Mollie Hanna Beattie was trained as a forester, worked as a land manager and administrator, and ended her brief career as the first woman to serve as director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Beattie's bachelor's degree was in philosophy, followed by a master's degree in forestry from the University of Vermont in 1979. Later (in 1991), she used a Bullard Fellowship at Harvard University to add a master's degree in public administration.

Early in her career, Mollie Beattie served in several conservation administrative posts and land management positions at the state level. She was commissioner of the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks, and Recreation (1985–1989), and deputy secretary of the state's Agency of Natural Resources (1989–1990). She also worked for private foundations and institutes: as program director and lands manager (1983–1985), for the Windham Foundation, a private, nonprofit...