Arnett C. Mace, Jr., was born in November 1937. He earned his BS degree in Forestry from West Virginia University in 1960. In 1962 and 1968, he earned his MS and PhD degrees in Watershed Management from the University of Arizona.

From 1962 to 1964, Dr. Mace served as research forester in the Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment Station at Tempe, Arizona. From 1964 to 1967, he was research associate and instructor at the University of Arizona doing research in phreatophytes and water yield. In 1967, he moved to the University of Minnesota where he served as a professor until 1972, Head of the Department of Forest Biology from 1972 to 1974, and Head of the Department of Forest Resources from 1974 to 1978. At the University of Minnesota, Dr. Mace conducted research in Forest Hydrology and taught Forest Hydrology and Meteorology.

In 1978, Dr. Mace came to the University of Florida and served as Director of the School through 1991. He was also Acting Director of the Center for Aquatic Weeds, focusing on research and extension programs for the management of aquatic plants. From 1986 to 1988, he served also as Director of the Center of Natural Resources with responsibility for initiating new instruction, research, and extension programs.

In 1991, Dr. Mace moved to the University of Georgia where he assumed the position of Professor and Dean of the Warnell School of Forest Resources.