OTTAWA, Ontario and WASHINGTON, Jan. 27, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — SFI announced that President and CEO Kathy Abusow will retire in 2026, concluding an extraordinary career marked by visionary leadership. Kathy has led SFI through a period of significant expansion across North America, increasing reach, impact, relevance, and global recognition.
Throughout her tenure, she inspired the SFI team and community to advance practical sustainability solutions demonstrated by measurable results. Under Kathy’s leadership, SFI achieved a formidable scale to make a meaningful difference and contribution to positive change in our forests and for our communities. This includes increasing the SFI Canadian and U.S. footprint to more than 150 million hectares / 370 million acres certified to the SFI Forest Management Standard, including public, private, Indigenous, conservation, university, urban, and community forests, with millions more acres positively influenced by the SFI Fiber Sourcing Standard.
“Kathy’s leadership has invaluably shaped who SFI is today. She has been a strategic growth leader who translated mission into impact and results,” said Dan Lambe, CEO of the Arbor Day Foundation and Chair of the SFI Board of Directors. “Her commitment to excellence, integrity, and people has left an indelible mark on our organization. We are deeply grateful for her many contributions and the strong foundation she leaves behind. I hope you’ll join me in celebrating Kathy’s exemplary career.”
Under Kathy’s leadership, SFI has expanded its scope beyond standards to include conservation collaboration, community engagement, Indigenous relations, environmental education, and career pathways in the forest sector. She led the integration of Project Learning Tree (PLT) into SFI in 2017, growing the award-winning environmental education program and celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. In 2018, she founded PLT Canada, which has placed more than 8,700 Green Jobs since inception, achieving 50% participation by women and 15% by Indigenous youth, and reached hundreds more young adults through Green Mentor and Youth Delegate programs. She is a prominent voice for sustainability and a strong advocate for diversity in the sector, known for her commitment to ensuring the sector is representative of society.
Reflecting on her career, Kathy Abusow said, “It has been the privilege of a lifetime to serve SFI and work alongside such dedicated colleagues, partners, and board members. I am incredibly proud of what we have accomplished together and in fact, one of my greatest accomplishments is having built an amazing team at SFI and a strong Senior Leadership Team. I have every confidence in the continued success of the organization.”
A comprehensive search for the organization’s next Chief Executive Officer will be undertaken over the coming months. The Board will engage in a rigorous recruitment process to identify a leader who will build on the organization’s strengths, advance its mission, and guide the implementation of SFI’s 2025-2030 Strategic Direction.
Kathy Abusow’s role as President & CEO of SFI, and President & CEO of PLT Canada will be divided into a President of SFI, a President of PLT Canada, and a new SFI CEO. Kathy is thrilled that members of her Senior Leadership Team will immediately be elevated during this transition. Jason Metnick has been named President of SFI. Christine Leduc, RPF, has been named President of PLT Canada.
Jason Metnick has been with SFI for 25 years, leading the SFI Standards pillar with a focus on elevating SFI standards as a proof point for sustainable forestry and responsible purchasing. He will continue this important work on U.S. and global marketplace issues as he steps into his new position. Christine Leduc will continue her important work as SFI VP, Canadian Operations & Communications, as she steps into her new role of President of PLT Canada. With these two promotions of Jason Metnick and Christine Leduc, we know we can depend on stability and continued success at SFI and PLT Canada during this time of transition and beyond.
The SFI Senior Leadership Team will continue to consist of Jason Metnick, Lauren Cooper, Nadine Block, and Christine Leduc who will oversee the work of Standards, Conservation, Community, and Education.
Kathy Abusow will continue to serve and work closely with the Board and senior leadership team in her current capacity as CEO to support continuity during the transition. Additional details regarding the CEO search process will be shared in the coming months.
ABOUT SFI
The Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) advances sustainability through forest-focused collaboration. We are an independent, non-profit organization that leverages four interconnected pillars of work: standards, conservation, community, and education. SFI works with the forest sector, conservation groups, academics, researchers, brand owners, resource professionals, landowners, educators, local communities, Indigenous Peoples, and governments. Collaborating with our network, we leverage SFI-certified forests and products as powerful tools to help solve sustainability challenges such as climate action, conservation of biodiversity, education of future generations, and sustainable economic development. Learn more at forests.org.
MEDIA CONTACT
Christine Leduc
VP, Communications and Government Relations
Sustainable Forestry Initiative
613-706-1114
[email protected]
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/975058a5-68a1-44de-9c54-f87e1b4eae90
