Vision: The Women in Arboriculture committee (WIA) seeks to empower women and foster gender equality throughout all levels of the tree care industry.
Mission: WIA works toward making our vision a reality in three ways:
1. WIA brings the tree care industry together to identify the challenges women face and discuss solutions that increase recruitment, hiring, and advancement of women in the industry.
2. WIA hosts, coordinates, and obtains funding for women-centric arboricultural events that focus on teaching skills that can be used to enhance careers while facilitating professional networking.
3. WIA increases the representation of women in the tree care industry by producing informational materials that feature them in a variety of tree care roles.
Committee Leadership
Chair: Sarah Santee
ISA Certified Arborist & Tree Climber WE-14957AT
I’m a Foreman for West Coast Arborists, an ISA Certified Arborist and Tree Climber, and the current Chair of the Western Chapter’s Women in Arboriculture Committee. I caught the tree-climbing bug in 2009 at the California State Fair with TreeCircus, where I first put on a helmet and harness and discovered my love and passion for trees and climbing. Since then, I have built a fulfilling career with West Coast Arborists as Foreman for West Sacramento’s urban forest and by helping others grow in the arboriculture field. My favorite tree is the valley oak (Quercus lobata).
Chair: Jessica Henderson
ISA Board Certified Master Arborist & Utility Specialist; ISA TRAQ; TCIA Certified Treecare Safety Professional; OSHA 30
I am serving as Vice Chair for the Western Chapter’s Women in Arboriculture Committee. I started in the tree industry in 2017 working as a recreational tree climbing guide. Shortly after, I started working for a residential tree care company and immediately fell in love with the technical and physical components of tree care. I currently work in operations oversight for a large utility company. I am enrolled in the Masters in Natural Resources program from Oregon State University with a focus in Urban Forestry. My favorite tree is the Cedar of Lebanon (Cedrus libani).
WCISA Board Liaison: Rhonda Wood
ISA Certified Arborist & Tree Climber WE-5071AT; ISA TRAQ; Prescription Pruning Qualified by the FL ISA Chapter
I currently serve on the Western Chapter ISA Board as the ISA Component Council Representative and am also the WCISA Board Liaison for the Women in Arboriculture Committee. I started a consulting arborist company in 2023 called Woodworks Tree Preservation. Prior to that, I grew up in the industry working at the Disneyland Resort for 25 years – starting from the ground up, learning how to climb, take care of trees, lead teams, and eventually managed their urban forest. My favorite tree is the Montezuma cypress (Taxodium mucronatum).
Women In Arboriculture 