Forest Carbon Works Management Team

Chief Forestry Officer

Sarah Ford

Sarah Ford serves as Chief Forestry Officer for Chestnut Carbon, leading the Natural Resources Team which supports enrollment, forest management expertise, and forest inventory for Forest Carbon Works’ improved forest management forest carbon program. This includes Regional Forester oversight, project origination, stakeholder engagement, and sales support, in addition to managing planting operations for Chestnut’s afforestation/reforestation carbon projects. Sarah has worked with Chestnut Carbon – Forest Carbon Works since 2018 and holds a master’s degree in forestry and natural resources from the University of Vermont with a focus on forest carbon management. Based out of northern Vermont, she has been active in the forestry and natural resources fields for over 20 years, previously working as a Consulting Forester in the Northeast advising forest landowners in ecological forest management practices, tax program compliance, and timber sales, and also serving as a Conservation Program Coordinator in the Lake Tahoe Basin, leading Basin-wide programmatic efforts in restoration and environmental management.

Chief Commercial Officer

Shannon Smith

Shannon Smith is the Chief Commercial Officer for Chestnut Carbon. Shannon leads the commercialization of the afforestation and IFM products.  This includes landowner enrollment in the IFM conservation program, credit sales pipeline development and transaction execution, and marketing to a diverse set of audiences including corporate buyers, private landowners and various channel partners for both product lines. She has 20 years of experience leading marketing across consumer and financial projects, and most recently served as Chief Growth Officer for Dandelion Energy, a provider of residential geothermal home heating and cooling systems. Prior to Dandelion, Shannon was the Senior Vice President of Marketing at OnDeck Capital. She worked as a consultant for McKinsey in the firm’s NYC and San Francisco offices, as an investment banking analyst at Morgan Stanley in NYC, and has held leadership roles at consumer brands including J. Crew, Williams-Sonoma, and Sephora.

Shannon received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas at Austin and an MBA from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University.

Vice President of Product

Briana Capra

Briana Capra is a seasoned expert in validation and verification, project design, and strategic delivery, with a strong background in sustainable forestry. At Rainforest Alliance, she led the development of robust validation systems that supported responsible forest management and biodiversity conservation. Her career spans multiple industries, where she’s known for her precision, high standards, and strategic leadership. Currently at Chestnut Carbon, Briana continues to drive project innovation and efficiency, recognized for her integrity, creativity, and collaborative approach.

Director, Conserve Program

Julian Bauer

Julian Bauer serves as the Director of the Conserve program at Chestnut Carbon, where he leads the Improved Forest Management (IFM) portfolio, overseeing project development and credit issuance strategies. With nearly a decade of experience in developing high-quality carbon offset projects, Julian brings deep expertise in project design, forest inventory, carbon quantification, forest modeling, and credit issuance. He has led teams through the successful registration and issuance of multiple IFM projects under both the CARB Compliance Program and the Verra Carbon Standard (VCS). Julian holds a Bachelor’s degree in Forestry and Natural Resource Management from the University of California, Berkeley—a foundation that supports his strong commitment to environmental stewardship.

Senior Director of Technology

Bobby Huffman

Bobby leads Forest Carbon Works’ division dedicated to the collection and processing of forest data for analysis and the development of the software used. With a background in engineering and IT leadership, he co-invented and developed the processes for the Certified Electronic Diploma at Paradigm, Inc. He has a passion for developing streamlined solutions to assist or automate manual processes and fostering the growth of those around him. Bobby holds a BS in Psychology from Old Dominion University.