Bettina Ring


Bettina Kay Ring is the Virginia Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry of Governor Ralph Northam. She previously served as the Virginia State Forester in the administration of Governor Terry McAuliffe.

Background

Ring graduated from Virginia Tech with a degree in Forestry and Wildlife in 1986. She went onto join the Virginia Department of Forestry, where she initially worked as an area forester. Early in her career, Ring did work in Greene County and northwestern Albemarle County. In 2001, she earned a Master of Business Administration from James Madison University. The same year, she left the Department of Forestry, having attained the rank of Deputy State Forester during her fourteen-year tenure there.
Relocating to the western United States, Ring then transitioned into non-profit work, serving in senior positions at the Colorado Coalition of Land Trusts, the Wilderness Land Trust and the Bay Area Open Space Council. In May 2012, Ring joined the American Forest Foundation in Washington D.C., where she served as Senior Vice President of Family Forests and oversaw the American Tree Farm System.
Ring also co-founded the Virginia Natural Resources Leadership Institute.

McAuliffe administration

In 2014, Ring was appointed Virginia State Forester by Governor Terry McAuliffe. Under Ring's leadership, the Virginia Department of Forestry sent over 100 first responders to assist in out of state emergencies throughout 2017, including a group of twenty who were sent to Texas in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey. During her tenure as State Forester, Ring also led the National Association of State Foresters' legislative committee.