Forest Resource Council (AFRC)
Heath Heikkila
For over two decades, Heath Heikkila has represented AFRC before members and staff of the United States Congress, as well as with administration personnel at various federal agencies, including the Departments of the Interior, Commerce, and Agriculture, and the White House Office of Management and Budget and Council on Environmental Quality.
Heath also represents AFRC in the Washington legislature and with state agencies, including the Washington Department of Natural Resources (DNR), in support of sustained yield management of Washington DNR state trust lands. He works closely with the AFRC team on the association’s strategic communications and public affairs efforts.
Heath also has public sector experience, having served from 2002 to 2004 as a policy advisor at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), an agency within the US Department of Commerce. In his role as an administration appointee at NOAA, he primarily focused on Western environmental and fisheries issues, including Pacific salmon recovery efforts and ESA consultations on forestry, hydroelectric energy, irrigation, and transportation activities in the Northwest and California. He has also served as an aide in the Washington State Senate and has been involved in several political campaigns in the state.
Heath and his wife, Erika, have three daughters and live in Washington State. He enjoys supporting and cheering on his daughters in the things they love and embarking on the occasional salmon fishing trip. He holds a BA in International Affairs from Eastern Washington University.