Curriculum Vitae of Michael J. Maki

Michael J. Maki (b. Aberdeen, WA 1950), has been involved in the ecological agriculture and forestry movements since the mid 1970's.  He is a founding Board member of the Tilth Association, the Pacific Northwest's sustainable ag organization (http://www.washingtontilth.org/history.htm), and assisted in publication of its quarterly journals and is co-author of it's resource compendium The Future Is Abundant, and covered organic and renewable energy as correspondent for the Capital Press, Salem Oregon.  Mr. Maki was involved as a pioneer in organic crop certification, small farm support at both the local (e.g. local coordinator USDA Cooperative Extension Service Limited Resource Farming Program) and regional level (organizing conferences, workshops, and curriculum development).  Issues related to agroforestry-type system development have long been of personal and professional interest, including renewable energy and forest management policy.  Maki was associated with the Evergreen State College (TESC) in Olympia, WA for over 20 years, serving as manager of the TESC Organic Experimental Farm, as adjunct faculty, and in early development of an ecological forestry program.

 From 1983-89 Mr. Maki was partner in Full Moon Mushroom Company (later Mushroom Resources, Inc), producer of gourmet edible mushrooms, mushroom kits, buyer-broker of wild mushrooms, and educator. A founding member of the Pacific Northwest Gourmet Mushroom Association. He helped found and served as the first chairman of RainKist Agroforestry Cooperative, a regional training and marketing association for non-timber forest products on the Olympic Peninsula of Washington.  He served as a board member of the Olympic Peninsula Foundation (renamed Northwest Natural Resources Group-NNRG), and became involved in curriculum development and training in the field of non-timber forest products in cooperation with Ecotrust of Portland OR (http://www.ecotrust.org/).  NNRG  (http://www.nnrg.org/) became the regional representative for the international NGO Forest Stewardship Council (FSC-http://www.fsc.org/about-fsc.html) SmartWood certification program, providing third party certification for ecologically managed forests in the region.

 During the early 1990's he was involved with US Fish and Wildlife Service in developing a model restoration and wildlife-friendly farm property in Pacific County, WA.  He served on numerous boards and committees during this time, including the founding of the Chehalis River Council and the production of the first Chehalis Basin Watershed Plan. Later in the decade, with Natural Resources Consultants of Seattle (http://www.nrccorp.com/), he compiled a Managed Riparian Buffer Best Available Science compendium, adopted by National Marine Fisheries Service as part of its riparian area best available science guide.  He worked for Seattle-based NGO Stewardship Partners (http://www.stewardshippartners.org/prog_salmon.html) as a Salmon Safe program farm certification officer.

  Currently working as a resource management consultant, Maki is involved with individuals and businesses in the fields of new crop development, bioremediation, biochar production and research, forest management and forest products development and marketing, and property management.  He has traveled widely to Alaska, Canada, Russia, Finland, Eastern Europe, Peru, Brazil, Hawaii, etc. and maintains a wide-ranging network of scientists and resource managers.  He is developing on the Olympic Peninsula an agroforestry and permaculture teaching and demonstration center. He is physically fit and vitally healthy, enthusiastic and capable. 

 As this cv will indicate, I have wide experience in natural resource management issues and practices.  My interpersonal skills make me a  good meeting facilitator, conference and project coordinator, public relations specialist and educator.  I have a strong bioethical background at the practical level, and seek always to work with organizations which have a strong ecological and work ethic.  I believe strongly in the "Doing good while doing well" approach.  What I bring is an experienced skillset which can help get organizational and logistic issues resolved from a win-win perspective.  I see myself initially as an ideal administrative assistant, helping with the innumerable details which we are all faced with, able to represent the company and its interests in a wide range of situations, to work independently and with other management team members.   Our current cybernetic world enables us to have leverage and opportunities to work together in new ways that can grow business on a dynamic, rapid, and yet sure-footed basis.  We are at a powerful turning point in history, and are preparing to bring together resources and people to solve problems facing humanity and the planet.