Women in Forestry - by Monica McKendy

Our Director of Business Excellence, Monica McKendy (back row, fourth from right), is a Registered Professional Forester who is passionate about increasing participation of women in both the forest industry and manufacturing sectors. Last year she presented on the topic of innovation at the Girls STEM Up conference, a conference aimed at high school and university girls and women. She has recently been involved in the launch of the Women in Wood New Brunswick chapter, a peer group devoted to supporting other women who work “in, with and for the woods.” She wrote an article on WIW for the January issue of the Atlantic Forestry Review, and is going to attend the official launch in Fredericton, NB later this month.

“International Women’s Day is an important day to celebrate the women in our lives, whether it be friends, mothers, sisters, wives, or daughters. Human beings are the most critical resources to a business, and understanding and valuing them for the intersectionality of who they are is what International Women’s Day is about to me. Yes, I am a wife, mother, daughter, and sister but I am also a forester, a master black belt, a curious person, a friend, an animal-lover, reader, podcast-listener, and many other descriptors that intersect to make me who I am."