Born and raised in Montana, Dr. Kimiko Barrett (Kimi) has a deep interest in rural landscapes and the people who live there.  She has a natural aptitude for connecting and energizing people in the pursuit of community resilience and climate adaptation. 

Kimi is a committed agent of change in how we live with inevitable wildfires. Drawing on the expertise within the broad networks she has built, she has led research of national significance on topical issues such as the true cost of wildfires, the cost of building wildfire-resistant homes, and measuring wildfire impacts through structure loss. Her work has changed the national wildfire narrative and shaped new strategies for engaging communities on wildfire resilience. 

Kimi managed Headwaters Economics’ Community Planning Assistance for Wildfire program for six years. In that capacity she worked with firefighters, land use and planning staff, government agency personnel, and elected officials in more than 80 communities across the country, helping them devise community-driven solutions to reduce wildfire risk and increase community adaptation efforts. She was recently appointed, served, and led efforts as a member of the Federal Wildland Fire Mitigation and Management Commission.

Jim & Annie live in the Retreat, which is a mountain community in the Glen Haven area. Between them, they have 5 children and 2 grandchildren. Jim retired in 2022, after 42 yrs at the YMCA of the Rockies as a director. Annie has been a speech pathologist for 42 yrs. They are both semi-retired. Jim also is responsible for the road maintenance for the Retreat.

They love their life in the mountains: the peace and quiet, being able to go on hikes right from their property, gardening, the close bond of our community, sharing our little mountain paradise with their family and friends, and most of all, enjoying the year-round beauty. 

Tony Cheng is a professor at Colorado State University in the Forest & Rangeland Stewardship department with an Extension/Research/Teaching appointment split and director of the Colorado Forest Restoration Institute (CFRI). His research focuses on conditions and strategies influencing collaborative stewardship of forests. Through his Extension appointment, Tony oversees CFRI’s work to translate science into locally-relevant and actionable knowledge to address forest resilience and wildfire risk management goals. Born and raised in Pullman, Washington in the heart of Eastern Washington’s Palouse region, Tony received his undergraduate degree in Political Science at Whitman College in Walla Walla, Washington, a MS in Forestry at the University of Minnesota, and a PhD in Forestry at Oregon State University. In addition to his academic training, Tony served as a in the Forest Policy Research Fellow at American Forests in Washington, DC. Tony has been at Colorado State University since 2000 and the director of CFRI since 2008. 

Blake Ellis has spent many years helping others learn about and deeply connect with nature. Blake helped establish community gardens with refugees in Atlanta, Georgia, WWOOFed on organic farms in Taiwan and New Zealand, taught garden education to elementary schoolers, and provided horticultural therapy for adults with developmental disabilities. Following the 2018 Camp Fire in Butte County in Northern California, Blake returned to school to become a social worker to better support community recovery efforts. While completing her Master's in Social Work, Blake served as an AmeriCorps Disaster Case Manager with individuals impacted by the Camp Fire and conducted her thesis on the concept of "solastalgia." Solastalgia can be defined as the mental, emotional, and spiritual impacts of environmental degradation or the loss you feel when your beloved home environment is transformed beyond recognition. Her research led her to discover the practice of Forest Therapy, a hopeful intervention to help her community process trauma and grief, rebuild individuals' sense of place, and reconnect to nature. 

Blake is now a certified Forest Therapy Guide through the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy, the Program Manager for the Chico State Ecotherapy Programwith the Big Chico Creek Ecological Reserve, and an Associate Clinical Social Worker. Blake is also a Type 2 Wildland Firefighter passionate about prescribed fire, supporting first responders, and helping wildfire-impacted communities repair their relationship with intentional fire and wildfire-adapted landscapes. 

Ashley Farinacci is a fire lookout stationed at Devil's Head in the Pike National Forest, a role she has held for the past five years. In addition, Ashley serves as a public information officer for wildfire incidents. When not perched in the lookout tower, she lives with her husband and two cats in an earthship, embracing a sustainable, off-grid lifestyle.

Monte Williams served as the Forest Supervisor for the Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests and Pawnee National Grassland located in northern Colorado starting in 2015. In 2020 the Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests had the two largest wildfires in Colorado history on its landscape- the Cameron Peak Fire and the East Troublesome Fire.

Williams’ background includes serving as a Legislative Affairs Specialist in the Forest Service headquarters in Washington D.C. and acting Chief of Staff for Arthur ‘Butch’ Blazer, USDA Deputy Under Secretary Natural Resources and Environment. His career includes District Ranger on Cherokee National Forest in Tennessee, and recreation, timber, silviculture and hydrologist positions in Utah, Idaho, and South Dakota.

Williams’ formal education is Watershed Management with a Bachelor of Science from Utah State University.  He retired from his Forest Supervisor role in 2024.