAQ certified, and he currently is on the hunt to become a Board Certified Master Arborist. James is deeply grateful for the opportunity to learn and grow as part of a team of people dedicated to bettering trees, the people who care for them and the communities they live in.
Danae Jackson - Danae’s lifelong love for nature blossomed into a profession after witnessing the Florida Tree Climbing Championship in 2008. Fueled by newfound inspiration, she pursued expertise in tree care, obtaining various certifications in the field. Today, Danae thrives in her dream role, as an At-Height Business Developer at Redwing Rigging Solutions, providing innovative climbing and rigging equipment to small companies and large national accounts. Her work fosters safe and efficient tree care practices across the country, a perfect unity of her love for the outdoors and dedication to safety. Danae’s story is a reminder that when passion meets profession, extraordinary things happen. Her journey in the tree-care industry continues to be one marked by love, learning, and a ceaseless pursuit of excellence.
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Jessi Pollard - Jessi is a graduate of the Warnell School of Forestry & Natural Resources at UGA and has worked with Georgia Power’s Forestry and Right-of-Way Services since 2018. In her role at Georgia Power, Jessi oversees all vegetation maintenance along the distribution lines in eastern metro Atlanta. She is an ISA Certified Arborist, ISA Utility Specialist, TRAQ, Georgia Licensed Pesticide Applicator, and Georgia State Registered Forester. Outside of work, she and her husband enjoy running their small cattle farm in West Georgia.
Cesar Sesmas
Evan Weeks - Evan has been a Certified Arborist for 10 months, and a member of GAA for two years. He has three children -- ages 7, 6 and 3. He runs a small tree-care business in south Georgia specializing in tree climbing.
Jessie McClellan - Jessie joined GAA as executive director in January 2024. She previously worked as the minister of culture for New Urban Forestry (2011-2024). Jessie earned her ABJ from the Grady College at the University of Georgia and also holds BA in Anthropology from UGA. 
Maria Soto (Outreach Coordinator) - 
Helen Nash (Project Manager) - Helen joined GAA in 2021. She manages GAA's social media and works on various projects and programs throughout the year, including TCC. Previously she worked in corporate communications with The Coca-Cola Company for more than 15 years, in areas ranging from speechwriting to public relations to social media. She's happy to be a part of the tree family now!
President - Brian Ziegler - This is Brian's sixth year serving on the board, three of those as Vice President. This is Brian's second term as President. Brian is the Operations Director for Gunnison Tree Service. He has worked for AKA, Davey Tree and Bartlett. He also served as Foreman for Asplundh Tree Expert Co. for 10 years. He has his degree in Project Management from Waubonsee Community College.
Vice President - Logan House - Logan is an arborist at Peachtree Arborists. He has worked in sales for Arbor Equity, worked with the Georgia Forestry Commission to help develop tree ordinances and Tree City USA programs, and with the US Fish and Wildlife to establish and maintain endangered species habitat. Logan has dual Bachelor's degrees in Forestry and Parks Management. He has served two terms as a delegate for the GAA. This is his second term as Vice President.
Secretary - Joelette Crawl Joelette just began a new position as Utility Arborist Technician II at Georgia Power Company. She previously served as the Agricultural and Natural Resource Agent with DeKalb County Extension assisting homeowners with troubleshooting and landscape issues, and conducted workshops on a variety of arboriculture topics. Joelette has a Bachelor of Science in Forestry Science from Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical University. She has over 12 years of experience in Invasive Plant Control, GIS database and Natural Resource Management. She has previously served the GAA board as Secretary, Treasurer and Delegate for a total of five years of service.
Treasurer - Kay Evanovich - Kay serves as the City of Decatur Arborist. Kay is a certified arborist with 34 years of experience in the field. Her primary experience came from 1999 to 2010 when she was DeKalb County’s Chief of Environment, Land Development and Building Inspection. From 2009 to 2014, she was a self-employed arborist, substitute teacher and soccer coach. She also served as Brookhaven’s City Arborist and Land Development Inspector for Brookhaven. She has served three years as a delegate.
John Colavecchio - John has worked in the green industry for more than 30 years. He began his career as a climber trainee in Central Park New York City. Today he is employed by Bartlett Tree Experts as the Southeast Division Consulting Arborist with responsibilities in Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Alabama. He is an ASCA registered consulting arborist, an ISA Board Certified Master Arborist, ISA Tree Risk Assessment Qualified, a Certified Treecare Safety Professional, and holds pesticide licenses in the five southeastern state mentioned above. John has served two years as Delegate. 
Amanda Corr Russell - Amanda has worked in the green industry for more than eight years. She began her career reviewing tree plans for Clark Patterson Lee (CPL) as a consultant for a Metro Atlanta city. She has been the City Arborist for five cities in the Atlanta area. Today she continues her career with CPL and is the acting City Arborist for two Metro Atlanta cities. She was responsible for obtaining the Tree City USA status for a City in the Atlanta Area. Amanda is an ISA Board Certified Arborist, a GSWCC Level 1B Erosion Control Inspector and manages a team of inspectors for multiple Metro Cities and is a GSWCC Tan Level Reviewer. She assists multiple cities with their Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) programs and the yearly GA EPD requirements. Amanda is also an NPDES Certified Stormwater Inspector. She is the current President of Women Arborists of the Southeast. This is her first term on the Board.
Jason Gordon - Jason has worked in the green industry for nearly 15 years. After working as an assistant forester, he became an instructor of forestry at Mississippi State University. Today he is employed by the University of Georgia as an instructor in the Community Forestry and Arboriculture (COFA) program. He teaches classes in community forest management, a senior capstone course, and the required COFA summer field course. He is a Certified Arborist and ISA Tree Risk Assessment Qualified. He has served in previous leadership roles, including president, for ISA Southern Chapter. This is his first year on the GAA Board.
Danae Jackson - Danae has worked in the green industry for almost 20 years as an insurance agent specializing in tree care companies, for the TCIA as the southeast Regional Outreach Coordinator, and Davey Tree as a recruiter and as a field Production Manager. Today she works for Redwing Rigging Solutions (not affiliated with Redwing Boots) as a nationwide business developer, working with tree care businesses to develop a "Full Stacked Safety™ approach with the gear and equipment their crews use in the field. Danae is a TCIA Certified Tree Care Safety Professional and an ISA Certified Tree Worker – Climber Specialist ®. Tree Care is the "Family Business" as her husband, brother, and oldest son are also in the industry. This is Danae's first year on GAA's Board.
Robert Seamans - 
Brittany Hope-Bhamla (Executive Director) Brittany has 12 years of experience in the industry, previously serving as the Chief Operating Officer at Gunnison Tree Services. She loves the community of people in this industry and is looking forward to meeting you all. She is currently studying to become an ISA Certified Arborist herself! She is a passionate artist, loves to cook, and most weekends you can find her exploring the many beautiful hiking trails in Georgia along with her family and 2 dogs.