Directors

Wayne Tucker

Wayne Tucker is the current Executive Director for the Mississippi Institute for Forest Inventory. He has a B.S. Degree from Oklahoma State University in Forest Management. Wayne has worked for Georgia-Pacific in various positions related to forest management and asset acquisition for 28 years. After leaving Georgia-Pacific he spent three years with the Forest Resources Association working throughout eight states in the South Central Region of the United States. Wayne started with the Mississippi Institute for Forest Inventory at its inception in December of 2003. He has been married to Mary Jane for 34 years, they have one son Andy; and he is a the proud grandfather of Emma Claire. His primary goal is to provide the best forest inventory information on the forest resources of the State of Mississippi for economic development purposes.

Patrick A. Glass

Patrick Glass is the current Director of Operations for the Mississippi Institute for Forest Inventory. He has a B.S. Degree in Forest Management, a M.S. Degree in Forest Biometrics and is currently completing his Ph.D. in Forest Biometrics with an emphasis on forest sampling utilizing remote sensing technology (LiDAR). Patrick has worked in the private sector as a consulting forester providing inventory assessments and management plans for a variety of clientele including the US Army Corps of Engineers and the US Army. His research career includes efforts focused on the reclamation of disturbed sites from molybdenum mining operations conducted at high altitudes; Quantitative genetics research performed as part of the New Mexico Tree Improvement Program; Ecosystem level assessment of Piñon-Juniper woodlands in the Carson National Forest; and directing field operations for wide area forest assessments at Mississippi State University. Patrick has performed as project coordinator for a joint Mississippi State University and NASA Integrated Natural Resource Assessment of the Stennis Space Center. He has also been liaison between Mississippi State University College of Forest Resources and the Stephen F. Austin Arthur Temple College of Forestry coordinating the replication of an innovative wide area forest assessment protocol