The PLF Board has appointed Henri Bisson as the next President of the PLF.  Henri recently retired after more than 34 years of service as a career employee of the BLM.  He began his career in Redding, California as a forester in 1974.  He went on to serve in increasingly more responsible positions in Grand Junction and Montrose, Colorado; Phoenix, Arizona and Riverside, California as District Manager; Washington, DC as Assistant Director for Renewable Resources and Planning; Anchorage, Alaska as BLM State Director; and, finally as BLM’s Deputy Director for Operations from 2006 until retirement.   For most of the last two years of his career, he also served as Acting Senior Advisor for Alaska Affairs for Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne.

Bisson received numerous leadership awards throughout his career, including two Meritorious Presidential Rank Awards.

His experience and knowledge are very broad, spanning virtually all of the programs of the BLM.  He has testified before Congress many times during his career and is well known both on the Hill and in the Halls of the Department of the Interior.

Henri has a BS in Forest Resources from the University of New Hampshire, and an MS in Watershed Management from the University of Arizona.  He is married, lives in Tucson, Arizona, and has two children and two grandchildren.  His son, Jeremy is a BLM wildlife biologist in Burley, Idaho.

Henri brings a wealth of experience, recognized leadership skills, and strong communications skills.  He says that his passion is seeing the BLM thrive and be successful in carrying out the most complex mission of any Federal land management agency.

Henri writes: “On November 1, 2009, I will be stepping into some very big shoes.  The Public Lands Foundation (PLF) Board of Directors has asked me to accept the position of President, pending a vote of all members in January.

George Lea helped create the PLF, has devoted most of his retired life to leading the PLF, and has been extremely helpful to many BLM Directors and other employees over many years.  His leadership will be sorely missed.

It is with great pride that I accept this position and look forward to working with all of you for whatever time you’ll have me.  The BLM has been my professional and personal passion for many years and I look forward to being able to give something back.

Over the winter, once the vote is taken, I intend to consult with the Board, the Director of the BLM, and all of you to confirm your vision of the future for the PLF.  I have many thoughts and ideas and will share those with you at a later time.

Right now, the focus should be on thanking George for his many years of devoted service and leadership.  I know I speak for everyone in wishing him the best!”