Welcoming Michelle Giles to Forest Steward Guild staff

Michelle in chainsaw PPE gear, holding a chainsaw in the woods

Michelle enjoys any opportunity to pick up a chainsaw and buck a log

Written by Michelle Giles

February 2025 

Michelle Giles joined the Guild in January 2025 as the Northeast Region Coordinator. She comes to us after graduating from the Field Naturalist Program at the University of Vermont and working with the State of Vermont’s Forests, Parks, and Recreation Department as a Seasonal Forestry Technician. She spent that season digging water bars, managing invasive species, clearing culverts, conducting forest inventory, bucking logs, and petting as many trail-walking pups as possible. 

Born and raised in New Jersey, Michelle is, of course, an accomplished jug-handle navigator and a lifelong Bruce Springsteen fan. As a child, she dreamed of being a fashion designer, zookeeper, recycling sorter, and veterinarian all at once. As a young adult, she worked as a medical assistant in family medicine and pediatrics, where she proudly administered hundreds of COVID-19 vaccines before pivoting to further her education. 

A first-generation, returning adult college student, Michelle’s graduate work focused on addressing inequities in outdoor accessibility and highlighting the scientific value of urban natural areas. Urban ecology has been a long-standing passion, having lived in and explored the vibrant natural spaces of Chicago and Washington, D.C. Her interests are diverse, including star-nosed moles, lichens, grunge music, pigeons, coarse woody debris, strength training, galls, audiobooks, slime molds, and variable density thinning forest management. 

Michelle standing in a grove of ferns

Michelle immersing herself in urban ecology

Michelle is a fast walker, a sock darner, a library explorer, and someone with a vast collection of song lyrics ready for any occasion (Did you say “So…”? Because “I’ll tell you what I want, what I really, really want”). She’s excited to channel her love of learning and the outdoors into ongoing and new projects in the Northeast, including supporting the Sustaining Ash Partners Network and long-term ecological monitoring work in National Wildlife Refuges. She looks forward to meeting you out there! 

 

From Northeast Program Manager Rachel Swanwick: “We’re excited to have Michelle join our team in the Northeast. Michelle brings an enthusiasm for ecological forestry, valuable experience, and will add much needed capacity to help grow our programming in the region. Welcome Michelle!