Vicki Christiansen is an American government official who served as the 19th chief of the

United States Forest Service The United States Forest Service (USFS) is an agency within the United States Department of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture. It administers the nation's 154 United States National Forest, national forests and 20 United States Natio ...

from October 2018 to July 2021. Prior to assuming the role, Christiansen had spent seven years with the Forest Service and 30 years with the

Washington State Department of Natural Resources The Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) manages over of forest, rangeland, range, agricultural, and commercial lands in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington. The DNR also manages of aquatic areas which include sh ...

and Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management.

Education

While a student at the

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW and informally U-Dub or U Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington, United States. Founded in 1861, the University of Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast of the Uni ...

, Christiansen began working as a firefighter with the

. She eventually earned a Bachelor of Science degree in forestry in 1983.

Career

Christiansen worked as a firefighter in

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

for 26 years, eventually serving as the Washington State Forester. She then served as the Arizona State Forester from 2009 to 2010. She joined the

in 2010 as the acting director of legislative affairs before serving as deputy director of fire and aviation management. In 2012, she served as acting regional forester for the Northern Region, which covers 25 million acres across five states and includes 12 national forests. Christiansen was named the 19th chief of the Forest Service in October 2018. Christiansen assumed the role on an interim basis after Tony Tooke, who had been serving as chief for six months, resigned amid allegations of sexual assault and workplace misconduct. Christiansen later said that, as chief, she would seek to end the culture of harassment within the Forest Service. In June 2021, Christiansen announced her intention to retire from the Forest Service in August 2021, and she formally stepped down as chief on July 26, 2021. She was succeeded by Randy Moore, the former regional forester for the Pacific Southwest Region.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Christiansen, Vicki Living people 1950s births Year of birth uncertain United States Forest Service officials University of Washington alumni 20th-century American firefighters 21st-century American firefighters First Trump administration personnel Women in forestry American women firefighters