Forest Society Appoints Susan Arnold, Jameson French to Board of Trustees

At the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests’ 122nd Annual Meeting held in September, Jameson (Jamey) French, of Portsmouth, and Susan Arnold, of Strafford, were elected as new members to the Board of Trustees. Also at the Annual Meeting, Don Floyd, of Concord was elected for a second term; and Deb Buxton, of Greenfield, and Peter Fauver, of North Conway, for a third term. The members also elected the Secretary of the Board of Trustees, Allyson Hicks of Concord.

“It is wonderful to have Jamey back on our board and we welcome Susan to the board,” said Jack Savage, president of the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests. “Both Jamie and Susan share a passion for our forests, and their collective expertise and advocacy will truly be an asset to our Board and our organization as we conserve and manage a diversity of lands across New Hampshire with the challenge of addressing climate change and its impacts on our forests.”

Jameson French is CEO of Northland Forest Products, Inc., a hardwood lumber processor, exporter, and distributor, headquartered in Kingston, New Hampshire, with operations in Virginia. The French family has been in the hardwood industry since the late 19th century. The family also owns Meadowsend Timberlands, LLP. French is currently Chair of the American Forest Foundation and immediate past Chair of the Land Trust Alliance. He is a past Chair of the Washington D.C. based Hardwood Federation and continues as Chair of their policy committee. French is active in a variety of local and regional civic organizations as well.

French started his conservation and forestry career as an intern at the Forest Society in 1975 and was a Trustee, Board Chair and Co-Chair of the Centennial Campaign in the 1990s and early 2000s. During the early 2000s he was the Chair of the Forest Stewardship Council (US Board).

Jamey and his wife, Priscilla, live in Portsmouth and have three grown children and one grandson.

Susan Arnold worked for the Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC) for twenty years, starting as Vice President for Conservation in May 2003. In that role she coordinated AMC’s overall conservation mission and strategy across the AMC region from Maine to Virginia, overseeing research, conservation and recreation policy and advocacy, and volunteer relations. 

In December, 2021, Arnold was appointed by AMC’s Board of Directors as Interim President and CEO, the first woman to lead the organization in its 145-year history. Prior to working for AMC, Arnold was Director of Policy for New Hampshire Governor Jeanne Shaheen for six years. She has worked in Washington, D.C. for a U.S. Senator, and as a lobbyist on smoking and health issues. She was an organizer, then Political Director, for NARAL Pro-Choice NH, a state affiliate of the national organization.

Arnold lives in Strafford with her husband, a dog, and two cats, and a daughter who occasionally visits from San Francisco.