NEWS RELEASE
USDA Forest Service
Alaska Region
Ray Massey rmassey@xxxxxxxxx Public Affairs
(907) 586-7876 P.O. Box 21628
September 1, 2010 Juneau, AK 99802
Alaska Region Forest Service Selects New Deputy Regional Forester
Juneau, Alaska- Alaska Forest Service Regional Forester Beth Pendleton recently announced that Ruth Monahan has been selected as Alaska Region Deputy Regional Forester. Monahan has been the Region’s Recreation, Lands & Minerals Director since 2006 and recently served as acting regional forester prior to the arrival of Beth Pendleton.
“I am pleased to have Ruth as my deputy,” said Pendleton. “She is well suited for this job. During her four years as the regional director for Recreation, Lands and Minerals she placed a strong focus on partnerships, youth programs, recreation and trails, and Wilderness and heritage management. She has excellent collaboration and leadership skills, and during that time she established many new and innovative programs.
“She brings a wealth of knowledge of the Alaska Region to her new leadership role,” added Pendleton.
“I am excited to have the opportunity to continue to work in Alaska and look forward to playing a role in the stewardship of the most spectacular, wild, and diverse landscapes in the Forest Service,” said Monahan, “Alaska Region is a very special place, with outstanding resources, complex and challenging programs, and great people. I have enjoyed getting to know the places, people, and communities within Alaska, and I am honored to have the opportunity to now serve as the Deputy Regional Forester.”
Ms. Monahan began her 30-year Forest Service career as a student trainee in 1980, gaining experience in timber management, recreation, fire management and forest planning in a variety of assignments on national forests in Washington and Idaho. Monahan has held a number of Forest Service leadership positions including, district ranger on the Payette National Forest in Idaho, Regional Wilderness and Wild and Scenic Rivers Specialist for the Intermountain Region, district ranger on the Wasatch-Cache National Forest in Utah, acting deputy forest supervisor in Texas, acting regional director for Recreation, Wilderness and, Heritage for the Intermountain Region, and, more recently, as forest supervisor on the Sawtooth National Forest in Idaho prior to her arrival in Alaska. Monahan’s assignments have also included time at the USDA Under Secretary for Natural Resources and Environment office in Washington, D.C.
Monahan grew up in the Northwest and holds a Bachelors of Science degree in Forest Management from Washington State University and additional course work in Recreation. She is married to Mike Monahan, a retired Forest Service employee with over thirty years experience in fire and aviation management.
Monahan’s predecessor, Paul Brewster, accepted a position in Juneau with the Forest Service’s Pacific Northwest Research Station.
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