Chris Edwards
President
Named President in 2021, Edwards brings extensive legislative and wood products manufacturing experience to OFIC. Edwards served as a Democrat for ten years in the Oregon State Legislature, holding committee leadership positions in both the House and Senate, and was known for his ability to work seamlessly with both political parties on intensely controversial environmental issues. Prior to his time in the Legislature, Edwards spent several years working at his family owned and operated mill in Goshen and running a small forest products export/import company. Edwards also ran his own government affairs firm and served as Assistant VP for Strategic Initiatives at the University of Oregon. He holds a B.A. in Business Administration, Management and Finance/Marketing from Oregon State University.
Seth Barnes
Director of Forest Policy
Seth is a professional forester with over 25 years of experience. From harvest layout and design to silviculture, Seth has a vast array of expertise in both field forestry and forest policy. He has been OFIC’s Director of Forest Policy since 2015. Prior to coming to OFIC, Seth served as the Operations Manager for Washington State’s Forest Practices Program at the Washington Department of Natural Resources. In addition to professional experience with both private landowners and state agencies, he also participated for many years as a wildland firefighter on an Incident Management Team. Seth has a B.S. in Forest Management from Oregon State University and attended graduate school at Washington State University for Public Administration and Natural Resource Policy.
Tyler Ernst
General Counsel and Director of Regulatory Affairs
Tyler brought more than ten years of experience in natural resource policy and government relations when he was started working for OFIC in 2020. Prior to joining OFIC, Tyler served as Assistant General Counsel for the Michigan Farm Bureau, worked as a staffer in the Washington, D.C. office of a western-states senator, and worked in the Michigan Department of Attorney General’s office during law school. Tyler holds a B.S. in Microbiology from Michigan State University and a J.D. from the Michigan State University College of Law.
Sara Duncan
Director of Communications
Sara is OFIC’s communications strategist, media relations manager, writer and photographer. She joined OFIC in 2015 with more than ten years of experience in media relations and natural resource communications. Prior to joining OFIC, Sara worked as a technology communications specialist for a major agricultural company, as a blogger, and as an intern for the United Nations. Originally from the Midwest, Sara has a B.S. in journalism with a photojournalism emphasis and a minor in biology from the University of Missouri-Columbia.
Kyle Williams
Director of Forest Protection
Kyle brings 20 years of experience working in the fire protection system throughout Oregon on both private and public forestland. Kyle holds a B.S. in Geography from Western Oregon University. Prior to joining OFIC, Kyle worked in private industry, most recently as a Harvest Manager and previously as a Senior Environmental Forester. He also has nearly 14 years of experience in various positions at the Oregon Department of Forestry, including Stewardship Forester, Wildland Fire Protection Supervisor and Unit Forester. Kyle is also a small woodlands owner.
Jessica Ivanitsky
Office Manager
Jessica is OFIC’s office manager. Jessica has extensive experience with event planning and coordination and handles an array of responsibilities for OFIC including capably managing scheduling and providing support for all OFIC staff, and coordination and support for all Board of Director and Committee meetings. She is our main source of membership support; handling all dues invoicing as well as maintaining our membership database. She graduated with a B.A. in English Literature and Journalism with a minor in Writing from Western Oregon University. She brings over a decade of administrative expertise to OFIC.
Mike Eliason
Contract Lobbyist
Mike serves as OFIC’s contract lobbyist and is responsible for representing OFIC’s members in front of the state Legislature and executive branch, as well as leading OFIC’s Political Action Committee and serving as PAC treasurer. Mike is a seasoned attorney and lobbyist, beginning his role as contract lobbyist in 2023 with over fifteen years of experience at the Oregon Capitol representing private sector trade associations, businesses and local government. Prior to moving into an external role, Mike spent almost four years as OFIC’s General Counsel and Director of Government Affairs. Over the years, he has advocated on a variety of policy issues, including election law, transportation, land use, tax, employment and of course, forestry. Mike has a J.D. from Willamette University, a B.A. from Western Washington University and is a member of the Oregon State Bar.
