Speaker Biography: Adela Backiel

Adela Backiel is the Director of Sustainable Development for the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). In this position, and also as Chair of the USDA Council on Sustainable Development, she leads, develops, and coordinates policies and programs in sustainable agriculture, sustainable forestry, and sustainable rural communities, and works to integrate the concepts of sustainable development into USDA operations. Ms. Backiel was the USDA lead for the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, South Africa and she leads the USDA delegation to the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development. From 1995-1999 she also served as the USDA liaison to the President's Council on Sustainable Development.

Ms. Backiel was Deputy Under Secretary for Natural Resources and Environment at USDA from 1993-95. She was appointed to oversee the policies and programs of the USDA Forest Service and represented USDA before Congress, with other Departments, the news media, and constituent groups, and in international negotiations and meetings.

From 1983 to 1993, Ms. Backiel was a specialist in natural resources policy and Head of the Environmental Protection Section with the Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress. In these capacities, she provided objective, non-partisan information, advice, and policy research to all Members and Committees of Congress, specializing in issues related to public and private forestry, public land management and planning, grazing and grazing fees, and ecosystem management. In addition, she was Head of the Environmental Protection Division with responsibilities in environmental issues such as recycling, air and water quality, and risk assessment.

Ms. Backiel started her career with the USDA Forest Service in 1974 as a soil scientist on the Tongass National Forest in Southeast Alaska. From 1980 -1983, she was a forester in the national headquarters office in Washington, D.C. on the policy analysis and long-range planning staffs.

Ms. Backiel holds a Bachelor of Science in Forest Resources (1974) and a Masters in Public Administration (1980) from the University of Washington in Seattle, Washington. Ms. Backiel served on the Board of Directors of American Forests, a non-profit organization for citizens interested in America's trees and forests, from 1992-93. She is an elected Fellow of the Society of American Foresters (SAF), the professional association for foresters, and has served the Society in numerous voluntary elected and appointed positions. In 1991, she received the SAF's national award for leadership, the "Young Forester Leadership Award," given for "outstanding leadership in the development and promotion of programs and projects benefiting the Society and the practice of forestry."