M.D. Skeet - 'Skeet'

Skeet has had a life-long passion for trees. He earned an A.A. in Forestry from Paul Smith’s Collage, and gained experience in sustainable management of the college’s 14,000-acres property within the Adirondack Park in upstate New York. Skeet also earned a B.S in Forestry and a M.S in Resource Management from the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry in Syracuse, New York.

In 1991, Skeet relocated to Illinois and successfully passed the International Society of Arboriculture Certified Arborist examination, becoming 126th Certified Arborist in the state of Illinois, and there are over 1,500 Certified Arborists in Illinois. He joined Bartlett in 2016. As a Commercial Arborist, Skeet enjoys sharing his knowledge of trees as a guest speaker at garden clubs, Park Districts, and garden centers. Additionally, he has served as a guest instructor at Joliet Junior College and the Morton Arboretum. Appointed by Mayor George Pradel, Skeet served as a Naperville Riverwalk Commissioner from 2006 to 2011. On Chicagoland radio, Skeet was honored to be a guest speaker several times on the Bill Moller show, WGN 720 AM and on the Bill Novak show, WCPT 820 AM. A career highlight was when Skeet testified with Senator Connelly before the Illinois House of Representatives Agriculture and Conservation Committee in Springfield, Illinois, as to the need for public funding to preserve many ash trees. In 2015, the Illinois Motor Fuel Tax was amended to allow funds to be used for treatment of right of way ash trees.

Skeet and his wife, Laura, reside in Plainfield. You may find them in the community either volunteering at their neighborhood church, at the Northern Illinois Foodbank, or helping maintain the association prairie in the back yard.