Charleston, SC - During the FRA 2026 Annual Meeting, the Forest Resources Association (FRA) Board of Directors elected Kevin Hudson, Senior Vice President, Forest Resources and Recycled Fiber at Smurfit Westrock Company, to serve as the Association's Chairman of the Board for the next two years.
Hudson thanked the Board and outgoing Chairman Josh Sandt of Canfor Southern Pine, stating he was honored to be selected and looked forward to supporting the important work of the Association. During his remarks, Hudson noted, "We are an organization with a diverse membership -- one of our greatest strengths -- allowing us to hear and learn from perspectives across our industry and throughout the wood supply chain."
Hudson added that he looks forward to serving as Chairman alongside FRA's Board, committees, staff, and membership, and is confident in the impact the organization will continue to make together.
"On behalf of FRA's membership, I want to welcome Kevin Hudson to his new role as the Association's Chairman," said Tim O'Hara, FRA President & CEO. "Kevin brings decades of experience and leadership within the forest products industry, along with a strong understanding of the opportunities and challenges facing the wood supply chain. His insight and steady leadership will serve FRA and its members well."
Kevin Hudson is Senior Vice President of Forest Resources and Recycled Fiber for Smurfit Westrock, a role he has held since 2012. He is responsible for leading U.S. and Canadian teams focused on the sustainable procurement of virgin and recycled fiber, overseeing the sourcing of more than 31 million tons of virgin fiber and 6.5 million tons of recycled fiber annually. In addition to direct fiber procurement responsibilities for Smurfit Westrock's 21 paper mills in the U.S. and Canada, Kevin has responsibility for the operations across Smurfit Westrock's network of 24 recycling facilities in the United States, commercial activities related to recycled and virgin fiber sales, fiber sustainability strategies, and fiber certification programs in the U.S and Canada.
Prior to joining Smurfit Westrock, Kevin held multiple leadership roles at Temple-Inland, where he built extensive experience in fiber supply, procurement operations, and sustainability programs. He concluded his tenure at Temple-Inland as Vice President of Fiber Supply and Procurement, supporting both the building products and containerboard divisions.
He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Forestry from the University of Tennessee and Master's degrees in Forestry and Business Administration from Auburn University. Throughout his career, he has also contributed to the advancement of the forest products industry through leadership roles in a variety of external boards and associations.
About Forest Resources Association (FRA)
FRA is an association representing the interests of more than 300 organizations and businesses in the forest products industry, including forest landowners, suppliers, consuming mills, associated businesses, and state forestry associations. Members all share a common interest - they rely on FRA to promote the public policy interests of the forest products industry's supply chain on Capitol Hill and our work to advance safety, operational and technical efficiencies, and supply chain relations. FRA has member representation in 49 states and 384 Congressional Districts.
