Featured at the Summit:
3-Day Portable Solar Generator Build Project by The Footprint Project
Right outside the Summit doors, you will have a the opportunity to observe an outdoor workshop that will engage local first responders learning to build three solar generators for later use by Sonoma County organizations.
"Pillars of Resilience: Strengthening Soft Infrastructure in Climate Disasters"
About Brian Fies, Award-winning Writer & Illustrator, Author of A Fire Story
Brian Fies is a writer and cartoonist. The day after he and his wife, Karen, lost their home in northern California’s Tubbs fire, Brian began writing and drawing A Fire Story. Posted online, the comic went viral, and was seen by more than 3 million people. Brian expanded A Fire Story into a full-length graphic novel published by Abrams ComicArts in 2019 and updated in 2021. His other graphic novels are Mom’s Cancer, Whatever Happened to the World of Tomorrow, and The Last Mechanical Monster. Brian’s work in comics has received several honors, including the comics industry’s Eisner, Harvey and Inkpot awards, as well as Germany's Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis and a television Emmy Award. He lives in his rebuilt home north of Santa Rosa.
Moderator:
Lorez Bailey, Publisher, North Bay Business Journal
Panelists:
Jenni Campbell, Executive Director, Los Angeles Region Community Recovery Organization
Jenn Kaaoush, Co-founder, Town of Superior Trustee, Superior Rising/Town of Superior
Kate Scowsmith, Disaster Case Management Systems Facilitator, Camp Fire Collaborative
About Jim Alvey, Vice President, Disaster Recovery & Philanthropy, Good360
Jim Alvey has worked in media, marketing, data analysis, and non-profit management. As Good360 Vice President, Disaster Recovery and Philanthropy, his goal is to cultivate relationships that expand the Good360 corporate donor network, increase nonprofit sector collaboration and connect government and association entities. Jim’s primary focus areas are product and funding partnerships that support mid- and long-term Disaster Recovery efforts.
At Good360, Jim partners with Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability departments along with their Reverse Logistics and Supply Chain teams. He also works with foundations to amplify the impact of the missions they support. Good360 makes it easy to donate product, do some good and see valuable ROI. Their 100,000+ non-profit network member organizations benefit from the goods donated by corporate and foundation partners.
Jim lives in Columbia, Maryland with his wife, dog, and two cats. They have two adult children, Michelle and James. Outside of nonprofit work, Jim enjoys tennis, hiking, and travel.
About Tatiana Hernandez, President & CEO, Community Foundation Boulder County
Tatiana Hernandez joined the Community Foundation Boulder County as CEO in July 2020. During her tenure, the foundation has led numerous disaster-related philanthropic efforts including responses to COVID, a mass shooting and multiple fires. The foundation is currently responsible for the largest philanthropic response to a natural disaster in Colorado history.
Prior to joining the foundation, Tatiana served as President of the Emily Griffith Foundation and was a Senior Program Officer at the Kresge Foundation. In Boulder, Tatiana served as Arts Director for the Hemera Foundation where – in partnership with the Bonfils-Stanton Foundation and Colorado Creative Industries – she developed Arts in Society, Colorado’s largest private-public funding program for the arts.
Tatiana began her philanthropic career at the Knight Foundation, where she led the Knight Arts Challenge, supporting artists and arts organizations in eight cities. She oversaw a portfolio of more than $100M in investments and distributed $10M annually.
A graduate of The George Washington University, she was named a “40 Under 40” by Denver Business Journal, a “Rising Star” by the Boulder Chamber of Commerce, and one of the “50 Most Influential Business Leaders” by BizWest.
The daughter of Cuban and Colombian immigrants, she is committed to cultivating a more equitable and inclusive United States, one community at a time.
About Jolie Wills, CEO Americas, Hummingly
Jolie is a cognitive scientist and a psychosocial disaster recovery expert. As a survivor of the Christchurch earthquakes, Jolie has lived disaster recovery firsthand with her family and community. She understands the weight of responsibility of a leadership role after disaster and the challenges that those supporting affected communities face. She has spent the last decade learning from disasters and packaging the learning up into practical tools and guidance to make it that bit easier for communities hit by disaster and for those working to support their recovery.
Jolie has been awarded a Winston Churchill Fellowship and an Edmund Hillary Fellowship for her global contribution to supporting communities affected by disaster. She is co-author of Leading in Disaster Recovery: A Companion through the Chaos and is an advisor to the global Counter Terrorism Preparedness Network.
Hummingly is the creation of Jolie Wills and Elizabeth McNaughton, a duo who have worked in disasters around the world for more than two decades. They set about creating guidance, tools and workshops to make the toughest of times a little easier and to improve outcomes for disaster-affected communities. Hummingly's workshops and resources combine more than two decades working in disasters, wisdom from over 100 recovery leaders, scientific insights from cognitive psychology and the lived experience of disaster recovery.
About Julie Atwood, Founder, HALTER Project
Julie Solomon Atwood has lived in rural Sonoma County for most of her life. She’s been a serial entrepreneur as a nationally recognized architectural detail consultant and photo stylist, owner-curator of a functional art gallery and atelier, and a leader in the Wine Country hospitality industry. As a business owner responsible for client, staff and guest safety, these endeavors frequently included planning and training for emergencies. Long before the introduction of the term “WUI”, but having experienced the Loma Prieta earthquake, Julie began to think about how to care for her animals during and after a big disaster. Information and resources in her region were hard to find. Having already established a rapidly expanding local program to develop Animal Technical Rescue teams with rural fire departments and encouraged by their concerns about animals, in 2013 Julie founded the HALTER Project. Today, this grassroots, unaffiliated program has grown into an international community of animal owners, welfare organizations, responders and agency programs dedicated to animal emergency and disaster preparedness and response. All animals – pets, equines, backyard farm animals, production livestock and wildlife – are included in HALTER Project education matrerials, which include robust offerings in Spanish, for Seniors, and resources for teachers and the Agriculture and Hospitality industries. Julie is a volunteer with Community Animal Response Teams (CARTs) and CERTs in multiple jurisdictions, a non-medical support volunteer with the UC Davis CVET, and an Animal Technical Rescue instructor and CERT instructor. HALTER Project Community Preparedness Education toolkits focus on filling a great need for information for rural areas and under-resourced communities. HALTER Project provides free education resources supporting animal and community preparedness for disasters throughout the world. In 2016, these programs were honored by FEMA at a White House ceremony recognizing National “Individual and Community Preparedness Award” recipients. Today, First Responders in every service, emergency managers, Tribal, community and other groups look to HALTER Project as a resource for outreach materials, education opportunities, and scholarships or small grants for training. HALTER Project contributes more than 8,000 volunteer hours each year to local agencies and organizations and provides several hundred training scholarships to first responders yearly. It has also equipped ATR, CVET, VERT and CART teams in more than 3 dozen jurisdictions around the state and country. Julie was recognized in 2019 by California Emergency Management Agency for her volunteer disaster work and was a speaker at the 2017 BARTA International Conference on Animals In Disasters. She has produced several regional “Home & Ranch Readiness” Symposia, including a 2018 event televised nationally. Julie serves on several non-profit organization boards, including Bodega Bay (CA) CERT, and others ranging from equine therapeutic programs to programs supporting victims of domestic violence and abuse.
Moderator:
Anne Whatley, Facilitator, Ventura County Long Term Disaster Recovery Group
Panelists:
Claire Balsley, Director of Disaster Assistance Programs, SBP
Melissa Baurer, Director, Integrated Health and Outreach, Santiam Hospital & Clinics
Kate Bulger, Vice President of Business Development, Money Management International
About Mikey Latner, Founder, Project:CAMP
A former camp director with two decades of camp experience under his belt, Mikey founded Project:Camp with the idea that camp and childcare professionals have critical skills to offer in times of emergency. In developing our pop-up camp model, Mikey strives to use the structure of camp as a vehicle to bring joy, safety and peace of mind to children and parents impacted by natural disasters. He hopes this work leads to a seismic shift in the disaster response ecosystem, creating a more holistic, trauma-informed and community-driven model that prioritizes the needs of families during emergencies.
"Navigating the New Normal: Land, Housing, Insurance, and Public Policy in the Age of Climate Change"
About Julie Shiyou-Woodard, President and CEO, Smart Home America
Julie Shiyou-Woodard is the President and CEO of Smart Home America, a non-profit organization working at the intersections of disaster resilience, policy, affordable housing, and insurance. Under her leadership, Smart Home America has fostered a culture of resilience by supporting local efforts to implement proven solutions to reduce disaster-related losses and insurance costs. Julie's work has led to local and state policy changes that enhance building methods, codes, and incentives for construction.
With over 20 years of experience in local and state government, Julie has developed and managed environmental and hazard mitigation projects in collaboration with federal, state, and local agencies. Her expertise allows her to collaborate effectively with leaders at various levels of government, implementing policies that support disaster resilience. Julie's extensive experience includes roles as Principal Planner at the South Alabama Regional Planning Commission, Wildland Urban Interface Coordinator for the State of Alabama Forestry Commission, and Community Program Director at the Mobile County District Attorney's Office. She resides in Mobile, Alabama, with her family.
About Alister Watt, Chief Product Officer, IBHS
Alister joined IBHS in 2018 to lead the team that translates research into action as Chief Product Officer. Bringing 25 years of strategy consulting and management experience across public and private sectors, Alister has worked in financial services, risk management, broadcast media, and fast-moving consumer goods.
At IBHS, Alister is responsible for critical program areas that allow homeowners to apply IBHS’s research to make their home resilient including their Wildfire Prepared Home and FORTIFIED programs. He also leads the organization’s media, product design, membership, commercial and IT infrastructure groups.
Prior to his work at IBHS, Alister’s career spanned independent consulting and project management. He earned a Masters of Business Administration from the Tuck School at Dartmouth College.
About Sidra Goldwater, Advisor, Disaster Recovery & Rebuilding, Fannie Mae
Sidra is an Advisor with Fannie Mae’s Disaster Recovery & Rebuilding team which supports Fannie Mae’s team which supports Fannie Mae’s Single Family and Multifamily response to help communities rebuild following natural disasters including COVID-19.
Prior to joining the Disaster Recovery & Rebuilding team Sidra was responsible for developing and implementing single family policies and strategies related to the servicing of delinquent mortgage loans that enable Fannie Mae to mitigate credit losses while preserving homeownership. This work included creation of various loan workout and property insurance requirements.
About Sidra Goldwater, Advisor for Disaster Recovery & Rebuilding, Fannie Mae
Sidra is an Advisor with Fannie Mae’s Disaster Recovery & Rebuilding team which supports Fannie Mae’s team which supports Fannie Mae’s Single Family and Multifamily response to help communities rebuild following natural disasters including COVID-19.
Prior to joining the Disaster Recovery & Rebuilding team Sidra was responsible for developing and implementing single family policies and strategies related to the servicing of delinquent mortgage loans that enable Fannie Mae to mitigate credit losses while preserving homeownership. This work included creation of various loan workout and property insurance requirements.
About Seana O'Shaughnessy, President & CEO, Community Housing Improvement Program
Seana O’Shaughnessy has been a passionate and effective affordable housing leader for over two decades. She is committed to the belief that everyone deserves the comfort, independence and peace of mind found in a safe and affordable home. In 2019 Seana took on the role of President and CEO with Community Housing Improvement Program (CHIP)—an affordable housing developer that builds both rental and homeownership housing in seven northern California counties.
Previous experience includes: overseeing community development programs to expand affordable housing options for low-income families in South San Francisco and scaling home rehabilitation and affordable housing preservation programs in San Mateo County and the western United States with Rebuilding Together Peninsula and Rebuilding Together, Inc.
Seana serves on the board of the California Coalition for Rural Housing (CCRH), the National Rural Housing Coalition, and co-chairs the Camp Fire Collaborative Housing Committee.
Moderator:
Valerie Brown, Deputy Executive Director, United Policyholders
Panelists:
Louis Reynaud, Senior Vice President, Galway Holdings
David Shew, Consultant, Wildfire Defense Works
Alister Watt, Chief Product Officer, IBHS
About Judy Coffey, RN, Tubbs Fire Survivor, Registered Nurse, Sr. Consultant for Leap Solutions, Board President, After the Fire USA
Judy Coffey, RN, has been the senior vice president and area manager of the Kaiser Permanente Marin-Sonoma service area since 2004. She is the chief executive for hospital and health plan operations in Sonoma and Marin counties, with over 300,000 members. Ms. Coffey is currently chair elect for the Northern and Central California Hospital Council Board of Directors, served as the chair of the North Bay Hospital Council for two years; is a board member with the Sonoma County Workforce Investment Board, United Way of the Wine Country, and Empire College; and is a member of the Sonoma County Health Action Council and Sonoma County Health Alliance. She is also Treasurer for the American Heart Association's Western States Affiliate Board, Chairman of the AHA Operations and Finance Committee, and a member of the AHA Hospital Accreditation Business Management Committee. Ms. Coffey is a registered nurse, holds a bachelor’s degree in management, and has a master's degree in business administration.
About Alena Wall, Director Public Affairs, Kaiser Permanente Santa Rosa
Alena Wall is the Public Affairs Director for Kaiser Permanente Santa Rosa. Her responsibilities include mission integration; overseeing community and government relations; reputation and issues management; community health and community benefit planning; strategic initiatives focused on health equity; and internal and external communications, including media relations and local marketing. Alena has been instrumental in Kaiser Permanente’s North Bay Fire Recovery strategy, where Kaiser Permanente provided nearly $24 million in community benefit grant funding through national and regional recovery support for the Napa and Sonoma County communities. As the portfolio lead for the five-year investment period, she worked closely with elected officials and community stakeholders with lived experience as well as the business sector to catalyze a just recovery; increase affordable housing; and advance the social mission of Kaiser Permanente keeping equity at the heart of the work. Alena is a member of the KP national disaster philanthropy workgroup that developed the internal disaster response handbook that guides Kaiser Permanente’s response as an organization.
Moderator:
Cathy Capriola, Management Consultant, Capriola Consulting, Retired City Manager, City of Sonoma (2017-2020)
Panelists:
Kevin Goss, Plumas County Supervisor, Plumas County
David Guhin, City Manager, City of Sonoma
Dave Reid, Director, Office of Response, Recovery and Resilience Santa Cruz County
About Marko Bey, Founder & Executive Director, Lomakatsi Restoration Project
Marko is the Founder and Executive Director of Lomakatsi Restoration Project (lomakatsi.org). Lomakatsi’s ten regional ecosystem restoration programs and associated workforce development initiatives are a primary result of his work. Lomakatsi has a proven record of success serving rural forest-based communities throughout Oregon and Northern California through supporting local jobs, community business infrastructure development, and restoration implementation across thousands of acres of forests and miles of streams.
Marko has over 30 years of experience working in forestry and ecosystem restoration from the ground up, working across six western states. His leadership has been essential in orchestrating the formation of collaborative partnerships, including with federal and state agencies, Native American tribes, nonprofit organizations, industry, private landowners, and community members. Marko also serves as the President & CEO of Lomakatsi Ecological Services Inc., a full-service wildland firefighting and prescribed fire contracting outfit, and serves as the Board President of the Southern Oregon Forest Restoration Collaborative. Marko participates in a variety of strategic coalitions and committees—working regionally and nationally to advance the full spectrum of ecosystem restoration, job creation, and forest-based community revitalization.
About Belinda Brown, Tribal Partnerships Director, Lomakatsi Restoration Project
Belinda serves as Lomakatsi’s Tribal Partnership Director and operates within the framework of Lomakatsi’s Tribal Partnership Program and associated initiatives. Belinda works closely with Lomakatsi’s Executive Director and staff leadership to serve tribal communities in their efforts to restore forests and watersheds on tribal trust and ancestral lands. She serves as a community liaison, engaging with tribal elders, tribal councils, cultural resource monitors and tribal department staff. Belinda also works to establish and promote effective working relationships among the tribal community, Lomakatsi and federal agency and non-profit partners.
Belinda is an enrolled member of the Kosealekte Band of the Ajumawi-Atsuge Nation (Pit River Tribe) and has served as an elected official on the Pit River Tribal Council and also as a Traditional Behavioral Health Specialist and Cultural Representative as an appointed delegate at local, state and national levels. Belinda is an ecocultural restoration practitioner and currently serves as the elected Kosealekte Band Cultural Representative. She has served Indian Country in intergovernmental affairs coordination, strategic planning and community development for the last twenty years. Her recent work has been with the 109 California Tribes and assisting them in developing resolutions, position papers and facilitating strategic government to government coordination, workshops and collaboration for the protection and preservation of water and natural resources. Her background is in health and human services, emergency preparedness and natural resources. She is a Certified Youth Life Coach and Mentor.
Moderator:
Dr. Lisa Micheli
President and CEO, Pepperwood Foundation
After the Fire USA, Board Member
Panelists:
Marko Bey, Founder and Executive Director,
Lomakatsi Restoration Project
Belinda Brown, Tribal Partnerships Director,
Lomakatsi Restoration Project
About Heather Lagrone, Senior Deputy Director, Texas General Land Office
Heather Lagrone is the Sr. Deputy Director over the Disaster Recovery Programs at the Texas General Land Office. She and her team are responsible for all the State of Texas’ Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery and Mitigation Programs (CDBG-DR and CDBG-MIT). Heather has had a leadership role in Texas recovery dating back to 2005 when the State was awarded disaster funds for the impacts of Hurricane Rita. The current $14 billion portfolio of CDBG-DR and CDBG-MIT funds covers recovery for Hurricanes Ike, Dolly, and Harvey, Texas wildfires, 4 major flooding events, and the 2021 Texas Ice Storm. Heather has been involved in all aspects of the CDBG-DR program to include creation of action plans, policy and program design, housing, infrastructure, planning, and economic development programs, and grant close out. The program has replaced over 22,000 housing units, thousands of miles of roads, drainage improvements, and water and sewer lines and created countless jobs in the disaster impacted areas of Texas.
Heather is a nationally recognized disaster recovery expert and is often called upon to speak on behalf of the State of Texas. Heather is a graduate of Texas A&M University and a native Texan.
About Caerleon Safford, Department Analyst, Wildland Fire Grants & Projects, County of Sonoma, Permit Sonoma
Caerleon Safford has been working in wildfire education & risk reduction for over 20 years in both non-profit and public sectors. Currently a Department Analyst for Permit Sonoma’s Fire Prevention Division, she is on the development and management team for two on two of Sonoma County’s Wildfire Mitigation Projects, Wildfire Adapted Sonoma County (FEMA Hazard Mitigation) and Wildfire Resilient Sonoma County (BRIC). Together these innovative programs combine structure and vegetation assessments with cost-share opportunities to help private property owners implement recommendations to harden homes against wildfire ignition and create community calming zones. These innovative projects represent the launching point for over $68M in FEMA proposals to proactively mitigate wildfire risk to communities. In addition, she recently completed the 2023 Sonoma County Community Wildfire Protection Plan update. Her expertise includes wildfire risk management, decision and support, the principles of wildland fire home ignition and mitigation, and Defensible Space code compliance. A lifelong resident of California’s WUI, she is passionate about increasing understanding of the principles of home hardening and defensible space to make our communities safer and more sustainable.
"Cultivating Climate Resiliency: Unleashing Innovation in Ideas, Technologies, and Systems"
His family farmed the Golden State’s rich soils for decades and he was raised by two incredibly strong women, his mom and grandma.
Mike and his mom struggled growing up. He’s been working full-time since he was 16, helping put himself through college.
Mike was named Senate Majority Leader in 2022.
He’s been a champion for our kids and public schools. He went to the mat and won against President Trump on offshore oil drilling, led the charge in the legislature on wildfires, and is a leading voice in holding PG&E accountable. And no one has been more successful at securing resources to combat homelessness and build affordable housing in rural California.
Mike, his wife Erika, an elementary school principal, along with their son Connor, call Sonoma County home with their lazy pug, Gertrude.
About Dr. Christa López, Senior Advisor, CTEH
About Andy Winkler, Director, Housing & Infrastructure Project, Bipartisan Policy Center
Andy Winkler is the director of BPC’s housing and infrastructure projects. In this role, he manages BPC’s Housing Council, a bipartisan group of over 20 former elected officials, housing experts, business leaders, and practitioners focused on developing housing policy solutions that advance racial equity and opportunity. He also leads BPC’s Task Force on Disaster Response Reform, a bipartisan group of emergency management experts with experience across government launched in 2020.
Winkler first joined BPC in 2015 to staff its Executive Council on Infrastructure and Senior Health and Housing Task Force. He also assisted Michael Stegman, formerly President Obama’s top housing adviser, in his work at BPC on housing finance reform.
Prior to joining BPC, Winkler was the director of housing finance policy at the American Action Forum, where he worked to advance comprehensive housing finance reform and analyzing the state of our nation’s housing markets. He also worked at the American Action Forum as a policy analyst on housing and economic issues. Winkler received his B.A. from the University of Missouri and worked for its International Center.
About John Mills, Co-Founder & CEO, Watch Duty
John Mills is the CEO and Co-Founder of Watch Duty, an advisor to Convective Capital the firetech venture firm, and was the interim CTO of Pano.ai at its inception. John’s career began in Silicon Valley as an engineer and ended as an entrepreneur when he sold his last company and moved off-the-grid to the wildlands of Sonoma. After two fires almost took his ranch he began wildland fire training, preparing his neighbors and community for fire, and founded Watch Duty.
About Heather Milton, Geospatial & Data Analysis Manger, FEMA
Heather Milton has enjoyed a 30 year career that includes time as a GIS and tech instructor, volunteering with GISCorps and the Digital Humanitarian Network, assisting with Historic Preservation mapping in New Orleans post-Katrina, and managing the Geospatial & Data Analytics team in FEMA’s Interagency Recovery Coordination division. In her disaster recovery focused work, Heather seeks to assist disaster-affected communities with approaches to long-term recovery that incorporate community development and organizing, social innovation methods, technology, and scalable solutions to support communities and nonprofit organizations in planning for, responding to, and thriving in the face of disasters. Her expertise includes project management, community development, social innovation & social entrepreneurship, Photovoice, technical training, data visualization, disaster & climate change policy, and virtual team & volunteer management.
She currently serves as a Community Assistance Manager for FEMA’s Interagency Recovery Coordination division. Heather holds an BA in Environmental Studies (KU, 1993), an MS in Geography (WU-Madison, 1996) and an MS in Disaster Resilience Leadership (Tulane, 2016).
About Ivan O'Neill, Co-Founder & CEO, Wuuii
Ivan is a NFPA Certified Wildfire Mitigation Specialist and Wildland Fire Fighter (FFT-2) and serves on the Board of Directors for a Sonoma County community wildfire non-profit.
He co-founded Madronus to apply skills honed during a fifteen-year career in tech to scale wildfire mitigation and carbon sequestration in threatened communities and forests. They have the tools needed to protect our communities from wildfires and restore our forests, and his goal is to make it simple and affordable for property owners to scientifically mitigate wildfire risk and steward forests in a climate smart way.
As a native West Coaster, he loves the people, plants, and wildlife of our beautiful landscapes from Anza-Borrego to the North Cascades. When not working, he can be found trail running in the redwoods, shredding pow in the Sierras and Cascades, learning to surf, woodworking, or hosting dinner parties with his partner.
About Mike Francis, Co-Founder and CEO, NanoTech
Mike Francis, Co-founder, and CEO of Nanotech, will be discussing the incredible power of nanotechnology. Nanotech's groundbreaking Nano Shield product lines include a remarkable spray-on protective coating for fireproofing up to 1800 degrees Celsius, making it a top commercial insulator.
Moderator:
Steve Akre, Fire Chief, Sonoma Valley Fire District
Panelists:
Gregory Barton, Fire Chief, Beverly Hills Fire Department
Bailey Farren, Co-founder & CEO, Perimeter Platform
Mike Francis, Co-founder & CEO, NanoTech
About Shayne McLaughlin, Regional Manager, Fortress North America
Shayne McLaughlin is a former firefighter and police officer recognized for his dedication to duty with a commendable record of patrol and protection. Before joining Fortress, Shayne was a paid-call firefighter and lead defensible space inspector for the Nevada County Office of Emergency Services. Shayne conducted defensible space inspections and complaints in this role while leading a team of defensible space inspectors in their daily activities. He was also the principal founder of a private wildfire defense company. He analyzed structure ignition potential in the wildland-urban interface and consulted on appropriate construction materials, material ratings, risk mitigation strategies, and wildfire defense techniques. With his prior experiences, Shayne has hands-on experience with Fortress ground-applied retardants and first-hand knowledge of proactive fire retardant use can save property.
About Will Heegaard, Operations Director, The Footprint Project
Will Heegaard sees every disaster as an opportunity to build back greener. A registered paramedic, Will previously worked with International Medical Corps to deploy solar refrigeration in West Africa during the Ebola outbreak, then deployed with Team Rubicon after disasters in Louisiana, Minnesota, and Puerto Rico. Will currently serves on the Board of the Minnesota Volunteer Organizations Active in Disasters (MNVOAD). He received his B.A. in Peace and Conflict Studies from University of California, Berkeley.
About Dr. Jonathan Kusel, Founder & Executive Director, Sierra Institute
Dr. Jonathan Kusel founded Sierra Institute for Community and Environment in 1993 and directs the organization today. He received a Ph.D. in Natural Resource Sociology and Policy from U.C. Berkeley, where he taught before launching the Sierra Institute. He holds a Master's degree in Forest Science from the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies.
Jonathan has been working to help rural communities thrive by bringing people and ideas together to improve socioeconomic conditions and natural resource management. In 2018, Kusel led a team that built a small biomass-powered energy facility for Plumas County's Health and Human Services Center. The facility is housed in the first full cross laminated timber building constructed in California. He helped advance construction of cross laminated timber homes as part of rebuilding the community of Greenville that was devastated by the Dixie Fire. He and his team are now working with the Maidu Roundhouse Council to rebuild their education and cultural center that was destroyed in the Dixie Fire. Dr. Kusel and the Sierra Institute received a Phase I grant from the California Department of Conservation to advance a biomass to hydrogen fuel production facility to increase forest rehabilitation and help California reach its carbon neutrality goals.
As a social scientist, Dr. Kusel helped lead a team evaluating community and social implications of climate change in the Sierra as part of California’s 4th Climate Assessment. The Sierra Institute is a convenor of the Community Economic Resilience Fund for the ten-county North State region.
About Dr. Jonathan Kusel, Founder & Executive Director, Sierra Institute
Dr. Jonathan Kusel founded Sierra Institute for Community and Environment in 1993 and directs the organization today. He received a Ph.D. in Natural Resource Sociology and Policy from U.C. Berkeley, where he taught before launching the Sierra Institute. He holds a Master's degree in Forest Science from the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies.
Jonathan has been working to help rural communities thrive by bringing people and ideas together to improve socioeconomic conditions and natural resource management. In 2018, Kusel led a team that built a small biomass-powered energy facility for Plumas County's Health and Human Services Center. The facility is housed in the first full cross laminated timber building constructed in California. He helped advance construction of cross laminated timber homes as part of rebuilding the community of Greenville that was devastated by the Dixie Fire. He and his team are now working with the Maidu Roundhouse Council to rebuild their education and cultural center that was destroyed in the Dixie Fire. Dr. Kusel and the Sierra Institute received a Phase I grant from the California Department of Conservation to advance a biomass to hydrogen fuel production facility to increase forest rehabilitation and help California reach its carbon neutrality goals.
As a social scientist, Dr. Kusel helped lead a team evaluating community and social implications of climate change in the Sierra as part of California’s 4th Climate Assessment. The Sierra Institute is a convenor of the Community Economic Resilience Fund for the ten-county North State region.
About Susan Jones, Founder & Architect, atelierjones, llc
Susan Jones, FAIA is an architect and founder of atelierjones an all-woman owned and led architectural firm based in Seattle, WA. An award-winning design firm, the 20 year old practice is widely recognized as a national leader in establishing Mass Timber as a lower carbon tool to help decarbonize our carbon intensive built environment. Devoted to bringing empathy and design forward solutions to buildings, communities, building codes and cities, atelierjones was recently recognized as the Best Firm (small) in the West, by the NYC-based The Architect’s Newspaper. A native of the Pacific Northwest, Susan’s 35 years of experience as an architect has broadly stretched from Harvard to Vienna, to Berlin, the Bay Area, Seattle and recently, the Sierra Nevadas, where she is helping to restore community in the Dixie fire-devastated town of Greenville, CA.
