Craig Blair

Craig became Chairman of the RMS Board of Managers on October 1, 2021, transitioning from his previous role as President and CEO, a position he assumed in October of 2010. During his tenure as the firm’s leader, Craig oversaw a skilled and experienced team of forestry and investment professionals who built and managed portfolios of forest assets that were collectively valued at more than $4 billion and that included investments in the United States, Australia, Brazil, China and New Zealand. Before assuming the firm’s presidency, Craig directed RMS’ Investment team. In that capacity, he had responsibility for investment strategy, research, business development, portfolio management and client relations.

Over his 39-year career, he held a variety of positions at RMS and in the forest products industry and obtained valuable experience in acquisitions, resource planning, forest management and timber procurement. Among his many accomplishments as President and CEO of RMS, Craig led the firm’s efforts to promote diversity, equity and inclusion within the forestry profession, championed collaborative approaches to species conservation and developed the sector’s first open-end timberland investment fund.

Craig has been actively engaged in a number of forestry organizations, serving on the boards of the National Alliance of Forest Owners (Chair), the World Forestry Center (Chair), the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (Chair, 2017 President’s Award), the Longleaf Alliance and the Auburn University Research Advisory Board. Craig earned a BS degree in Forest Management at the University of Arkansas at Monticello and a MF degree in Forest Business at Mississippi State University (2018 Alumni Fellow).