CONFERENCE SPEAKERS
Meg Hanna
ISA Board Certified Master Arborist | The Hanna Studio (Canada/NZ)
SPEAKER BIO
Meg Hanna's mission is to connect meaningfully and collaborate constructively to elevate green spaces and the people who care for them.
Through her international consultancy, The Hanna Studio, and collaborations with NGOs, universities, and professional associations, Meg combines urban forestry expertise with facilitation, communications, and education to help organizations move from ideas to implementation.
An ISA Board Certified Master Arborist, Meg has supported public green spaces since 2005 and has served in volunteer leadership roles across the arboriculture and urban forestry profession since 2011. She credits volunteer engagement as one of the most influential drivers of her personal growth, professional development, and global network. Meg is committed to collaborating with professionals looking for meaningful ways to contribute and grow.
TALK TITLE
The Return on Contribution: Building Skills, Leaders, and Industry Capability
ABSTRACT
In arboriculture and urban forestry, we're often focused on delivering projects, solving problems, and earning a living. Yet some of the most valuable professional growth happens outside our day-to-day roles.
Drawing on nearly two decades of volunteer experience across professional associations, community initiatives, and leadership roles, this interactive session explores how volunteer engagement can accelerate skill development, expand professional networks, and create opportunities that may never emerge through typical career pathways.
Participants at all career stages are invited to discover practical approaches to making a contribution that aligns with their interests, strengths, and available time. Through stories, reflection, and audience participation, we'll explore how investing time in others can create lasting value for individuals, organizations, and the profession as a whole.
Learning Objectives:
• Reflect on how industry engagement can support personal and professional growth.
• Identify skills and leadership capacities that can be developed through volunteering.
• Develop an approach for making a contribution that aligns with individual interests, goals, and capacity.