Results › Recent Placements
Hilary Franz
Chief Executive Officer, American Forests · Philadelphia, PA
Conservation leader Hilary Franz has been selected as President and CEO of American Forests, the first national nonprofit conservation organization created in the U.S. Franz brings more than 25 years of experience in the fields of forest conservation, management, and restoration. She is a highly accomplished public servant recognized for her success in her ability to lead organizations through transformative growth and her innovation in wildfire response and community resilience.
Franz was twice elected as Commissioner of Public Lands and Head of Washington State’s Department of Natural Resources, a position she held for eight years. During her tenure, she developed Washington State’s first-ever Wildfire Strategic Plan, restructured the agency’s wildfire response, and secured $500 million in critical funding, resulting in a dramatic reduction in destruction to forests and communities. She created Washington State’s Forest Resilience Program, helping restore 1 million acres of federal, state, private, and tribal forestlands. Franz launched the Keep Washington Evergreen Initiative, helping conserve over 200,000 acres of forestlands, including acquiring over 20,000 acres of forestlands, which was nationally recognized as 2023 Timberland Deal of the Year. She also grew Washington’s Urban Forestry Program from $500,000 to $16.6 million and partnered with American Forests to launch Washington State’s Tree Equity Program and Collaborative.
Franz has received numerous awards for her leadership in wildfire response and natural resource management, conservation, and restoration. Early in her career, she focused her public service on supporting and representing victims of domestic violence and sexual assault, and she presently serves on the Advisory Board for The Network, a national non-profit organization committed to ending human sex trafficking.