A Registered Landscape Architect, Sara has been a board member of the Rhode Island Tree Council since 1993 and was an instructor in tree identification for tree steward classes for several years. Sara received her BA from Connecticut College in 1963 and a Master of Landscape Architecture from the University of Pennsylvania in 1965. She practiced landscape architecture with Bradford Associates with various municipal, state, and residential work until her recent retirement. She was also a part-time faculty member in the Rhode Island School of Design landscape architecture program for years. 

John A. Bandoni, Jr. has been a member of the RI Tree since 2000 and on the organization’s board since 2018. He received an AA in Business Administration from Harford Community College (M.D.) in 1971 and a Chartered Financial Consultant from The American College (P.A.) in 1986. He purchased a 40-acre forest in Wentworth, Nova Scotia, in 1986 and a 35-acre forest in Rowe, MA, in 2019. Both are under forest management plans. He also has been a member of the North Nova Forest Owners Coop since 2005, RI Forest Conservators Organization since 2006, and the MA Forest Alliance since 2019. In addition, he is a Solar Business Consultant with E2SOL LLC (e2sol.com) and the founder of the Neo-Retro Band.

Doug has been a member of RITree since the mid-90s and a Board member for seven years. He graduated from the Master Gardeners program in 1991 and the Council’s Tree Stewards program in the mid-90s. A professional photographer specializing in location, aerial, and architectural photography, Doug oversaw the graphic design and provided photography for the Rhode Island Tree Calendar for nine years. He then transitioned to measuring notable trees for the Council’s database. Born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, Doug’s family was always interested in horticulture and gardening. So, when he bought a Victorian home on a half-acre lot in 1982 in Cranston, he focused on improving the landscape. That led to multiple consultations with John Campanini, RITree’s technical director, and to Doug joining RITree. Doug earned a BFA in Photography from the Rhode Island School of Design in 1974.

Wendy is a long-time board member of RI Tree. Licensed to practice law in Massachusetts and New Hampshire, Wendy has worked for several prestigious law firms, including Hamblett & Kerrigan, Peabody & Brown, and Dana & Gould. A 1985 graduate of the Boston College Law School, magna cum laude, she has been on the faculty of several major law schools, including Suffolk University Law School, Roger Williams School of Law, and the University of Connecticut School of Law. She is currently at the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth Law School. A former Peace Corps volunteer, she has written a casebook, Aviation Law: Cases and Problems, and Mergers and Acquisitions: Cases and Problems. Her husband, Michael Emma, is also on RI Tree’s Board.  

Lou has been a member of the Rhode Island Tree Council since 2014, and a RI Tree Board member since 2015. Lou is the founder and owner of Perfect Pages, a content provider and consultancy. Previously, he was vice president/principal at JVR Communications, a Rhode Island-based public relations agency. A published author, Lou has written technical features and by-line articles that have appeared in a wide variety of print and electronic media. With more than 30 years of experience in marketing communications, Lou has an MBA from Providence College, a BA in English from the University of Rhode Island, and a BA in communications from Rhode Island College. 

Paul has been a RI Tree Board member since 1999. Area Director for the Rhode Island Resource Conservation and Development Council, he worked for the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management, Division of Forest Environment (1978 to 2012), retiring as Deputy State Forester. He also worked as Urban Forester for Rhode Island from 1999 to 2009. Recognized as a Fellow by the American Society of American Foresters in Southern New England, Paul has been with R.I. Envirothon since its inception and is its Coordinator. Scituate’s tree warden, Paul earned a BS from the University of Rhode Island in 1975 and an MS from the University of New Hampshire in Forest Resources.  

Michael has been on the RI Tree board for five years and is married to board member Wendy Davis. He graduated from SUNY at Oswego, NY, in 1973 with a BA. He joined the United Association of Pipefitters in 1980, retired in 2008, and moved to Rhode Island. Michael volunteers and supports various Animal Welfare, Cycling, and Beekeeping organizations as well as those organizations that love trees.

Mark has been a member of RI Tree’s Board of Directors since 2014. He became a member of RI Tree in 2006 after taking the organization’s Tree Stewards course. Now retired, Mark worked as a solo dentist practitioner after graduating from the Georgetown University School of Dentistry in 1975-1979 and as a part-time dental consultant at the Ladd School. He also worked as a dental assistant for the US Army from 1971-1974. A resident of Wakefield, RI, he attended pre-dental courses at Monterey Peninsula College (1973-1974) and Sacramento State University (1974-1975). A resident of Wakefield, RI, Mark graduated from Fresno State University in 1967 and grew up in Fresno, CA.

Dave has extensive experience in the tree care industry. An ISA Certified Arborist since 1998, Dave served as tree warden for North Kingstown from 2004 to 2013 and Jamestown from 2001 to 2007, where he helped bring the town to Tree City, USA status. Dave also served on the Board of Directors for New England ISA from 1996 to 2001, acting as R.I. representative for two terms and chapter representative for one. Owner/operator of Nickerson Tree and Landscape Service, he has a B.S. in Natural Sciences with a minor in Plant Science from the University of Rhode Island.

Bio coming soon

Trees have been Andy’s main interest since he retired as an educator in 2012. He was a member of the Providence Neighborhood Planting Program from 2012 to 2021. As a member of this group, he wrote five grants and planted more than 60 trees in the Mount Pleasant area of Providence. In 2014 he participated in a tree census for the City of Providence under the direction of the City Forrester. He also participated in a street tree census in 2017 for the City of Providence under the direction of the City Forester. Andy graduated from Providence College in 1972 with a BA. 

Kate is the Executive Director of the Rhode Island Land Trust and co-coordinator of the Rhode Island Woodland Partnership. Previously, Kate worked for the Northern RI Conservation District (NRICD) as Agriculture and Forestry Program Manager, helping private landowners and small nonprofits solve conservation issues, among other responsibilities. Kate has also worked as farm manager at Snake Den Farm, facilitator of the Forestry for R.I. Birds Program, and compost trainer/enthusiast, and assisted in easement programs and land conservation deals through NRCS and Forest Legacy. Kate graduated from the University of Rhode Island with a BS in Wildlife and Conservation Biology in 2008. A native Rhode Islander, she is co-author of The Value of R.I. Forests report.

Cathy has supported and partnered with the Rhode Island Tree Council since its founding in 1994. She was a supporting member for 11 years before joining the Board of Directors in 2021. Cathy received her BS from the School of Forest Resources, University of Maine, in 1977. Later that year, she began a 37-year career with the R.I. Department of Environmental Management. Her tenure there focused on forest and tree health, forest management, recreation, and protection. Cathy was appointed Chief of the Division of Forest Environment in 2007 and Assistant Director for Natural Resources in 2015.  

Doug Still is a consulting arborist specializing in tree dispute mediation and is the host and producer of the This Old Tree radio show and podcast. He was City Forester in Providence from 2005 to 2022 and has 27 years of experience in urban forestry. Doug has a BA in Art History from Oberlin College and an MS in Forest Resources from Penn State University. He is a Past President of the Society of Municipal Arborists, where he received several awards, including Life Membership and the Award of Achievement for developing the Arborist Exchange Program. He leads a series of “Rhode Island Forest Walks” and “Outermost Forest Walks” within the Cape Cod National Seashore. He has been a RI Tree Council Board Member since 2005.

After graduating from the University of Colorado Boulder with a BA in Architecture, Andy joined the Peace Corps, where he served as National Architect in British Honduras. In that position, he traveled throughout the country pursuing public works projects, working tirelessly to help the country recover from the devastation to its land caused by United Fruit Company. It had intensely grown crops until the land would no longer grow anything. Andy then returned to America and worked as an architect. In 2009, he took RI Tree’s Tree Stewards class, which opened up a new world for him. After taking several RI Tree workshops, he joined the Council’s Board of Directors. Andy is also a member of the Arnold Arboretum and the American Conifer Society.