Marie Rauter is the first female graduate from the Faculty of Forestry at the University of Toronto and first female member of the Ontario Professional Foresters Association. She was formerly with the Ministry of Natural Resources, and manager and President of the Ontario Forest Industries Association. She also was the Chair of the Forest Physiology Committee for IUFRO, Chair of the Canadian Tree Improvement Association, and board member of Wildlife Habitat Canada, Nature Con

When I graduated from Lakehead University in 1992, there were six women in a class of approximately 30 students. After some reflection, I can say that I was not particularly confident in my own potential during this time, considering myself an average student next to those who outperformed me for grades. It was only once I entered the workforce that I started to appreciate what I was capable of. After graduation, I moved to Cochrane into a job with the Ministry of Natural Res