John Phipps is a retired senior executive of the USDA Forest Service whose 45‑year career has focused on helping people, organizations, and communities work together to conserve forests and grasslands in an increasingly complex and rapidly changing world.

During his Forest Service career, John served in a wide range of field and national leadership positions, culminating as Deputy Chief for State and Private Forestry. In that role, he provided national leadership for programs involving state and private forest conservation, wildland fire and aviation management, forest health, conservation education, and partnerships with states, tribes, communities, and other organizations.

He previously served as Director of the Rocky Mountain Research Station, where he led approximately 600 scientists, professionals, and support staff across the 12-state Intermountain West and helped strengthen the connection between science and management.

Much of John’s career has involved working at the intersection of wildfire, land stewardship, organizational change, and collaborative governance. He helped shape the Forest Service’s Toward Shared Stewardship strategy, led efforts to improve the effectiveness and safety of the agency’s wildland fire system, and has designed and facilitated processes that bring diverse perspectives together around complex natural-resource challenges. Earlier in his career, he served as Forest Supervisor of both the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie and Eldorado National Forests and participated on the Forest Service’s National Reinvention Team.

Since retiring from federal service, John has continued to work on questions of how the Forest Service and the larger conservation community can adapt their institutions, leadership, and operating systems to meet the conservation challenges of the 21st century.

John holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Natural Resource Management from the University of Washington and is a graduate of the USDA Senior Executive Service Candidate Development Program. He has twice received the USDA Secretary’s Honor Award and serves on the Board of the Pinchot Institute for Conservation.