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The Florida Forestry Association and its members are privileged to work with the Florida Forest Service to keep Florida forests growing strong and sustainably.

With several new faces on the FFS leadership team, we wanted to congratulate them all on their promotions and to make sure that our members are aware of the changes.

Rick Dolan, Director:

Rick most recently served as the manager of the Waccasassa Forestry Center. He began his career in 1993 as a Forest Ranger in the Perry District. He was promoted to Senior Forest Ranger at Goethe State Forest in 1996. In 1999, Rick became the first Forest Area Supervisor for the newly created Wildfire Mitigation Team located in Bunnell. In 2000, he transferred to a traditional Forest Area Supervisor position covering Alachua and Gilchrist Counties. Rick was promoted to the Waccasassa Forestry Center Operations Administrator position in 2010.

Rick has been on the Florida Red Incident Management Team for 20 years, working his way up from division supervisor trainee to Incident Commander Type 1. He has led the team nationally on wildfires in Oregon, Washington, North Carolina, and numerous in-state assignments including hurricanes.

Sam LeNeave, Assistant Director:

Sam began his career as a Forest Ranger in the Suwannee Forestry Center in 1991 following an active-duty tour with the U.S. Army. He has held numerous positions within the agency including Fire Training Officer, Forest Area Supervisor, Operations Administrator, Center Manager, and Chief of Field Operations.

Sam is a Certified Public Manager and a graduate of the Department’s Legacy Leadership program. He has been actively involved with Florida Forest Service’s Basic Fire Control Training since 2000.

John Stys, Assistant Director:

John began his career with the Florida Forest Service in 1996 as the Information Technology Manager. He was responsible for the Applications, Geographic Information System, and Computer Support sections and served in that position until September 2008, when he was promoted to Chief of the Forest Logistics and Support (FLS) Bureau.

As the FLS Bureau Chief, John was responsible for the Information Technology, Equipment, and Construction sections. Then in March 2023, John was promoted to an Assistant Director position, responsible for the Forest Management and FLS Bureaus, Fiscal, and Land sections. John completed the Florida Certified Public Manager program in 2002. 

Jimmy Roberts, Bureau Chief of Forest Management:

With nine years of experience in the private forest industry and after receiving a degree in forest resource management, Jimmy began his career with the Florida Forest Service in 2002 as a State Lands Forester in the Bunnell District. One year later, he was promoted to Public Lands Senior Forester.

In 2005, Jimmy moved into his previous position, serving as the State Lands Silviculturist in the Forest Management Bureau.

John Raulerson, Bureau Chief of Forest Protection:

John began his career as a Forest Ranger in the Suwannee Forestry Center in 1996 following an active-duty tour in the U.S. Army. Over the course of his career, John has held numerous positions within the agency including Senior Forest Ranger, Forest Area Supervisor, Operations Administrator, and Center Manager.

John is one of the original members of the Florida Forest Service Honor Guard, and he currently serves as the Honor Guard State Commander.

Jennifer Hart, Bureau Chief of Field Operations:

After graduating from the University of Florida with a bachelor’s degree in forest resources and conservation and a master’s in forestry, Jennifer worked in the non-profit sector as a forester for The Nature Conservancy.

She began her career with the Florida Forest Service in 2006 as a state lands forester before being promoted to Resource Administrator in 2013 and then District Manager in 2014. Jennifer has been a Resource Unit Leader for the Florida Forest Service on the Type 2 Incident Management Blue Team since 2013 and is currently pursuing certification as a Plans Chief. She also serves as the Program Advisory Committee Chair for the University of Florida’s School of Forest Resources and Conservation and is Co-Chair for the annual Florida Forestry Teachers' Tour.

Sean Allen, Bureau Chief of Forest Logistics and Support:

Sean began his career with the Florida Forest Service in January 2014 as a forester at Picayune Strand State Forest. He was promoted to a Senior Forester position within the Tallahassee Forestry Center and for the past five years served as the Manager for the Caloosahatchee Forestry Center. In June of 2023, he was promoted to his current position in Tallahassee.

Sean graduated from the University of Maine in 2013 with a Bachelor of Science in Forestry and is a Florida Certified Public Manager. He is the Deputy Planning Section Chief of the Florida Forest Service Interagency Incident Management Blue team and has deployed both in state and nationally in various capacities over the last eight years.