AGC’s Inaugural Director of Certification Services

If the name “Jess Gillen” sounds familiar to you, there’s a good reason why. (Many, in fact.)

For almost a decade, Jess has managed AGC’s group certificates. She’s also maintained our database, overseen marketing efforts, and become an FSC® trademark encyclopedia.

And if you’re one of our clients, then you’ve worked 1:1 with her as you’ve prepared for your internal reviews and external audits.

In less than 10 years, Jess has gone from American Green’s first employee to our first-ever Director of Certification Services. And that’s no small feat.

Please join us in (re)welcoming Jess to American Green, and acknowledging what this promotion means for our company—and to the forest sector.

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How Jess got started in forest certification

Jess began her certification career in 2007 at SmartWood (now Rainforest Alliance). She learned the ropes of the industry and eventually became a certified Lead Auditor in 2012.

Two years later, she reconnected with fellow Rainforest Alliance alum Chris Gibbons, who had been building American Green for about three years and was looking to make his first hire.

At that time, Jess was the Certification Services Coordinator at Rainforest Alliance, and Chris was hoping Jess could provide some insights about what types of skills he should be looking for in his first employee. (You can probably see where this is going.)

Jess joined American Green in 2014 as AGC’s Administrative Services Manager, and she’s been bringing efficiency and simplicity to certification ever since.

A “Director” in all but title

Relatively quickly, Jess completely outgrew her original position. She taught herself everything about American Green’s business, from the FSC auditing process to client invoicing to the ins and outs of Salesforce.

There was no doubt that Jess had become a critical part of what makes American Green tick and a reason for its ongoing success.

But with a small company, it’s so difficult to figure out the proper way to highlight and reward someone’s burgeoning but continuously morphing role. While raises and perks were fine, public recognition was also very important.

So in March 2024, American Green’s inaugural Director of Certification Services was officially announced. Jess’ much-anticipated promotion recognizes a role she’s been successfully fulfilling for many years.

What Jess’ promotion signals about the future—for AGC and the forest sector

Jess’s promotion to Director of Certification Services signals multiple shifts in the forest sector, both we’re excited about.

Expansion of services

Third-party certification services are 100% of American Green’s business right now, but they probably won’t be in the coming years.

Since the European Union Deforestation-free Regulation (EUDR) went into effect, more and more business owners are seeking guidance beyond FSC certification and how to navigate the stricter EUDR requirements to remain compliant.

With that in mind, we know American Green needs to expand beyond just third-party certification services while also making sure our clients are well taken care of.

And because Jess is managing many of AGC’s clients and making day-to-day decisions for the company, Chris is freed up to focus on what’s ahead.

“I need somebody who can keep track of our core business while we figure out what the future of the company looks like. Jess is already doing that, and has been doing that, and this title codifies it.” — Chris Gibbons, AGC president

More visibility of women in forestry

Additionally, Jess now holds a leadership position that is rare in the male-dominated forest industry.

American Green is dedicated to publicly recognizing the contributions and institutional knowledge of women in forestry and forest certification so that the faces of our industry reflect the societies we serve.

A bit more about Jess

We sat down with Jess for a quick interview with our new Director of Certification Services.

What keeps you motivated in this industry everyday?

I believe in supporting small businesses, and we have a lot of great clients. Many companies appreciate that we know our stuff, and we can help them with their certification needs.

What’s one of your favorite memories from your time in the forest certification industry?

While at the Rainforest Alliance, I worked with the company who manufactured the Ben & Jerry’s pint ice cream containers. We worked with them to get the FSC logo printed on those containers.

How has your FSC knowledge worked its way into your everyday life?

Checking for the FSC logo is now a way of life for me.

Not only do I check each book I purchase to see if they’re printed on FSC-certified paper, I do the same for most of my puzzles. And when I bake, you bet I use FSC-certified parchment and cupcake liners!

Besides diving deeply into FSC certification, what else do you enjoy doing?

I’m a huge supporter of the Girl Scouts and served as a volunteer when my daughter was involved. I even convinced AGC to send Girl Scout cookies to our distributed team for many years!

I also really enjoy doing activities that challenge me, such as the Spartan Race. My first race was in 2018, and I joined Chris and other teammates to represent American Green.

 

Additional photo credits: Jess Gillen

Learn more about Jess and the entire AGC team
on our About Us page.