Speakers

Aaron has over 30 years in real estate construction, development, and finance.  He is a seasoned executive, fund manager, real estate developer, and steward of corporate culture.  Aaron is a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer from Gabon, Africa where he built schools and homes for teachers in the mid-1990's.  He holds an Executive MBA from the University of Washington.  He was a two-term board member of Washington Environmental Council and the Master Builders Assocation.  Aaron is also a co-founder and board member of the Nehemiah Initiative.

Assistant Commissioner Ben Millington joined the NSW Rural Fire Service (NSW RFS) in 2011 having served with the NSW Police Force.

Ben commenced with the NSW RFS as the Manager, Emergency Management and was allocated responsibility for the Large/Very Large Air Tanker trail in July 2015.  Following a request from the Australian Government, Ben led the deployment of a Large Air Tanker and crew to Indonesia in response to fire activity in the Palembang region during October 2015.

He commenced a secondment with the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs in 2016 as the Pacific Region Disaster Management Specialist based in Fiji.  He returned to the NSW RFS in 2017 as Manager State Operations & Aviation including responsibility for the State Air Desk.

Ben was appointed as Director State Operations in January 2021 giving him responsibility for the oversight and co-ordination of state-wide operational response & specialised capabilities, including the aviation program.  Ben led the Australian fire-fighting deployment to Canada in July 2021 and was the NSW RFS Critical Incident Co-ordinator for COVID-19 pandemic.

Ben peformed the role of State Operations Controller during the devasting 2019/20 bush fire season which burnt some 5.5 million hectares across the State and destroyed more than 2,400 homes.

Following the Large Air Tanker accident in January 2020, Ben worked closely with the Australian Transport Safety Bureau and other key stakeholders.  He travelled to the USA in October 2022 as part of an aviation fire-fighting study tour and has overseen several initiatives to enhance operations & safety.

Brett became CEO of Dauntless Air in June 2017 after more than 20 years in private equity, which included time at Bain Capital, Woodside Capital Management and the Watermill Group.  Since joining Dauntless, Brett has guided the Company through a significant growth period, doubling the size of its fleet and opening a variety of new geographies where Fire Bosses (amphibious fixed-wing scoopers) have been successfully utilized.  Brett's previous aviation experience was as CEO and then active board member of an energy focused helicopter operator in the Gulf of Mexico.  Over the course of his career, Brett has spearheaded growth acceleration, strategy implementation and operational excellence initiatives for dozens of companies.  He is a seasoned executive and has served in management capacities ranging from CEO to Board Member.

As the Fire Chief of the Orange County Fire Authority (OCFA), Brian Fennessy leads more than 1,700 firefighters and non-sworn personnel who collectively serve 2 million residents across 23 cities and unincorporated county.

Chief Fennessy began his career in 1978 with the US Department of Agriculture's United States Forest Service and the US Department of Interior's Bureau of Land Management working as a hotshot crewmember and ultimately crew superintendent.

In 1990, Fennessy joined the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department and ultimately became Chief of Department in 2015.  In 2018, he was appointed to Fire Chief of the OCFA.

As Chair of the FIRESCOPE Board of Directors, Chief Fennessy is an advisor to the Director of the California Governor's Office of Emergency Service (Cal OES), currently represents California as a member of the Western Fire Chiefs Association Wildland Fire Policy Committee; serves as the Sponsoring Agency Chiefs Representative for the nine West Division FEMA Urban Search & Rescue Task Forces; and President Elect of the California Fire Chiefs Association (CalChiefs).  In 2022, Chief Fennessy was recognized as CalChiefs Fire Chief of the Year and in 2023, the International Association of Fire Chief's (IAFC) Career Fire Chief of the Year.

Major Christopher Moskoff is a member of the Colorado Army National, based out of Buckley Space Force Base in Aurora, CO. He currently serves as the Operations Officer for 2-135^th Aviation Regiment, a General Support Aviation Battalion. He is also commander of the Colorado Army Aviation Support Facility which is responsible for the training of 160 aircrew members and maintenance of 25 aircraft.

Chris is a UH60 Blackhawk Instructor pilot with 1700 hours. He deployed to Iraq during the Iraq War troop surge in 2006-2007, Kuwait in 2012-2013 and Germany 2015-2016. He also served for three months in Jordan preparing Jordanian aviators for deployment to Afghanistan.

Chris has extensive experience in domestic operations for the US Army. He has responded to numerous fires, the Boulder floods, blizzards and extensive experience conducting mountain search and rescue. He was recently honored with the DUSTOFF Rescue of the Year for a daring hoist at nearly 14,000ft.

Chris joined Aero-Flite in 2021 as General Manager after 26 years of leadership positions with both civilian and military aviation and aerospace organizations.  He spent more than 13 years at General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. and held various roles in engineering, program management, and aviation safety.  Prior to General Atomics, Chris, a graduate of Naval Fighter Weapons School (TopGun), served in the U.S. Marine Corps as a combat experienced F-18 Instructor Pilot.

Reese's distinguished, 30+ career as a public servant, critical care nurse, and wildland firefighter culminated with his role as Chief Tactical Air Operations (TAO) for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE).  In that position, Reese managed the Department's aviation training, wildland fire chemical, and military programs.  As a boots-on-the ground wildland firefighter for many years and, ultimately, as a program leader of CAL FIRE's world-renowned aviation organization, Reese has been a vocal advocate for development and deployment of innovative fire suppression technologies.  Reese assisted in developing the first-ever interagency helicopter night flying policy and SOGs for use on state and federal lands.  Under his leadership, California's aerial firefighting fleet integrated the world's largest aerial firefighting platforms, known as VLATs - very large air tankers, into the state's fleet.  Reese was the primary architect of the State of California's Catastrophic Aviation Response Plan and Air Operations concept of operations through the Office of Emergency Services, and Cal Trans.  He was awarded the California state military's highest honor given to a civilian - the Legion of Merit Medal.  After retiring from public service Reese was engaged by Alterna Captial Partners, the private equity investor group behind Global SuperTanker Services, LLC (GST), owners of the world's largest aerial firefighting platform - a converted 747-400 aircraft with a drop capacity over 19,000 gallons.  In 2020, Reese founded the International Wildfire Consulting Group (IWCG), where he has been engaged full-time since converting the 747 back into a cargo aircraft in 2021.  He is also one of the original charter members of the United Aerial Firefighters Association.

Dave is currently the Aviation Projects Manager for the Center of Excellence for Advanced Technology Aerial Firefighting based in Rifle, Colorado.

Dave has been working for the Divison of Fire Prevention and Control for 10 years and has been with the Center of Excellence since 2016.

He was previously the Regional Fire Management Officer (Battalion 22) for the Colorado River Region from 2013-2015.

He has a relatively long record of experience working in wildland fire and aviation management for both the US Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management.  His career included time as Unit AFMO in Craig BLM, Prescribed Fire Specialist in Canon City, Dispatch Center Manager in Pueblo, Prescribed Fire and Fuels Specialist on the Kaibab National Forest in Arizona, District AFMO on the Ochoco National forest in Oregon and IA hand crew foreman at Idaho City on the Boise NF.

He has an extensive aviation background from Unit Aviation Manager for BLM in Craig to working on Helitack Crews in Oregon in the early days of his career dating back to 1976.

He was one of four DFPC wildland fire management personnel originally selected to be Mission Senor Operators on the agencies' Multi Mission Aircraft program from 2014-2017.

He has served extensively on Incident Management Teams since 1988 as an Air Attack, Air Support, and Air Ops Branch Director.

He is married to Toni for 34 years and counting, and has three wonderful adult children all of whom live in Colorado and 9 grandchildren.

David Molitor is a Visiting Associate Professor at the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research, Stanford University; an Associate Professor of Finance and Economics at Gies College of Business, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; and a Research Associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research.  Molitor's research explores how location and the environment shape health and health care delivery in the United States.  His work has been supported by the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, the Social Security Administration, J-PAL North America, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.  His research has been published in leading academic journals including The American Economic Review, The Quarterly Journal of Economics, and The Review of Economics and Statistics and has been covered by media outlets including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post.  Molitor's work has won numerous awards, including the Kenneth J. Arrow Award for the best paper in health and the NIHCM Foundatin Research Award for outstanding published work in health care.

Dave Zader serves on the IAFC Wildland Fire Policy Committee is a retired Fire Management Officer from the City of Boulder Fire Department. Dave started his fire career in 1987 in Prince William County, Virginia, and has worked for the USFS, the Yosemite National Park as a Heli rappeler, and at multiple municipal fire departments. He has spent 14 Years with the Boulder Fire Department and works in Operations and Air Operations on local and national incident management teams. He is qualified as a Division Supervisor, Helibase Manager, Incident Commander, and Burn Boss. Dave was also the creator of many zone based geographic planning tools and authored the Boulder Structural Protection Plan. Dave speaks and teaches at numerous local, state and national courses and conferences. 

Dave works very closely with national guard and active duty aviation units to help prepare them for firefighting and domestic operations. He has been awarded 2 medals of valor and numerous commendations throughout his career, and has served in many roles on large incidents from Hurricane Sandy to Colorado Floods, and the Boulder County Fourmile Fire. Dave has been involved in structural and wildland firefighting, search and rescue, technical rescue, hazardous materials, and incident management throughout his career. Dave has a passion for firefighting, aviation, technology, communications and graphical information sharing systems.  He is a SME in military rotor wing operations and DOD Team Awareness Kit. He has a Bachelor of Science degree in Forestry and Wildlife Management from Virginia Tech.

Derek Kilmer serves as the United States Representative for Washington's Sixth Congressional District.

With over a decade of experience working in economic development in the Puget Sound region, Derek focuses on getting our economy and Congress back to work.

As a native of the Olympic Peninsula, Derek knows the critical role that natural resources play in our region and is committed to protecting our waters and improving the health of our forests.  That's also why he helped found the Puget Sound Recovery Caucus to bring increased focus and attention to the cleanup work required to restore our region's waters.

Derrick Belgarde is an enrolled member of the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians of Oregon, and also Chippewa-Cree from Rockey Boy Montana.  He serves on the board of Community Roots Housing, Downtown Emergency Service Center, Seattle/King County Coalition on Homelessness, and the Housing Development Consortium.  He completed his undergraduate in Public Affairs Magna Cum Laude, and went on to complete his Master's in Public Administration, both at Seattle University.  He is a proud father of three and is married to the wonderful Lua Belgarde.

Dirk Giles has served as a wildland fire fighter and land manager for twenty-five years with the Department of Interior and now the US Forest Service.  Dirk's career in operations started on hotshot crews in Nevada and then spent a majority of his career in Alaska on the Midnight Sun and Chena Hotshots.  He moved into management as Chief of the Fire Specialist Section and then Assistant Fire Mangement Officer for the Military Zone where he was introduced to unmanned technologies.  He was appointed as an Aviation Management Specialist in 2018 and is now responsible for building the Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) program for the U.S. Forest Service.  Dirk is passionate about leveraging UAS and emerging technologies to introduce a new conversation of risk management for the normalized hazardous activities that employees face on a routine basis.

Edgar Franks is the Washington State Campaign and Political Director for the independent union Familias Unidas por la Justicia where he works with union leadership and allies in the development and implementation of the Just Transition framework that centers food sovereignty and worker organizing.

Edgar has strong farmworker roots in Skagit County, WA where he grew up.  Edgar honed his organizing skills supporting the formation of the first independent farmworker union in WA State since 1986.  As an organizer he works in Whatcom and Skagit Counties, and Eastern WA to meet with farm workers as needed and supports their organizing efforts working with union organizers of Familias Unidas por la Justicia.

Erin McTigue works for the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) - Region 10, which serves Alaska, Oregon, Idaho and Washington.  Erin has been with the EPA for 12 years and works in the Air and Radiation Division, based in Seattle, Washington.  She currently coordinates smoke management word for Region 10.  In this role, shes convenes air quality agencies, public health, land management, academia, and community partners to collaborate on solutions for protecting the environment and human health as wildfire increases across the Western U.S.  Erin's roles also include work with the Region 10 Tribal Air Quality and Indoor Environments Teams.  She holds a Master of Public Health Degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health.

Washington State Forester George Geissler joined the Washington Department of Natural Resources in 2018 with over 30 years of public and private forestry, and wildland firefighting experience. In Washington, he leads agency efforts in wildland fire management, community resilience and forest resilience.

Prior to joining DNR, he served eight years as Oklahoma State Forester and Director of the Oklahoma Forest Service. During his career George has experience in the private sector having managed and directed operations of an investor-owned utility holding company with operations in the central US and overseas, and as owner of a natural resource management firm with clients in 18 states prior to its sale. He has also served at the federal level with the U.S. Forest Service in both forest and wildland fire management positions.

George is a Society of American Foresters Certified Forester. He is a past president of both the Southern Group of State Foresters and the National Association of State Foresters. George is also a principal on the Wildland Fire Leadership Council and is Chair of the NASF Wildland Fire Management Committee.

Glenn Farley  retired just over a year ago from KING-TV, the market leading NBC Network affiliate in Seattle, Washington.  He worked at KING  for  nearly 36 years.  Glenn was hired in 1986, primarily to cover Boeing and aerospace, but soon expanded his beats to cover natural disasters, including the state's growing threat from wildfire.  Along with his work reporting on earthquakes and tsunamis, the majority of his natural disaster coverage followed developing science to better understand the risks we face along with what we can all do as members of the public to get ready. 

It was not surprising that much of his wildfire coverage included the expanding use of aviation in fighting fires over  the state's forests and wild lands.   

A native of the northwest Chicago Suburbs, Glenn grew up close to O'Hare International Airport. He's fond of saying there are practically tire tracks on the roof of his parent's home. 

Glenn has a master's degree in broadcast journalism from the University of Missouri, and his undergraduate degree is in political science.    Before coming to Seattle, Glenn worked in television in Nashville, Tennessee and Jacksonville, Florida.   In 2022 he was inducted into the Silver Circle for the Northwest Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in part for his work in helping the people of the northwest prepare for earthquakes and wildfires. 
 

Gregory Denton is an accomplished professional with a track record of success in using geospatial technology to address some of the world's most pressing challenges.  He has worked as a wildland forest firefighter assigned to a heli attack unit, as a program manager for Quantum Spatial's Electric Utility division, and as a business development executive for Overwatch Imaging's Fire and Emergency Services division.

Throughout his career, Greg Denton has been driven by a mission to make a positive impact on the world, particularly in the area of wildfire prevention and management.  He has leveraged his expertise in geospatial technology to help organizations better understand and respond to the complex challenges of wildfire risk, including through the use of advanced mapping and analytics tools.

Guy started his wildland fire fighting career on a 20 person crew in 1984 for the Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR).  In 1991 he started his Forestry career in teh Spokane area for the DNR and has worked in that area in numerous Forestry/Wildfire positions since then.  Currently he is the Statewide Community Resilience manager.  The Community Resilience program includes the following programs; Firewise USA Sites, Community Wildfire Protection Plans, Wildfire Ready Neighbors and Community Wildfire Defense Grants.

He has spent over half of his career workign with landowners helping them reach their land management goals, which include forest health, wildlife and wildfire.  While working with landowners, he has assisted communities being recognized as a Firewise USA site.

During fire season he also works on type 3 teams in planning and information officer roles.

He is a volunteer ski patroller with the Mount Spokane Ski Patrol since 1994.  He is currently a board member of the Dishman Hills Conservancy since 2015 and chair their Stewardship committee.

Dr. Harry Nelson is an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Forestry at the University of British Columbia. His areas of research include climate change adaptation, forest sector transformation and the changing role of indigenous peoples in forestry in Canada and elsewhere. 
Dr. Nelson holds a PhD in forest economics from the University of British Columbia and a Masters in Public Policy from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. Dr. Nelson’s long-term research interest is in analyzing natural and environmental resource policy with an emphasis on forestry and in developing new policy options that can help enhance the long run sustainability of Canadian forests and the communities and businesses that rely upon them.  
 

Commissioner of Public Lands Hilary Franz leads Washington state’s wildfire fighting force and manages nearly 6 million acres of public lands – from coastal waters and aquatic reserves, to working forests and farms, commercial developments, and unparalleled recreation areas.

Commissioner Franz is committed to ensuring our public lands are healthy and productive, both today and for future generations. She has led efforts to protect our communities and environment from the impacts of a changing climate, increased development, and wildfire.

Franz has also prioritized supporting local communities, both urban and rural. The lands she manages sustainably generate hundreds of millions of dollars for schools and public services, like libraries and hospitals. And she has allocated millions of dollars to spark economic opportunities in struggling rural communities. She knows that our working lands – and the communities that depend on them for family-wage jobs – are integral to our success as a state, and she is investing in their success.

Since taking office in 2017, Franz has:

• Secured a historic $500 million investment from the state Legislature to prevent and fight wildfires, fund forest restoration, and build community resilience. This bipartisan legislation – supported by a wide-ranging coalition of firefighters, fire chiefs, tribes, environmentalists, and public health advocates – passed unanimously.
• Developed a 20-year Forest Health Strategic Plan to restore wildfire resilience in our forests. This plan will make more than 1 million acres of forest healthier and more resistant to wildfires – at a scale and pace that is unprecedented. Already, DNR has conducted forest restoration work on hundreds of thousands of acres to increase forest and watershed resilience.
• Developed the agency’s first-ever Plan for Climate Resilience, which lays out a course of action to combat the threat of climate change. Commissioner Franz works with a coalition of science, policy, and business leaders to recommend and implement climate resilience in Washington state.
• Worked with the Legislature protect nearly 40,000 additional acres of state lands, including the preservation of Blanchard Mountain, adding them to the 800,000 acres of DNR lands already managed for conservation.  
• Ordered the shutdown and removal of a salmon farm in Port Angeles following the unauthorized release of hundreds of thousands of non-native Atlantic salmon. She was also a central part of the successful effort to halt federal plans for offshore drilling near the Olympic Peninsula.
• Introduced a sweeping proposal to “Keep Washington Evergreen” by protecting 1 million acres of forest from deforestation and replanting 1 million acres of forest by 2040.

Under Commissioner Franz’s leadership, DNR has built a robust clean-energy program to help combat the climate crisis and create clean energy jobs. For the first time in Washington state history, the agency has leased state trust lands for solar power projects. Franz has also expanded DNR’s wind power program, with wind turbines on state trust lands that can generate 200 megawatts of power, which raise millions to build public schools and universities.

Franz is a third-generation farmer and small forest landowner, and has three boys who she raised on a farm. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Smith College and a juris doctor from Northeastern University Law School.

Dr. Indroneil Ganguly is an Associate Professor at the University of Washington’s School of Environmental and Forest Sciences and Associate Director of the Center for International Trade in Forest Products (CINTRAFOR). Dr. Ganguly’s research focuses on natural climate solutions and the synergic role between the wood products industry, trade, and regional forestry practices. He has research expertise in temporal life cycle assessment modeling of wood products, woody biomass-based bioenergy, and wood-based building systems. Dr. Ganguly has developed Life Cycle Environmental Assessment (LCA) models for a broad range of innovative wood products and wood-based construction systems, including ‘woody biomass-based biofuels, ‘Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) Panels’ and comparative LCAs of traditional vs. CLT buildings. Over the past 20 years, Dr. Ganguly has undertaken research in India, China, Vietnam, Japan, and Thailand, exploring trade and environmental policies in those countries. Dr. Ganguly taught environmental economics, forestry, and applied biostatistics courses at the University of Washington.

Jan is a lineal descendant of the Santa Ynez and Barbareno California Mission Indians.  As a private consultant, Jan serves as a senior public health policy and project advisor to the American Indian Health Commission (AIHC) for Washington State. She also currently serves as the current president of the Washington State Public Health Association.

In partnership with Tribal Leadership, Tribal Health programs, and community members, Jan helps create native approaches that draw on unique cultural resources, community vision, and the engagement of Tribal elected officials.  She brings and understanding of evidence-based public health knowledge from working with Tribal communities.  Jan has over 40 years of experience in health policy, public administration, and Tribal and intergovernmental affairs.  Her experience includes development of models and curriculum to support culturally grounded strategic thinking and program development.

Jan earned a masters degree from the Evergreen State College, master of public administratino with a concentration in Tribal Governance-management, policy and leadership for Indigenous Organizations.  Jan served as adjunct faculty in the MPA Tribal Governance and General Cohorts at the Evergreen State College.  She is a certified master trainer in the Neuroscience, Epigenetics, Adverse Childhood Experience and Resilience.

Jan serves on multiple boards and committees to address systemic racism, support equity, and community-driven capacity building in American Indian and Alaska Native health and wellness.  Together, Jan and her husband Roger, have four grown sons, their partners, and their first grandchild.

Jeff Emery is the President, Global Fire Safety for Perimeter Solutions.  Previously, he served as VP and General Manager of Industrial Automation for the Americas at Norgren.  Prior to that, he spent 10 years with Scott Safety.  Following 3M's acquisition of Scott Safety, Emery led the global business unit within 3M through a period of significant growth.  Jeff has served on the advisory board of the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation, and Nevada Nano and Fire 20/20, a non-profit that promotes diversity in fire services.  He earned his BA in Psychology from Augustana (IL) College, and an MBA from the University of Illinois.

Jen Watkins is the Assistant Division Manager for Planning, Science, and Monitoring and Acting Division Manager for DNR's Forest Resilience Division.  In this roles she oversees the development of our strategic plans to improve forest health and resiliency across all-lands in Washington, science programs that help us understand the current and changing condition of our forests, tools that help us to increase collaboration and track our progress toward our common goals, and staff capacity that plans and implements treatments and provides technical assistance statewide.  Prior to joining DNR, Jen graduated from the University of Washington's College of Forest Resources and spent nearly 20 years in the non-profit sector working on landscape scale planning, climate adaptation, forest restoration, and collaboration in Washington.

Jennifer leads a team of more than 200 dedicated Neptune Aviation professionals focused on delivering world class aerial firefighting services.  As President, Jennifer drives the strategic development and execution of Neptune's long-term growth objectives.

With over 30 years of experience working in the aviation industry, Jennifer is committed to excellence and ensures that Neptune's mission and values are at the heart of every opportunity and challenge that Neptune takes on - cultivating a working environment of trust, investing in cutting edge technology, and championing operational and safety excellence.

Jennifer holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Washington, a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Montana and is a Certified Public Accountant in the State of Montana.

John Gould is a career firefighter, retiring in 2014 after 38 years of federal service.  Mr. Gould is currently the President and CEO of 10 Tanker Air Carrier.  Gould graduated from Gonzaga University in 1999 with a bachelor's degree in Business Administration.  He began his fire career in 1976, working five years in various capacities including helitack, engine crews, suppression crews, and finally as smokejumper from 1981 through 1999.  During that time, Mr. Gould worked in many operational roles including Incident Commander, Operation Section Chief, Division/Group Supervisor, Air Tactical Supervisor, and Air Tactical Group Supervisor.  In 1999 Mr. Gould took the position of Fire and Aviation Safety Manager for the Bureau of Indian Affairs at the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) in Boise.  In 2005 Mr. Gould returned to Alaska as the Manager of Alaska Fire Service, overseeing an organization of 450 people that included a Smokejumper Base, An Airtanker Base, a National Fire Cache Warehouse, a Geographic Area Coordination Center, sixty aircraft contracts, and IT department, a large catering facility, a barracks for transient and seasonal firefighters, and a large maintenance organization.  In 2011, Mr. Gould returned to NIFC as the Director of Aviation for the Bureau of Land Management, overseeing the operations of a diverse fleet of Fire and Resource aircraft.  After retiring from federal service in 2014, Mr. Gould began working as the Business Development Manager for 10 Tanker Air Carrier.  He was later promoted to President and CEO in 2017.

John was born in Colfax, Washington, graduated from Dartmouth College, and the University of Oregon Medical School. He practiced Emergency Medicine in Roseburg, Oregon from 1974-1989.

He served 14 years in the Oregon legislature, eight as Senate President, before being elected governor in 1994.  John is Oregon’s longest-serving governor, holding that office from 1995-2003 and 2011-2015. 

He is the author of the Oregon Health Plan, providing health care for hundreds of thousands of low-income Oregonians. John is also the chief architect of Oregon’s Coordinated Care Organizations, through which nearly 1.3 million Oregonians receive affordable, quality health care.

As a dedicated environmental advocate, John authored the legislation establishing minimum stream flows and creating Oregon’s first public instream water right. In 1997 he was the architect of the Oregon Plan for Salmon and Watersheds. He has served on the boards of the Oregon Environmental Council, the Pacific Rivers Council and the Wild Salmon Center.

Throughout his public career, he has championed collaboration to bridge the false choice between healthy rural communities and a healthy environment. Examples include the Oregon Plan for Salmon and Watersheds; Oregon Watershed Councils, the Eastside Forest Health Collaboratives, the Steen’s Mountain Cooperative Management and Protection Area, and the Klamath Basin Fisheries Restorations Plan.
 
In 2013, Governing Magazine named John “Public Official of the Year.” 

John is currently a writer, speaker and private consultant. He lives in Portland and spend his free time fly fishing and white water rafting on the Northwest’s wild and scenic rivers. 

John's background spans 30+ years of manufacturing/technology industry analysis and investing, geo-strategic/cyber advisory, and managing SME's.  John spent 28 years as Partner and equity investor/analyst, primarily with Capital Group Companies and PIMCO.

Since leaving investment management services, John has acted as strategic advisor to CEO's and government agencies, including Leonardo Spa (Europe's No. 4 defence company, www.leonardocompany.com).  He remains an active equity investor in his core industries, is lead investor in a number of SME's, and actively manages Tangent Link.  John is married, with 4 children).

Jonathan Fink is professor of geology at Portland State University (PSU) and adjunct professor at the University of British Columbia. He has spent most of his academic career studying natural hazards, urban systems, and climate change. He has also played senior administrative roles at PSU and Arizona State University, including Vice President for Research and Sustainability Institute Director at both schools. He currently leads a working group on wildfire and urban smoke in the Pacific Northwest, under the auspices of the Cascadia Innovation Corridor economic development initiative.

Jon McLaughlin is a borad member of Intterra, a leading geospatial intelligence firm helping hundreds of federal, state, and local agencies manage risk, response, and resiliency efforts through data and integrated technology solutions.  Prior to Intterra, Joh was Sr. Director of Corporate Development at Erickson Inc, a global aerial firefighting operator and OEM with a deep history of innovation.  Prior to Erickson, Jon led strategy and corporate development aty IAP (formerly Pan Am World Services), a mission support services firm offering a broad array of engineering and aviation services to the US and its allies in austere environment.  Jon is an active private pilot based out of KSAF.

Justin Baxter has served as a wildland fire fighter and land manager for twenty-two years with the US Forest Service.  Justin's career in operations started on hotshot crew in Arizona.  Justin left the crew in 2014 for a position with the National Technology and Development Program, Aerial Firefighting Use and Effectiveness Program.  In 2018 he accepted a position with the BLM UAS Program as the National UAS Fire Operations Specialist.  After 3 years with the BLM he accepted the National UAS Operations Specialist position with the Forest Service.

Kate Brown, Oregon's 38th Governor, has worked in public service for over 30 years.  She has served as an Oregon state representative, senator, Oregon's first woman senate majority leader, secretary of state, and as governor.

Throughout her career in public service, Governor Brown has fought to make Oregon a more just and equitable place for everyone.

Governor Brown passed the country's first automatic voter registration law, fully funded Oregon's school system for the first time in 30 years, ensured that more than 95% of Oregonians have health care, and passed a historic transportation infrastructure package.  After taking actions during the COVID-19 pandemic that resulted in one of the lowest case rates in the country, Governor Brown focused recovery efforts on addressing the disproportionate impact the pandemic has had on communities of color.

Her time in office is marked by her commitment to racial and justice equity.  She made the diversification of the state workforce a priority, including in her own office.  In a historic first, Governor Brown significantly diversified Oregon's judges by appointing 112 judges to Oregon's trial, appellate, and tax courts during her time in office.  Fifty six were women, 27 were people of color (including the first African American Supreme Court justice), two native Americans, and eight who openly identify as LGBTQ+.  Governor Brown also commuted the sentences of everyone on Oregon's death row and advanced one of the country's most progessive clemency and pardon programs.  Her leadership has made Oregon a safer, stronger, and more inclusive place to live.

Governor Brown came to Oregon from her native Minnesota to attend Lewis and Clark's Northwestern School of Law, where she received her law degree and Certificate in Environmental Law.

Kate Dargan Marquis currently works on wildfire resiliency strategy though many pathways and institutions. She advises the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, she most recently worked for the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy as Assistant Director for Preparedness and Response and serves as Board Director and Chief Strategy Officer for Intterra, a wildfire and public safety software company she co-founded in 2010. She is also a longtime Board member and past Co-Chair of the CA Fire Safe Council. Prior to her advocacy phase, Kate was a pioneering California firefighter/chief for 30 years, the first woman State Fire Marshal for California and a proud Cal Poly San Luis Obispo graduate.  She has worked at the community, public agency, industry, technology, and policy levels of the national fire service and is widely recognized for her consensus-building style and innovative approaches to old problems.

Pano is a turnkey wildfire detection solution that helps to keep wildfires small through high definitino cameras, AI, and a human intelligence center to verify and disseminate tactical intelligence to first responders.

Kat holds a Master in Business Administration and has close to a decade in wildland fire experience.

After working with both the USFS and the BLM on initial attack crews, hot shot crews, and helicopters she understands the needs of firefighters on and off an incident.

Congresswoman Kim Schrier represents Washington's 8th Congressional District, which includes much of King, Pierce, Kittitas, Chelan, and Snohomish Counties, and a small portion of Douglas County.

Prior to being elected to Congress on November 6, 2018, Kim spent her career as a pediatrician in Issaquah, working with children across the Puget Sound region and helping families navigate the health care system.  In Congress, Kim uses this expertise to inform her work on issues that improve the lives, health, and wellbeing of children.

As the first pediatrician in Congress, Kim brings a critical voice to issues related to health care.  Through her own experience as a patient living with Type 1 diabetes, Kim understands the very real fear of health care and access for people living with pre-existing conditions.  And as a phytsician who has worked in a broken health care system, Kim understands what changes need to be made to make it work better for both patients and providers.

Kim grew up the daughter of a public school teacher and an engineer.  Her father, an engineer, instilled in Kim a love for science, a passion that led Kim to a degree in Astrophysics at U.C. Berkeley and then to medical school.  Her mother taught her the value of education and teachers, and the importance of unions and collective bargaining.  As a child, Kim watched her mother's union successfully negotiate for increased school funding, smaller class size, and improved benefits.

The product of public education from elementary through medical school, Kim is passionate about helping every child thrive in school.  After graduating from U.C. Berkeley Phi Beta Kappa, Kim spent a year working at the EPA before attending medical school at U.C. Davis School of Medicine.  She completed her residency at the Lucile Packard Children's Hosptial at Stanford University.  In 2013, Kim was named Best Pediatrician in the Greater Seattle Area by Parents Map Magazine.

Kim's experience as a pediatrician gives her a unique understanding of the needs and struggles facing 8th District families. She lives in Sammamish with her husband, David, and son, Sam.

For the past three years, I have worked closely with the community and partners to learn about the impacts that wildfire cause.

I educate communities about their role in becoming prepared for these natural disasters throughout the year.

I aim to provide the knowledge and resources to create resilient communities throughout Chelan, Douglas, Okanogan, and Grant counties in an accessible manner for all; while fostering leadership.

We do not want communities to fear fire.  We want communities to adapt to fire.

Matt Isley is the General Manager of Aero Air, a privately-held Hillsboro, Oregon-based aviation services company specializing in emergency medical air transport as well as aerial fire suppression, through its subsidiary, Erickson Aero Tanker.

Throughout the 2021-2022 firefighting seasons, Erickson Aero Tanker's fleet of MD-87 firebombers dropped over 12 million gallons of retardant throughout 13 states.  In December, the company completed conversion of its 7th airtanker.

Prior to joining Aero Air, Isley was the President of Firstmark Corporation, a privately-held manufacturer of aviation and defense components, with operations in North Carolina and New York.  There he led the acquisition, integration, and growth of multiple subsidiaries throughout his 14-year tenure with the company.

Isley earned his Master's in Business Administration from NC State in 2003, concentrating in Product Innovation Management and Technology Commercialization.  He also holds a Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering from NC State.

Currently residing in Portland, Oregon, Isley is a native of Haw River, North Carolina, a Navy veteran and proud father of two.

Mindy Crandall is an assistant professor of forest policy at Oregon State University. She holds a bachelors degree in Forest Management and a PhD in Applied Economics with a focus on forest resources. Her works is primarily focused on the interactions between forest management and industry and rural communities, with an emphasis on how state and federal level policies shape those relationships. She has worked at OSU since 2020 following five years in central Maine. She is a native of Otis, Oregon, a coast range town impacted by the Echo Mountain fire, one of the 2020 labor day fires that raged through the western part of the state.

Paul Hessburg is a Senior Research Ecologist with USDA Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station, and affiliate Full Professor at UW, OSU, WSU, UBC.  He is the 2022-2024 President of the International Association for Fire Ecology (AFE) and Deputy, International Union of Forestry Research Organizations, Divison 4: Forest Assessment, Modeling, and Management.  His research explores wildfire and climate change effects on landscape dynamics, and the structure and organization of historical, current, and future landscape resilience.  Paul is keenly interested in partnering with managers to advance the work of forest restoration and cliamte change adaptation, and stronger science and management partnerships.

Paul is the USDA Forest Service, Fire & Aviation Management, Assistant Director - Aviation.  He has been in Fire & Aviation Management for over 40 years, working for both the Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management.

He has extensive wildland fire experience managing fireline resources and experience managing aviation operations on complex wildfires.  Paul has been in the Forest Service National Office in Washington DC and Boise Idaho for over 16 years, first as an Aviation Management Specialist and in two different Aviation Branch Chief positions.  In August 2020, he was selected as the Assistant Director - Aviation.  The Forest Service National Office staff of almost 60 people supports aviation activities for wildland fire and resource management throughout the Forest Service.  The national office provides contract, policy, budget, safety, aircraft coordination and operational oversight for over 500 contracted aircraft and over 1000 carded pilots.

Born in Corsica in 1988, Pierre joined the French Air Force Academy in 2007, from which he graduated as an engineer in 2010.  He was then certified as a fighter pilot and joined the 3/3 "Ardennes" fighter squadron on Mirage 2000D at Nancy AFB.  He is a 4-Ship leader and graduated mission commander from NATO tactical leadership program.

During his career as a fighter pilot he was deployed 6 times in operations with a total of 113 war missions and1700 flying hours on jets.

From 2017 he held the position of instructor and then wing commander from 2019, a positino in which he was responsible for the daily planning of the whole squadron's training flights according to needs, aircrafts availability and weather.  He also held this position in foreign operations in charge of flight planning in agreement with operation headquarters.

In 2021 he join the inital training center for air force UAV crews as "head of training" and in this position he was responsible for writing and implementing training programs for all remote pilots (from light UAVs to Reaper).

Rich Elliott lives in Ellensburg, Washington with his wife of 35 years. Rich began his fire service career in the Seattle area where he worked in urban areas for 10 years before moving to Ellensburg. His education includes a BS in Political Science with an emphasis in labor studies and an MS in Organizational Development. Rich currently works for Kittitas Valley Fire and Rescue as the Deputy Chief of Operations and Training and serves as the chair for the IAFC’s Wildland Policy Committee (WFPC). The WFPC represents local government regarding wildland fire prevention, mitigation, suppression and recovery. He is active in the community focusing on improving behavioral and mental health resources in the community, serving on the City Council, Health Network, and Fire Adapted Communities. Focus at work includes managing a fire-based ALS ambulance service, mental and behavioral health for FF’s, community risk identification, reduction and mitigation, and is active with Incident Management teams in the Pacific Northwest. 

Robert has been a professional natural resource specialist for over 38 years.  He has vast experience in natural resource planning, wildfire risk analysis, utility right of way management and protection, and fire management planning.  As a former federal fire program executive manager, Robert served as the Chief Deputy Director for Fire and Aviation Management, USDI, Bureau of Land Management, California State Office, Sacramento, CA.  Robert moved to the private sector when he became CEO of ERT Inc., a multi-million-dollar utility service company that provided a full range of professional services and construction/vegetation management services to several major utilities in California.  Robert is the founding CEO of FRS Group and Fortress North America.  He holds a B.S. in Enviornment Science from the University of California, Davis.

Russ Lane currently serves as the Wildland Fire Management Division Manager for the Washington Department of Natural Resources (DNR).  In that capacity, he is responsible for the wildland fire management program on 13 million acres in Washington administered by DNR.  This includes responsiblity for DNR's active fire aviation program.

Russ' 37 year career in forestry and fire management includes 32 years working for the Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF).  He is a Type 1 Incident Commander and has served in that capacity on a National Interagency Incident Management Team (IMT), as well as ODF Type 1 IMT's.  Russ is the past Chair of the Northwest Compact, represents DNR on the Pacific Northwest Wildfire Coordinating Group/PNWMAC and participates on the cadre of the Complex Incident Management Course.

Russ is a 1992 graduate of Oregon State University with a Bachelor's of Science in Forest Management.  Russ has four adult children and two grandchildren.  He resides in Olympia with his wife, Angie. 

Russ is from Colville, WA.  He and his family have been in the forest industry in NE Washington for 4 generations.  In his career he has focused on collaboration with conservation groups and the community to build the social license for large scale forest restoration on public lands.  Restoring forests by focusing on science and community outreach.

Most recently Russ has developed Vaage Timbers, as mass timber manufacturing company that produces cross laminated timber and glulam beams using primarily wood sourced from forest restoration projects in Northeast Washington.

He believes that understanding all the steps relating to forest mangement and firefighting will allow us to take a holistic approach to managing this problem.  Getting forests to a place where they can withstand fire and, in many cases, benefit from it will allow us to build healthy forests, communities, and get the highest value for the byproduce of creating healthy forests.

Samantha is a passionate and dedicated equity champion committed to liberating and channeling capital into under-resourced communities.

As the Grantmaking and Special Projects Director, Samantha leads grantmaking at LCF.  She is dedicated to social justice and advancing equitable strategies to enhance social, environmental, and economic impact in Latino communities.

Samantha has over ten years of experience in philanthropy, public health, and public policy.  Prior to joining LCF, she served as grants manager for Youth UpRising, an Oakland-based organization investing in youth leadership, where she managed over $5.5 million in grants and contracts.  She also worked at New Door Ventures, supporting the San Francisco-based organization's $4 million annual fundraising campaign designed to help disconnected youth prepare for life and work.  Previously, she worked at The California Wellness Foundation, where she supported grantmaking for two health portfolios totaling $18 million annually.

Samantha holds a BS from Santa Clara University and is currently completing her MA from Tufts University.  In her free time, Samantha enjoys hiking, yoga, and live music.

Sarah Fisher currently serves as the Deputy Director of Fire and Aviation Management for the Washington Office of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service.  During her 30-year career, Sarah has worked on several aspects of wildfire management and is well-respected for her experience and expertise in incident business, policy development, and contract program management.

Sarah was raised at Grand Canyon National Park and followed her parents' footsteps, both of whom held incident qualifications and supported wildland fire, search and rescue and other all-hazard incidents.  In her first federal position as a seasonal park ranger for the National Park Service, Sarah was able to pursue her passion for wildland fire and incident response as a collateral duty.  This experience led her to permanent positions in Yellowstone and Glacier National Parks.

Sarah transferred to the Forest Service in 2002 at the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, Idaho.  For the past 20 years, she has worked in positions supporting fuels management, ground safety and risk management, operations, and incident business.  As the Deputy Director for Aviation and Operations, she provides Forest Service leadership in management of these programs and interagency coordination with the Department of the Interior, and state and local governments for effective and efficient incident response.

Sarah served on incident management teams for more than 20 years.  She also served ten years as a steering committee member and coach for the S-520 Advanced Incident Management Course, helping develop and mentor Command and General staff to attain their highest certification level.  Today, she continues to lead the agency in complex program management, and brief senior level government officials on fire and aviation operations.

Sarah lives in Boise with her husband Chad, sons Beckett (17) and Asa (13), and their goldendoodle Charlie.

Shana is an alumna or Oregon State University with a B.S. in natural resource management.  She joined the WA State Commission in 2014.  Shana leads a team of Regional Managers and the forest health and community wildfire resiliency work with conservation districts across Washington.  Prior to joininng the Commission she worked for the Alaska Department of Natural Resources for eight years with dual responsibilities as the Executive Director of the Natural Resource Conservation and Development Board and a Special Project Assistant in the Office of the Commissioner.  In Alaska, she worked closely with conservation districts, state, and federal agency leaders to advance conservation in Alaska.  Shana is also currently serving as the President of the National Association of State Conservation Agencies.

Mr. Sheehy has served as the Chief Executive Officer and a Director of Bridger since 2014.  From 2008 until 2014, Mr. Sheehy served as a Navy SEAL officers and team leader.  In 2014, Mr. Sheehy left the Navy and co-founded the Company and its affiliate, Ascent Vision Technologies LLC ("Ascent").  Mr. Sheehy is a recipient of the Bronze Star with Valor and Purple Heart and is an active pilot with Bridger's Air Attack and Super Scooper fleets.  Mr. Sheehy earned his Bachelor of Science in History from the United States Naval Academy.

Tyler Smith is a wildfire technology expert who has dedicated his career to advancing innovative solutions to help prevent and mitigate impact from wildfires.  With almost 15 years of experience with the wilfire community, Tyler is a trusted advisor to government agencies, private companies, and NGOs.

Tyler's passion for protecting communities and ecosystems from the devasting effects of wildfires has led him to seek out cutting-edge technologies that can detect and respond to fires in near real-time.  His expertise in electronic engineering, remote sensing, and geographic information systems (GIS) has been instrumental in the application of technology for wildland fire early warning systems that can alert communities to potential wildfire threats before they become unmanageable.

Most recently Tyler has been working with thermal imaging satellites that offer new and unique capabilities to monitor wildfires in the thermal infrared spectrum at a scale and cost that has never been available before.  This technology allows for early detection and alerting of potential threats and more effective management of firefighting resources.

William Nikolakis is an Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Foresty, University of British Columbia, and Executive Director of the Gathering Voices Society (GVS), an organisation that supports First Nations in revitalising fire stewardship.  Since 2017, GVS has been working with Yunesit'in and Xeni Gwet'in First Nations governments in central British Columbia to apply cultural burns to large areas of their territories, and this is being evaluated for the effect on grassland and forest health, greenhouse gas emissions and wildfires mitigated, impacts on ungulates (deer and moose) and vegetation, as well as health and wellbing among participants.  For more information see https://vimeo.com/user105935556, www.gatheringvoices.com, or @gatheringvoicessociety (instagram).

William is a practicing lawyer and has published widely on wildfire governance, with focus on Indigenous fire stewardship.

Wyatt Frampton is the Deputy State Forester at the Montana Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.  Frampton began his career with the Department in 2007, working as a wildland firefighter and has advanced through a variety of leadership roles.  Most recently, Frampton led the agency-wide initiative to revise the State Forest Action Plan to understand Montana forest conditions, identify priorities, and recommend collaborative strategies to address identified issues.  As Deputy State Forester, Frampton is focused on increasing the pace and scale of forest management to improve forest health and reduce wildfire risk across the state.