AUBURN UNIVERSITY, Ala. — For his decades of service, Beau Brodbeck was named a winner of the 2025 Ken Ottman Volunteer Award from the Tree Research and Education Endowment Fund.

As the organization’s highest award, it is given to individuals who have made exemplary contributions to TREE Fund, an organization devoted to the enhancement of the arboriculture and urban forestry fields. Brodbeck, an Alabama Cooperative Extension System assistant director for field operations, received the award during the International Society of Arboriculture’s annual conference in New Zealand.

“This organization has a truly noble mission of raising funds to support research in urban forestry to improve how we care and manage urban trees around the world,” Brodbeck said. “This award is truly special, not because I needed the recognition, but because others felt that I had done enough to earn it.”

Paul Putman, TREE Fund president and chief executive officer, said Brodbeck and cowinner JoAnna Nakeff have been critical to the success of the organization’s largest outreach programs.

“While not unprecedented, the Ken Ottman Volunteer Award is not typically given out to two individuals in the same year, but I, along with the committee comprised of previous recipients, am proud to be able to award this recognition to two of TREE Fund’s most deserving champions,” Putman said.

Brodbeck’s Work

As a former Extension urban forestry specialist, Brodbeck has worked with TREE Fund in several capacities over the years. He has been a member of the board of trustees for more than a decade, serving two stints as chair. During his time with the organization, he has helped revitalized their outreach model and enhanced their educational efforts through the creation of the TREE Fund Webinar Series. Designed to share emerging research with industry practitioners, this series has achieved great success. With more than 6,000 participants from 58 countries in 2025, it is one of the leading webinar series in the urban forestry industry. Ten years since it was created, Brodbeck continues to host and moderate the sessions.

“Through TREE Fund, I have built relationships with fellow trustees and industry partners around the country,” Brodbeck said. “I often feel that I have received as much from TREE Fund as they have received from me.”

For more information on the award, visit treefund.org. Resources related to urban forestry are available on the Alabama Extension website at aces.edu.