DEI Strategy for an Inclusive Workplace in the Forest and Wood Products Sector
(DEI in Work)
Funding: The Forest and Wood Products Inclusion Council,
facilitated by the U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities, Inc.
Year: 2023 - 2024
This a-year-long project aims to formulate Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) strategy for creating an inclusive workplace in forest and wood products (FWP) sector by investigating its workforce dynamics. To meet Scope of Services/SOS written on the Request for Proposal (RFP) Page 2, we will conduct three research methods: (1) Literature review, (2) Surveys, and (3) Interviews.
Research team
Dr. Pipiet Larasatie
Project Director (PD)
Dr. Larasatie (she/her) is an Assistant Professor of Forest Products Marketing at Arkansas Center for Forest Business at College of Forestry, Agriculture, and Natural Resources, University of Arkansas at Monticello. She is an interdisciplinary scholar and social scientist with a program of diversifying forest and wood products (FWP) workforce and creating inclusive workplaces. Dr. Larasatie has 6+ years of experience in investigating DEI efforts in FWP sector by conducting qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-method research.
Dr. Matthew Pelkki
Co PD
Dr. Pelkki (he/him) is Professor and Clippert Chair of Forestry, Associate Director of Arkansas Forest Resources Center, and Director of Arkansas Center for Forest Business at College of Forestry, Agriculture, and Natural Resources, University of Arkansas at Monticello. He has 32 years of research experience in forest management, policy and economics and through his research and outreach has considerable contacts with forest sector industries throughout the United States.
Ana Gutierrez, MS
Research Support
Ms. Gutierrez (she/her) is a research assistant at Arkansas Center for Forest Business at University of Arkansas at Monticello. She has a MS in Agricultural Economics and extensive research and outreach with forest landowners and loggers. She will be heading up the questionnaire distribution, assisting the PDs with analysis, and taking the lead on presentation and printed infographics and social media.
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Presentations
Association of Consulting Foresters (ACF) Gulf Regional Conference:
February 19, 2024, Little Rock AR US
Society of American Foresters (SAF) Rising Professionals Conference:
February 8, 2024, Baton Rouge LA US
Forest Products Society (FPS) Southeastern Forest Products Showcase:
January 8, 2024, Starkville MS US
