Senior Officers
Ernesta Ballard was elected senior vice president, Corporate Affairs, in October 2004. In this role she leads Environment, Health and Safety; Sustainability; Government and Public Relations; and Communications and Community Investments.
She previously served in the cabinet of the governor of the state of Alaska as commissioner, Department of Environmental Conservation. Prior of joining the governor’s cabinet, she had a consulting practice specializing in regulatory strategy with an emphasis on management systems for protection of the environment, health and safety.
In 1997 Ballard was appointed by President Clinton to serve on the board of governors of the U.S. Postal Service. From 1983–1986 she was the administrator of Region 10 of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Ballard holds a bachelor of arts from the University of Pennsylvania (1967), attended Oxford University on a Thouron Scholarship and received an MBA from Harvard University (1970).
Ballard served for many years on the board of the University of Washington Medical Center. She is a past board member and officer of the Alaska Forest Association and a founding member of the Ketchikan Humane Society. She served on the board of the Ketchikan General Hospital. She was a founding member and currently serves as chairman of LifeCenter Northwest, the organ donation organization for Washington, Montana and Alaska. She is on the Council of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development.
Patricia M. Bedient was named Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer in April 2007. She became senior vice president of Finance and Strategic Planning in February 2006 and from February 2003 to 2006 she served as vice president of Strategic Planning.
Prior to joining the company, Bedient was with Arthur Andersen LLP for 27 years, where she served a number of clients in the forest products, manufacturing, distribution and educational service industries. She began her career with Arthur Andersen in Portland, Oregon, becoming a partner in 1987. In 1993 she transferred to the Boise, Idaho, office. From 1999-2002 she served as the managing partner for the Seattle office and as the partner in charge of the firm's forest products practice.
Patricia attended Oregon State University where she received a bachelor of science degree in Business Administration, with a concentration in accounting and finance.
Bedient is a certified public accountant and is a member of the American Institute of CPAs and the Washington Society of CPAs.
She currently serves on the board of directors of Alaska Air Group, the Weyerhaeuser Company Foundation, the Oregon State University Foundation board of trustees, the advisory board for the University of Washington School of Business, and the San Francisco regional advisory board for FM Global.
She has served on the boards of the World Forestry Center, the Forest History Society, and the Forest Research Lab advisory committee, Oregon State University. She has also served as past president, City Club of Portland; past chair, board of regents, St. Mary's Academy of Portland; past vice chair, Boise Chamber of Commerce; and past treasurer for both United Way of Ada County, Idaho, and Alliance for Education in Seattle.
James (Mike) M. Branson was named senior vice president of Timberlands in March 2007. His responsibilities include management of Weyerhaeuser's North American timberland operations, including 6.4 million acres of company-owned and 800,000 acres of leased commercial forestland in North America. He is also a member of the company's operating committee.
Mike started with Weyerhaeuser in 1979 as an accountant trainee in timberlands raw materials in Arkansas. During 1981-2002 he held numerous leadership roles in finance and wood products manufacturing. From 2002-2007 Mike served as vice president of Southern Timberlands.
Branson has served on several projects and special assignments including the Support Alignment Financial Services team leader (1999), the IT Policy Board (1999-2005), and leader of the Mid-South Geographic Plan (1999-2000).
He received a bachelor of arts in accounting from Ouachita Baptist University in 1979.
Mike received the President's Award in 1997 and 1994, and the Mike Toner Excellence in Financial Management Award in 1987.
Lawrence Burrows was elected president and CEO of Weyerhaeuser Real Estate Company (WRECO) in March 2008. He will oversee five real estate companies and the company’s builder financing operation. Most recently he was president of Winchester Homes Inc., Weyerhaeuser’s homebuilding operation in the Washington, D.C. area.
Burrows has been in the real estate industry for 32 years. Prior to joining Weyerhaeuser in 1989, he was with Gladstone Associates from 1976–1980. From 1980–1982 he was a development manager for Mason Hirst; 1982–1986 he served as project manager and vice president, Oliver T. Carr & Co.; and from 1986–1988 he was vice president and regional manager for Dickinson Heffner. In 1989 he joined Winchester Homes Inc., where he served in several different capacities, including development manager, director of development, division vice president, construction services division vice president, and executive vice president, before becoming president of Winchester Homes in 2003.
Larry graduated from Rutgers University (1974) with a B.A. in Urban Studies, and received a master’s degree in Urban Planning from the University of Pennsylvania (1976). He attended the Wharton Business School Advanced Management Program (2000), the Weyerhaeuser Leadership Institute (2003) and the WRECO Leadership Institute (2004).
Burrows served on the Board of HomeAid of Northern Virginia and chaired the Volume Builders Council for the Maryland National Capital Building Industry Association. He was a co-founder of the Regional Quality Council for the Maryland National Capital and the Northern Virginia Building Industry Associations.
Shaker Chandrasekaran was appointed senior vice president, Cellulose Fibers on December 14, 2006. He was most recently vice president Manufacturing, Cellulose Fibers. He previously served as the mill manager and vice president at Weyerhaeuser's Kingsport, Tenn., paper mill and the Kamloops, B.C., cellulose fibers mill.
A 30-year veteran of the paper industry, Chandrasekaran started his career in India, and then joined Container Corporation of America, Mead, and later Willamette Industries, which was acquired by Weyerhaeuser in 2002.
Shaker received a bachelor of science in chemical engineering from the University of Madras, India (1971), and a master of science in paper science and engineering from Miami University, Oxford, Ohio (1982). He has also completed the Stanford University Executive program and other executive management programs at the Wharton Business School and the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia.
Chandrasekaran currently serves on the SAP Release Governance Committee (2006-2007), is Owner of EBS – Plan to Make & Product Costing Modules (2006-2007), is a member of the Corporate EHS Council (2004-present), and served as a member of Project Compass (2006).
Shaker currently serves on the board of trustees for Miami University Paper Science & Engineering Foundation. He has served as a board member of the Mountain State Health Alliance, Indian Path Hospital (2001-2003); a council member of the Dobyns-Bennett High School General Advisory Board (2000-2003); and on the board of governors for the Tennessee Association of Business (1996-2003).
Chandrasekaran received the Weyerhaeuser President's Award in 2003.
Miles P. Drake was appointed senior vice president, research and development and chief technology officer September 8, 2006. He will oversee a research department devoted to growing the core businesses, supporting Weyerhaeuser's customers and creating new technical-based options for growth for the corporation.
Prior to joining Weyerhaeuser, Drake was with Air Products and Chemicals, Inc., where he had served as vice president, research and development and chief technology officer since 2001.
Drake joined APCI in 1986 as a European technology manager based in London and held numerous other leadership positions. In 2004-2005 he served as chairman of the Industrial Research Institute, an organization of 200 global companies focused on enhancing the effectiveness of technological innovation.
Drake holds a Ph.D. from Bristol University School of Surface Chemistry and a BA in Natural Science from Cambridge University UK.
He currently serves as a board member of the Board of Chemical Science & Technology of The National Academies.
Daniel S. Fulton was elected chief executive officer and a member of the board of directors in April 2008. He remains as president of Weyerhaeuser Company, a position he assumed in January 2008. From May 2001 until March 2008 he was president and chief executive officer of Weyerhaeuser Real Estate Company, a wholly owned subsidiary of Weyerhaeuser Company. In January 2004 he was named to Weyerhaeuser Company’s senior management team.
Dan joined Weyerhaeuser’s investment evaluation department in 1976. He transferred to Weyerhaeuser Real Estate Company (WRECO) in 1978 where he was planning manager. In 1979 Dan transferred to WRECO’s Weyerhaeuser Venture Company where he held a series of investment management roles. From 1987–1988 Dan served as the chief executive officer of Cornerstone Columbia Development Company. In 1988 he returned to Weyerhaeuser Venture Company and its affiliate Weyerhaeuser Realty Investors. Dan served in various management and investment positions before becoming president and chief executive officer of Weyerhaeuser Realty Investors and Weyerhaeuser Venture Company from 1998–2000.
Before joining Weyerhaeuser, he served as an officer in the U.S. Navy Supply Corps.
Fulton graduated with a bachelor of arts degree in economics from Miami University (Ohio) in 1970. He received a master of business administration degree in finance from the University of Washington in 1976, and he completed the Stanford University Executive Program in 2001.
Fulton serves as a board member of United Way of King County and the Chief Seattle Council of the Boy Scouts of America. He is a member of the Advisory Board for the University of Washington Business School and the Policy Advisory Board of the Joint Center of Housing with Harvard University.
Thomas F. Gideon was appointed executive vice president, Forest Products in July of 2008. He had been senior vice president of Containerboard Packaging and Recycling since March 2007 and from 2005 to 2007 he held the position of senior vice president, Timberlands.
Gideon joined Weyerhaeuser in 1978, working at NORPAC as an employee representative for the SW Washington region. He held several labor relations and human resources positions, becoming the human resources, and then sales manager, at the Elkin, N.C., Structurwood facility. He held several human resources jobs in Wood Products before moving into Western Timberlands in 1996. In 1998 Gideon assumed the role of director of sales and marketing for Western Timberlands. From 2003 to 2005 he held the position of vice president for Western Timberlands where he was responsible for managing approximately 2.2 million acres of certified managed forests in Oregon and Washington.
Gideon graduated in 1974 with a bachelor of arts degree in business administration from the University of Washington. In 1978 he received an MBA in Labor Relations and a Juris Doctor, Law, also from the University of Washington.
He has served on several special assignments and projects, including the Labor Principles team (1994-1995); the team leader for the Western Timberlands Design and Implementation Team (1996); the Western Labor Council Chairman (1996 through 2004); Western Wood Products and Timberlands team leader for the Willamette integration; and as the team lead for the Support Alignment Human Resources effort. He has been a recipient of the President's Award (1994).
Gideon is a member of the Washington State Bar Association and a former board member of the Oregon Forest Industry Council.
John Hooper was appointed senior vice president, Human Resources in July 2008. He had been serving as vice president, HR Operations since January 2006. From December 2003 to January 2008, he was a human resources director.
Hooper joined Weyerhaeuser in 2001 as a strategic projects consultant to assist with the integration of Willamette Industries.
Prior to joining Weyerhaeuser, he was a management consultant specializing in leadership roles in human resources strategy and change management from 1986 to 2001. He also held leadership roles in HR with Tektronix, Inc. (1980-1986) and Eaton Corp. (1976-1979).
John received a BS in business administration from the University of Colorado, and holds an MBA from Northern Illinois University.
As Founder and President of an HR consulting business, John built and led a team of strategy consultants who delivered culture change and HR strategy consulting services to top executives in over 60 leading companies worldwide. John had consulted with Weyerhaeuser for about 20 years before joining the organization as an employee.
John is the author of numerous articles and publications on culture change, best practices, HR strategy and change management.
Sandy D. McDade was appointed senior vice president and general counsel in September 2006. Prior to assuming his current position, he served as senior vice president, Canada, since January 2003. From April 2000-January 2003 he served as vice president, strategic planning and from 1993-April 2000 he was Weyerhaeuser's corporate secretary. He was a member of the Weyerhaeuser Company Law Department from 1980 through 2000 where he held the position of assistant general counsel. His legal work focused on corporate transactions, financing and securities law.
McDade received a Bachelor of Arts in political science from Whitman College in 1974 and his J.D., cum laude, from Seattle University in 1979.
