Skeet Ponder, C’13

Skeet Ponder, C’13
Portfolio Analyst
Hancock Natural Resource Group
Major: natural resources 

Even today, Skeet Ponder, C’13, can’t go on a hike without stopping periodically to identify the trees around him. Though he now works at one of the top investment firms in the country, Skeet still pauses to notice natural beauty.

“I love that my dendrology class taught me to identify things,” Skeet says. “But one of my favorite classes at Sewanee was a class called Ethics of Honor. It shaped some of the way I view the world.”

Even philosophy from centuries ago remains applicable to Skeet’s life and profession today. Ideas about ethical commitment and the honor system are closely linked to how he views the world through an environmental framework. Skeet works for Hancock Natural Resource Group, a subsidiary of John Hancock.

“The forestry industry can sometimes have a bad reputation,” Skeet says. “But my group works hard to make sure that things are done in ethical and sustainable ways. Where some companies may clear-cut and walk away, we replant. Forested area in the country is actually greater than it was almost a century ago, even though the population has tripled, and I’m proud of that.”

Skeet studied natural resources at Sewanee and has a master’s degree in forestry. But his position with Hancock is more on the agricultural side. With his diversified environmental background, Skeet has gathered knowledge from a variety of sectors. Having learned about soil and studied geology, he was able to take on the farmland aspects of his job and bring a lot of expertise to the table. He knew how things grew and what affected that growth.

“Sewanee gave me a wealth of hands-on forestry management experience, too,” he says. “More than my peers ever had. I was able to manage a prescribed fire in the woods with my professor. It’s a tool that’s used all over the country, and not a lot of schools can give you that."