Tree Folks, the Central Texas nonprofit that promotes urban forests, has hired Thais Perkins as its executive director. Perkins, with 10 years of experience in environmental research, policy, and organizational management, was most recently a project coordinator with Austin’s Watershed Protection Department. At the city, Perkins managed environmental commissioning and environmental impact monitoring for Water Treatment Plant 4. Previously, she served as a program coordinator for the University of Texas Environmental Science Institute and as assistant director for Southeastern Louisiana University’s Pontchartrain Basin Research Program. Perkins holds a master’s degree in forest science from Oregon State University and a bachelor’s in biology from the University of Southern Mississippi. Tree Folks plants more than 10,000 trees a year in addition to offering educational programs and fostering community partnerships.