NEWS RELEASES

WASHINGTON, DC – Greg Siekaniec, Chief Executive Officer of Ducks Unlimited Canada, has been elected to the independent Sustainable Forestry Initiative Inc.  (SFI) Board of Directors. Mr. Siekaniec’s election fills an open position with the SFI board’s environmental chamber.

“Greg Siekaniec is an outstanding leader who has dedicated his professional life to wildlife conservation and management, and he will make a strong contribution to our multi-disciplinary board,” said Kathy Abusow, SFI President and CEO. “I look forward to working closely with Greg and Ducks Unlimited Canada for the future of our forests.”

“I am pleased to join the SFI board and to represent Ducks Unlimited Canada. Our mission to conserve, restore and manage wetlands and associated habitat closely aligns with the work of the SFI,” said Mr. Siekaniec. “Canada’s boreal forest is a vast and extremely significant nesting area for millions of ducks, geese and other birds. Ensuring forests are managed in a sustainable manner to protect wetland ecosystems is a shared priority among our organizations.”

Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) is a leader in wetland conservation, with over 400 staff and 9,112 on-the-ground projects that conserve more than 6.3 million acres of wetlands like marshes and ponds across Canada. Siekaniec oversees all of DUC’s conservation programs, including scientific research, education, fundraising and public policy.

Before joining DUC, Siekaniec served 28 years with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), last serving as the Deputy Director for Policy and Management. The early part of his career was spent working in the prairies of North Dakota on a North American Waterfowl Management Plan project. He worked with private landowners restoring wetland basins and improving their lands for waterfowl conservation purposes.

SFI also announced the election of its new officers: SFI Chairman Larry Selzer, President and CEO of The Conservation Fund; SFI Vice Chairman Craig Blair, President and CEO of Resource Management Service LLC (RMS); and SFI Secretary-Treasurer Richard Brinker, Dean Emeritus, School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences, Auburn University. Robert Luoto remains on the board as Immediate Past Chair; he represents independent professional loggers and the American Loggers Council. Selzer, Blair and Brinker represent the environmental, economic and social chambers of the SFI board, respectively.

SFI Inc.’s 18-member board represents environmental, social and economic sectors equally to meet the many needs of forests and communities. The board members include representatives of environmental, professional and academic groups, independent loggers, family forest landowners, public officials, labor and the forest products sector. All three officers were appointed to two-year terms. Mr. Siekaniec was appointed to a three-year board term.

FULL SIEKANIEC BIO 

Greg Siekaniec
Chief Executive Officer 

In July 2012, Greg Siekaniec assumed the role of Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC). The leader in wetland conservation, DUC has over 400 staff and 9,112 on-the-ground projects that conserve over 6.3 million acres of wetlands like marshes and ponds across Canada. Greg oversees all of DUC’s conservation programs, which include scientific research, education, fundraising and public policy.

Before joining DUC, Greg had a long and illustrious 28-year career with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), last serving as the Deputy Director for Policy and Management. His career has included, among others, positions as the Assistant Director for the National Wildlife Refuge System and the Refuge Manager of Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge. In recognition of his outstanding leadership, dedication and great contributions to the USFWS, Greg was awarded the Distinguished Service Award – the highest honour of the Department of the Interior.

Greg was raised in the Red River Valley area of Minnesota at Moorhead. The early part of his career was spent working in the prairies of North Dakota on a North American Waterfowl Management Plan project. He was the first Project Manager of the Chase Lake Prairie Project (1989-92) as part of the Prairie Pothole Joint Venture in North Dakota. He worked with private landowners restoring wetland basins and improving their lands for waterfowl conservation purposes. He firmly believes that in today’s landscape no one organization, landowner or agency can succeed on their own in conserving waterfowl populations for future generations.

Greg earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Wildlife Biology from the University of Montana. He completed the Senior Executive Service Candidate Development Program in 2008, the same year that he completed the Senior Executive Fellows Program at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government.

Now making his home near East Selkirk, Manitoba – not far from DUC’s head office at Oak Hammock Marsh – Greg and his wife Janelle enjoy spending time outdoors. The entire Siekaniec family shares a passion and concern for Canada’s natural areas and wildlife.