About Me

I’m an ecologist, forester, wildland firefighter and leader by training and trade.

I grew up playing and working in the woods, on farms, and on the sea. As early as I can remember, I’ve been driven by a passion to learn about and protect the natural world. From my first job to my career today, I have devoted myself to this passion. My heart and soul are invested in conserving and managing our natural environment and understanding how to use natural resources sustainably. 

With the help of scholarships and loans I attended Northeastern University, where I earned a bachelor’s degrees in political science, public administration, and marine biology. I then attended the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, where I earned a master’s degree focused on environmental leadership. 

I’m an ecologist, forester, farmer, wildland firefighter and leader by training and trade. I joined the Department of Natural Resources in 2011, first as an aquatic restoration ecologist, leading the restoration of rivers and salmon habitat throughout the state. Currently, I serve as the DNR’s Wildland Fire and Forest Resilience Liaison, helping to lead our state’s wildfire fighting force. I also work as a wildland firefighter, as a heavy equipment boss on the fire line, and on command staff as a public information officer.

I represent the DNR in our relationships with Tribes, agencies and other partners, and citizens of the state, around issues related to wildland fire and forest restoration. I chair the state’s Wildland Fire Advisory Committee, established by the Legislature in 2015 to involve Tribes, partners and stakeholders in advising the DNR on wildland fire management. I also represent the DNR on the steering committee of the Washington Shrubsteppe Restoration and Resiliency Initiative, a three-agency partnership with the Department of Fish and Wildlife and the State Conservation Commission, to conserve sagelands in Washington, improve how we protect them from wildfire, and support working lands and the communities that depend upon them. 

Before joining the DNR, I was a consulting ecologist, forester, marine and fisheries biologist providing expert services to USFWS, The Nature Conservancy, Conservation Districts, large and small timberland owners. I also built a small timber company that managed environmentally sensitive forestlands to achieve restoration and produce FSC-certified timber.

As a hobby, I’ve run a small sheep farm, selling naturally raised lamb to local markets, and I now operate a small shellfish farm producing oysters and geoduck. I make my home on both sides of the Cascades, in rural eastern Washington on a small ranch that leases its agricultural land to produce hay and on the shore of Puget Sound in Olympia, where I run my small shellfish farm. 

When I have free time, I fish and hike with my two dogs, Coco and Carmine. Coco was a stray on the Colville Reservation and graduated from N.O. Paws Left Behind, a dog rescue near the town of Oroville. Carmine was found running the streets of Tonasket in the dead of winter before a volunteer from Fur Ever Yours, a local dog rescue, picked him up. 

In her free time, Coco enjoys gnawing on bones. In his free time, Carmine enjoys gnawing on Coco.