Alison joined the Colorado Department of Natural Resources Executive Director’s Office in September 2021, as the Program Administrator for the newly formed wildfire mitigation team, creating the Colorado Strategic Wildfire Action Program and building partnerships with the Colorado Youth Corps Association and the Department of Corrections State Wildland Inmate Fire Crew program. The Colorado Strategic Wildfire Action Program became a permanent program in 2023, and has invested over $30 million into strategic wildfire mitigation and forestry projects. Alison graduated from the University of Missouri with a B.S. in Forestry. She has a diverse career in forestry and wildfire resilience working for both Tribal and state governments, nonprofit organizations, and serving on a municipal fire department.

The Forest Health & Wildfire Mitigation Program Advisor provides analysis and policy recommendations to the Executive Director, Deputy Executive Director and the Colorado State Forest Service on forestry and wildfire mitigation issues, manages the Colorado Strategic Wildfire Action Program, and facilitates shared stewardship efforts with state and federal partners.

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.

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. 

Brian Kittler leads American Forests’ Resilient Forests program and its work on climate-informed reforestation and forest climate strategies. Prior to joining American Forests in 2020, he advanced forest conservation programs and policy innovations through stints with the Pinchot Institute for Conservation and Sustainable Northwest. Kittler’s work at the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation focused on directing financial and technical assistance for watershed restoration. An operator at the interface of science, policy, and programs, Kittler has served on the federal Wildfire Mitigation and Management Commission, as well as boards and committees related to forest carbon science, forest bioenergy markets, and forest certification standards. He holds degrees from Colby College and the Johns Hopkins University in policy and science. Brian lives in Oregon.   

Camille Stevens-Rumann is a Fire Ecology Faculty member and Assistant Director of the Colorado Forest Restoration Institute. She received her B.S. in biology and environmental studies from Brandeis University, her M.S. in forestry from Northern Arizona University and her Ph.D. in natural resources from the University of Idaho. Her research revolves around wildfires – how and why they burn, what we can do to manage and mitigate wildfire impacts through land management practices,  how forests recover post-fire and what we can expect of forests in the changing climate.

Charlie Reynar is the Fire Prevention Officer for the Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests and Pawnee National Grasslands. He has been working in Wildland Fire Management for 25 years and has a passion for grappling with the many challenges we face when learning to live with wildfire.   

Chiara Forrester is the Forest Program Director for The Watershed Center (www.watershed.center). She loves working across disciplines and boundaries to tackle complex problems toward ecosystem and community resilience. Chiara has worked with communities across the western U.S. to promote and support wildfire adaptation. She also has a wide range of research experience, from studying the impacts of climate change on plant ecology in alpine and agricultural systems to conducting survey research on the use of climate change research in land management decisions. Chiara received her PhD in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from the University of Colorado Boulder, and a Bachelor’s degree in Plant Ecology and Environmental Education from Hampshire College. In her role as Forest Program Director, Chiara coordinates the St. Vrain Forest Health Partnership and works with private landowners and public land managers on adaptive forest management to enhance ecosystem and community resilience to climate change and wildfire. 

David Wolf has nearly 25 years of emergency services experience, including responses to wide-spread flooding in Houston TX and wildfires in Colorado. He served as the Fire Chief for Estes Valley for seven years, including during Cameron Peak, East Troublesome, and Kruger Mountain Fires. He is a graduate of the FEMA Emergency Management Basic Academy, and has his B.S., M.S. and Ph.D. in Geology. He has been active in the Colorado State Fire Chiefs since arriving in the state, including time as chair of the Volunteer & Combination Section (2019-2023), and chair of the Wildland Section (2023-present), where he has focused on improving statewide mutual aid, statewide capacity building, and enhancing prescribed fire capabilities and opportunities. He is also active with the International Association of Fire Chiefs Wildland Program, developing and delivering the course “Evacuation Management for Law & Fire Service Leaders” and as a facilitator for the Fire Department Exchange Program. He teaches for Colorado State University’s Fire & Emergency Services Administration program. David lives in Estes Park with his wife Danielle and two sons. 

Emily Hagen is the Executive Director of the Grand Lake Chamber of Commerce, a position she has held since 2019. A full-time resident of Grand Lake for a decade, Emily is a seasoned marketing and public relations professional dedicated to leveraging her expertise to benefit the community. The Chamber, a membership organization, promotes sustainable tourism through destination marketing and serves as the marketing arm for the town of Grand Lake.

Emily is committed to educating the public about the impacts of wildfires on a community in both the economic and personal realms and has spearheaded initiatives such as the installation of Troublesome Stories, an educational exhibit that highlighted wildfire impacts and community resilience. Her efforts have consistently supported and enriched Grand Lake, showcasing her passion for fostering a resilient and thriving environment for both residents and visitors alike.

Esther Vincent holds a master’s degree in civil engineering from the Grenoble Institute of Technology in France and is a registered professional engineer in Colorado. She is also an alumna of the WeCo Water Leaders program. Esther has been with Northern Water since 1999, gaining experience in water quality, watershed management, water supply planning, environmental permitting and regulations, source water protection, forest health and water conservation.

In recent years, she has been leading Northern Water’s watershed restoration efforts in the wake of the 2020 East Troublesome Fire. Additionally, she oversees the organization’s water quality, water efficiency, and flow monitoring programs, along with environmental planning, compliance, and environmental data management
systems. Esther's work supports Northern Water’s ongoing commitment to managing water and protecting water resources.

Hally was born & raised in the Cache la Poudre Watershed. Her first fish on a flyrod was caught on the Poudre at the age of 5. She received her Bachelor of Science in Wildlife Biology from Colorado State University and a Master of Science in Restoration Ecology From Montana State University. She worked for several years as a seasonal employee with the US Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, and the National Park Service. Shortly after receiving her Master's degree, Hally started working with the Coalition for the Poudre River Watershed (CPRW). She has been with the organization since 2015, and became the executive director in the fall of 2021. CPRW has been one of the leading organizations in northern Colorado in post-fire restoration and wildfire mitigation work for over a decade. 

When she's not working, Hally enjoys spending time in wild, beautiful places with her husband and dog, practicing yoga, identifying plants and hanging out in downtown Fort Collins. 

Jän and Wendy Rigby are Texans who moved from San Antonio to their dream home in Estes Park in January of 2020. Jän is a retired News Operations Manager at KENS-TV in San Antonio, a local CBS news affiliate. Wendy is a journalist and communications specialist who used to work in local television news. She worked as the Managing Editor of the Estes Park Trail-Gazette for three years. Wendy is currently the Marketing & Communications Specialist for Estes Park Health. 

Dr. Jason Herbert is the Tribal Liaison for the United States Forest Service at the Pike-San Isabel National Forests & Cimarron and Comanche National Grasslands. He holds a Ph.D. in American history with an emphasis on Indigenous and environmental history from the University of Minnesota. His manuscript based on his research is tentatively titled We Have Always Been Cowpeople: Cattle and the Creation of Florida and is under contract with the University of Oklahoma Press. Prior to his current role with the United States Forest Service, Dr. Herbert served both the Seminole Tribe of Florida and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. 

John Cullen has been active in the lodging industry for 28 years acting primarily in the roles of owner/operator of boutique independent hotels around the world.  Currently Mr. Cullen is President & CEO of Grand Heritage Management LLC, the company he founded in 1989 and Owner of Grand Holdings, LLC, the owner of several hotels in the USA, Mexico and the UK.

Through the years, Grand Heritage Management, LLC, under Cullen’s leadership has owned hotels ranging from The Governor and Avalon in Portland, Oregon, Casa del Mar in Los Cabos, Mexico, Providence Biltmore, Peaks Resort & Spa, Telluride and the legendary Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, CO. Additionally, GHM managed properties in Mexico, Qatar, Egypt, and Italy. The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado has been and always will be Cullen’s favorite hotel and passion.

Julie Knauf moved to Grand County in September 1990 from Chicago, Illinois. She is a registered nurse and Pediatric Nurse Practitioner, as well as a part-time bartender and a manager/cook for a 3rd generation hunting outfitter in the fall. She married her loyal and caring husband, Paul Parker, in 2009. They have an active yellow lab named Jasper and a mouse-slaying cat named Catch’em. Together they have rafted multiple rivers, telemark skied many runs, and enjoy adventurous scuba diving vacations. Julie loves her extensive number of cross-country ski days with her pup. They currently live in a 5th wheel on the property they lost to the East Troublesome Fire, slowly regenerating with groves of shoulder-high aspens and an abundance of amazing wildflowers in spring and summer, as they work on their rebuilding process.

Dr. Katherine "Katie" Dickinson is an Associate Professor with tenure of in the Environmental and Occupational Health department at the Colorado School of Public Health. She conducts collaborative, interdisciplinary research-to-action to advance environmental and climate justice. International projects have addressed water and sanitation, household energy and air pollution, and malaria. Domestically, she has studied wildfire, infectious disease (including COVID-19 and mosquito-borne disease), housing, and oil and gas development. Katie’s teaching focuses on environmental and occupational health policy, and how public health professionals can partner with change-makers at different levels to build healthier and more resilient communities where everyone can thrive.

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.

Maggie leads low-carbon R&D for sustainable energy transitions at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory including how forested landscapes can manage biomass for improved resiliency to fire and other disturbances. She focuses on nature-based solutions and datasets to inform community-driven regional planning for net-zero goals. With expertise in biomass markets, she leads a project on natural capital markets (ecosystem services payments), manages the data repository (bioenergyKDF.ornl.gov) for the Billion-Ton 2023 (BT23), is the lead author of the BT23 forestry analysis, and previously led the agricultural residues and dedicated energy crop analysis in BT-2016. With an academic background in geography and economics (bachelors) and forestry (masters) from the University of Tennessee, she is now working on a PhD at Colorado State University in Systems Engineering. This research aims to provide better integration of key data and tools in support of decision-making on agricultural and forestry land management that improves resilience in forested landscapes. Maggie lives in Tennessee with her husband and daughter. 

Marya is an information and stories person focused on the worlds of wildfire management, wildfire response, and communication strategies for our public lands. Her career has revolved around creating and implementing initiatives that encourage those in our communities towards safe, happy, healthy, and fulfilling lives. She has extensive experience enhancing communications and management processes in classroom, government, family, wilderness, international, and emergency response settings.

Merrit Linke is part of a 5th generation ranch family and Grand County native. He lives on the original 160 acre that was homesteaded in 1883 by his great grandfather. He graduated from Middle Park High School in Granby, from Northeastern Junior College in Sterling, and from the University of Wyoming in 1985 with a BS degree in Secondary Education with a major in Physics and minors in Chemistry and Earth Science. 

From 1987-2001, he taught all levels of science, mostly chemistry and physics, and coached multiple levels of several sports ranging from 7th-grade girls basketball to intercollegiate rodeo. He started a livestock feed and supplement business in 2001, worked for the livestock nutrition division for an international company and continued with his own feed distribution business until selling it in 2018. 

Merrit was elected Grand County commissioner in 2012, and was re-elected in 2016 and 2020. He is currently chair of the Board and serving his third term. He also currently serves on the executive committee of Club 20; served as CCI Mountain diarist president for 3 years and currently serves as vice president of Middle Park Stockgrowers. He is a member of the Bureau of Land Management Resource Advisory Council (RAC) and serves as vice-chair of the Grand County Wildfire Council. Since 1999, he has owned and operated a livestock and hay production business in Grand County and continues to operate it today.

Michael Smith, aka “Smitty,” is a Fire Prevention Specialist and Acting Battalion Chief for the Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests. He has served as Incident Commander on many large incidents on the Colorado Front Range over the last two decades.  He is also a qualified Prescribed Fire Burn Boss and is one of the Operations Section Chiefs for Rocky Mountain Complex Incident Management Team 2.

Mike Morgan is a Colorado native, born in Grand Junction and growing up on their family ranch he has spent most of his life in Garfield County. He began his fire service career in 1986 and has spent 30 years serving his community and the Colorado fire service.  Mike oversaw Colorado River Fire Rescue, a full-service fire department with over 100 career and volunteer members.  

He served for over 10 years on the Colorado State Fire Chiefs’ Board of Directors (including two terms as President), has participated in several projects with the International Association of Fire Chief’s, and has a long history of championing fire service-related issues. His work includes the ongoing collaborative efforts to unify Colorado’s fire service and to promote local community interests directed towards the mission of “saving lives and property”. Before becoming the Director of the DFPC in 2016, Mike was the recipient of the coveted John M. Buckman III Leadership Award, presented by the International Association of Fire Chief’s.  

Mile High Youth Corps (MHYC) is a nonprofit social enterprise powered by a network of young adults, ages 18-24, who are justice-focused, comitted to creating sustainable communities and pursuing a meaningful path to career success. As a leader in positive youth development, workforce development and community-based service, our Youth Corps completes conservation, construction and healthcare projects across 23 Colorado counties. For over 30 years, our work is making a difference for communities today and building a stronger workforce for tomorrow.

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. 

Rick is a retired engineer whose career encompassed executive positions in product development, marketing, management, and education. Rick has been a Colorado resident for almost 50 years, living and raising 3 children with his wife Joyce at the wildland-urban interface near Fort Collins. His family has been evacuated three times due to imminent fire threat - including for the Cameron Peak fire.

He spent his career with Hewlett-Packard and Colorado Memory Systems managing the development and marketing of computer hardware and software. Upon leaving HP he taught at the University of Northern Colorado in the College of Business and the Sustainable Entrepreneurship program at Colorado State University with graduate courses in CIS, Statistics, and Business Strategy. Rick holds degrees in engineering and mathematics from Case Western Reserve University, a MS in Computer Science from Colorado State University, a Degree of Engineer from Stanford University, and a PhD in Computer Science from Colorado State University. 

In retirement, Rick is an active volunteer for a number of aviation organizations including Angel Flights, STEM Flights, Young Eagles, Navajo Christmas Airlift, and LightHawk. Rick earned his Private Pilot Certificate in 1999 and added an Instrument Rating in 2001. He and Joyce own and fly a Cessna 182 based at Northern Colorado Regional Airport.

Scott Conway is the Chief Resilience Officer of Vibrant Planet and brings proven natural resource leadership and management experience to multi-jurisdictional resilience management challenges. Scott is a 20-year US Forest Service veteran in land management with a diverse set of roles including District Ranger, Spatial Ecologist, FireFighter and Forester. Scott is determined to help transition data to insight in an effort to streamline all aspects of the resilience management lifecycle with the ultimate goal of making our communities more defensible and our wild and working lands more resilient to climate exacerbated disturbance like wildfire.

Teagen Blakey has served as President of the Magnolia Forest Group (MFG) for the past 7 years. During this time, she worked extensively with the US Forest Service (USFS) in the Multiparty Monitoring Group for the Forsythe ll Project located in Boulder County. Prior to this, in 2014, she took a deep dive into forestry, fire science, and the NEPA process in response to the USFS’s initial iteration of the project. During this time, she also worked as Assistant Coordinator for the Little Thompson Watershed Coalition and chaired another local non-profit organization. In addition to MFG, she currently sits on the board of The Environmental Group (TEG), which is challenging the construction of what would be the tallest dam in Colorado history. It was due to this project that she originally started speaking at County Commissioner hearings as a teenager. Since then, she has gone on to address other environmental issues of concern for her community, including recreation management and sports shooting. 

Professionally, Teagen spent close to a decade as a gymnastics coach, supporting young athletes to reach their goals. More recently she acquired several certifications as a life coach. In her free time, she enjoys the hiking and camping opportunities her native Colorado landscape has to offer.  

Teresa, with three other Indigenous women established a non-profit, the Native Coast Action Network to assist West Coast Indigenous communities build capacity and assist in implementing cultural and traditional ecological initiatives with a focus on revitalization of cultural burning in Chumash Ancestral lands. Teresa Romero formerly served as the Environmental Director for the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash. Teresa has deep experience in building partnerships, collaborations, and relationships across diverse communities. Teresa is a member Syuxtun Plant Collective, a Traditional plant collective focusing on tending, gathering and preparation of traditional plants. Teresa serves on Boards of the Indigenous Stewardship Network, Land Trust for Santa Barbara, the Central Coast Joint Venture and the Advisory Committee for the Central Coast Climate Justice Network. Teresa enjoys spending time at the ocean, traditional gatherings, sharing time with her family and with community.

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. 

Vern Carda has served as the CEO of Estes Park Health since March of 2020. Carda has spent the last 30+ years working in healthcare. He has served as CEO of multiple rural hospitals and as VP of Operations for Sanford Health and the Billings Clinic. 

Originally from Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Carda and his family now own a home in Estes Park which he hopes to keep forever.