Leadership

The Ecological Restoration Institute is an independent research branch of Northern Arizona University. It was founded by forest ecologist and NAU Emeritus Professor W. Wallace Covington, who began studying the ecology of southwestern ponderosa pine forests in the mid-1970s. Wally Covington retired in January 2020.

Andrew Sánchez Meador, PhD, was appointed as the new ERI Executive Director. Sánchez Meador is a well-known innovator in the areas of forest and landscape-level data collection and analysis. His forward-looking approach to using remote sensing tools, data visualization techniques and emerging technology help to modernize and advance the restoration of forest ecosystems.

As executive director, Sánchez Meador works to advance the institute’s focus on restoring western forest landscapes using innovative technologies, service to Native American tribes, promoting novel solutions for the use of tree biomass and wood products, and actively engaging with the people and communities that influence land management and depend on these forests.

Sánchez Meador joined the ERI from NAU’s School of Forestry, where he served as faculty for eight years and is an associate professor of forest biometrics and quantitative ecology. Sánchez Meador’s scholarly interests have largely been focused on ecological restoration of frequent-fire forests of the southwestern United States; improving scientists’ understanding of how disturbances, such as wildfire, shape forests; and championing the incorporation of new technologies in forestry and ecological restoration practices.

Prior to teaching at NAU’s School of Forestry, Sánchez Meador worked for the U.S. Forest Service Washington Office as a biometrician and the Lincoln National Forest in southern New Mexico as the forest restoration program manager. He has served on the boards of the Society of American Foresters and the Greater Flagstaff Forest Partnership. In 2017, the School of Forestry at NAU awarded him Teacher of the Year.