Trees Atlanta has announced recent changes to its Board of Directors, including the election of new officers and the addition of three new board members.

In August, Jai Rogers-Thomas was elected President of the Board of Directors at Trees Atlanta, along with Lewis Jones as Secretary and Heather Beaubien as Treasurer. In February, Amelia DeLuca was elected 1st Vice President and John McFarland, 2nd Vice President. Meredith Lindvall, Frances Bohn, and Jaren Abedania also joined the board, beginning their first 3-year terms. They join an active Board of Directors that represents leading businesses and organizations serving metro Atlanta, including Cox Enterprise, Jamestown, and South Downtown ATL.

Trees Atlanta extends sincere appreciation to its immediate past Board Officers for their leadership and dedicated service to the organization, including Taylor Baird, Ed Crouch, David Hicks, Marty Pinne, and Suzanne Russo, who completed their board service this year.

Trees Atlanta's mission is to protect and improve Atlanta's urban forest. Since planting its first tree in 1985, the organization has planted over 180,000 trees across Metro Atlanta. Each year, staff and volunteers restore and improve hundreds of acres of forested areas, educate students and adults to be active stewards of the city's trees, and lead workforce development programs.

Trees Atlanta Board Officers

Jai Rogers-Thomas, Board President, has served on the Trees Atlanta Board since 2020. She is the Vice President of Business and Community Development at Delta Community Credit Union. Rogers-Thomas has more than 25 years of experience and also serves as board chair for the City Springs Theatre Company and sits on the boards for the Greater North Fulton Chamber of Commerce and Kennesaw State University's Bagwell College of Education. She has been recognized among the region's top business leaders, named to Atlanta Magazine's "Atlanta 500" for the past seven years, and is a recipient of the 2023 Atlanta Business Chronicle Corporate Citizen Award.

Amelia DeLuca, 1st Vice President, serves as Chief Sustainability Officer at Delta Air Lines. Before this role, DeLuca was Vice President of International Customer Experience and Partner Sustainability. During her nearly 20-year career with Delta, she has held various leadership positions in Sustainability, Global Sales, Revenue Management, and Network Planning teams, and has been based in Mexico City, Minneapolis, Amsterdam, New York City, and Atlanta.

John McFarland, 2nd Vice President, is a native Atlantan and a principal at WorkingBuildings, where he provides sustainability and building commissioning services. He began volunteering with Trees Atlanta in 1995. McFarland has a passion for forest restoration and can still be found removing invasive plants and replacing them with native species in his spare time.

Heather Beaubien, Treasurer, is the Director of Sustainability for Chick-fil-A Inc. She enjoys leading initiatives that drive environmental conservation and thoughtful business practices. Prior to joining Chick-fil-A in 2015, Heather spent much of her career in the packaging industry. She also serves on the board of the US Roundtable for Sustainable Poultry & Eggs.

Lewis Jones, Secretary, is a founding partner of Jones Fortuna, a law firm specializing in environmental and natural resources law. He advises water utilities on various issues and helps clients obtain and defend permits. With a master's degree in ecology, extensive experience, and a record of success in court, Lewis is adept at finding strategic solutions to difficult legal and environmental problems.

Newly Elected Board Members

Jaren Abedania is a Development Project Manager at South Downtown Atlanta, where he leads efforts to restore historic buildings and reimagine public spaces. His work focuses on mixed-income housing, neighborhood revitalization, and innovative public-private partnerships. With degrees in Architecture and Community Planning, he bridges design vision with practical implementation.

Frances Bohn is the Director of Development & Construction - North America at Jamestown. Bohn joined the company in 2011 and currently leads development efforts across Jamestown's U.S. portfolio. She is a LEED Accredited Professional, sits on the board of the Buckhead Community Improvement District, and is active in her local chapter of the Urban Land Institute.

Meredith Lindvall is the Assistant Vice President of Waste, Water, Nature & Biodiversity at Cox Enterprises. She has a passion for the relationship between people's health and their environments. As an Atlanta native, she has worked in health research and environmental departments at Emory, Delta Air Lines, and The Home Depot. She currently serves as the Vice Chair of the Georgia Chamber of Commerce's Energy & Sustainability Committee and as Secretary of the Board of the Keep Georgia Beautiful Foundation.