Greenwood lives up to his name
By John Dixon

Appearance Commission Chairperson Carol Kososki with Code Enforcement Officer of Forest Acres Sean Greenwood

Sean Greenwood first became a code enforcement officer for Summerville, S. C., when he got out of the Army in 2001 because it allowed him the flexibility to finish school. "The code enforcement position was appealing to me because I already had experience enforcing regulations from my time in the military. My job in the Army was as a Counter Intelligence Agent," said Greenwood. "My goal when I left the Army was to get my degree in Criminal Justice and then pursue a career in federal law enforcement. I felt like a position as a code enforcement officer would be a good opportunity to learn about dealing with the public and with enforcing regulations in the private sector."

Since enforcement of tree ordinances is a big part of the job, Greenwood began to study trees on his own. Meanwhile he continued his studies at USC where he earned a bachelor's degree in Criminal Justice.

Greenwood is currently working on a master's degree in public administration and expects to graduate in May, 2008. When Greenwood moved to West Columbia to pursue an advanced degree, he accepted a position as Code Enforcement Officer for Forest Acres. Despite his busy schedule, Greenwood learned much through his experience but says the greatest thing about working for a local government is the visible results and the sense of accomplishment he feels each day.

Greenwood's interest in becoming a certified arborist began when Appearance Commission Chairperson Carol Kososki alerted him the South Carolina Forestry Commission had grant money for training of municipal staff members to become certified arborists. Since he wanted to have the knowledge to better serve the community in his official duties, Greenwood applied for the grant.

He used the money to purchase the books recommended by the Forestry Commission and began his independent study using these books and the arborist study guide.

Greenwood didn't do it all alone, however. "I also attended various conferences hosted by the Forestry Commission and the S.C. Urban and Community Forestry Council," said Greenwood "These conferences consist of lectures by tree professionals and visiting professors. I was also assisted in specific questions I encountered in my daily duties by Jimmy Walters and Liz Gilland. Jimmy and Liz work for the Forestry Commission."

It all paid off because Greenwood passed the arborist exam in the fall of 2007 and became a certified arborist.

Greenwood plans to use his new skills to keep Forest Acres green, one of the things he likes best about Forest Acres is the city has maintained a small- town atmosphere while being in such close proximity to a large metropolitan area.

Greenwood hopes to do his part to maintain Forest Acres' sense of community as a forested haven in the midst of urban sprawl. He hopes young people will become interested in protecting and caring for trees and suggests they visit the S.C. Urban and Forestry Council website. The South Carolina Forestry Commission also has wonderful facilities in the Harbison area where information is available.

As for Greenwood himself, once his studies are finished, he hopes to have more time to play tennis with his 4.0 team in the Columbia League.