Meet our Speakers
Learn more about the community leaders who will generously be sharing their expertise and experience. This list is growing so be sure to check back soon!
Alan Talhelm
Assistant Deputy Director for Climate & Energy, CAL FIRE Natural Resources Management
Alan Talhelm is the Assistant Deputy Director for Climate & Energy within CAL FIRE Natural Resources Management. He oversees the Forest Health, Tribal Wildfire Resilience, and Business & Workforce Development grant programs and leads CAL FIRE’s work on climate issues. He has a PhD in forest ecology with an emphasis on carbon cycling, wildfire, and air quality, previously working at the California Air Resources Board, US EPA, and University of Idaho. Picture attached.
Albert G. Titman
Deputy Director for the Native Dads Network
Albert G. Titman, Nisenan/Miwok/ Maidu/ Pit River CADCII . Deputy Director for the Native Dads Network and formerly Associate Director of Cultural Integration and Development at Sprenger behavioral Medicine for the TeleWell Indian Health MAT project. He is a Registered Addiction Specialist through the Breining Institute of CA and a State Board CCAPP Certified Alcohol and Drug Abuse Counselor CADC II. He also provides alcohol/drug abuse assessments, diagnosis, and treatment to individuals, couples, families, and groups to achieve more satisfying and productive marriage, family, and social adjustment. He enjoys Miwok traditional ceremonial singing and dancing and cooking for his family.
Albert provides culturally sensitive services and is blessed with the opportunity to incorporate Native American wellness modalities in his work. He is currently a trainer for White Bison’s Wellbriety Training Institute, and has over 18 years experience in implementing the Medicine Wheel & 12 Steps program in his community.
Caleen Sisk
Tłahit of the Winnemem Wintu Tribe
Caleen Sisk is the Tłahit of the Winnemem Wintu Tribe. Caleen's leadership began in 2000 after being mentored and taught by her late great aunt, Florence Jones, for over three decades. Caleen maintains the cultural and religious traditions of the Tribe, which has led to the revitalization of the Winnemem H’up Chonas (or War Dance) and Bałas Chonas (Puberty Ceremony). She advocates for California salmon restoration, healthy, undammed watersheds, and the human right to water. Caleen led the Tribe’s resistance against the proposal to raise the Shasta Dam and currently leads the Tribe’s co-stewardship agreements with state and federal agencies, as well as the Māori,to return Chinook salmon to the Winnemem Waywaket. She has received international honors as a sacred site protector, and consistently attends the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues to advocate for UN studies of the plight of federally unrecognized tribes in the United States.
Danny Manning
Workforce Development Project Manager
Danny is a California Native (Maidu) and Diné wildland fire professional with extensive experience in the field. He began his career on a hand crew, progressing to roles such as crew boss, engine boss, and leadership positions in fire prevention and education. In 2010, Danny joined the Greenville Rancheria staff, where he started a fire and fuels crew and has since assisted other tribes in establishing and training their crews. His work spans local, regional, and national efforts in tribal fire education, investigation, and prevention. Danny has contributed to all aspects of tribal fire management, including monitoring, prescribed burning, contracting, developing MOUs and agreements, and crafting traditional ecological management plans.
Deniss J. Martinez Cortez, PhD
Program Manager, Indigenous Stewardship Network
CANCELLED: Deniss J. Martinez Cortez, PhD is the Program Manager at the Indigenous Stewardship Network. Deniss has worked with Tribal Communities on cultural fire in different capacities for the past 10 years. Her scholarship, activism, and on the ground work has focused on creating a future that centers the wisdom of Indigenous people, not just as marginally relevant but as central to environmental decision making. She loves working with ISN to create a future that uplifts Tribal sovereignty, ensures justice for communities of color, and builds governance, culture and decision-making based on values of reciprocity, responsibility, and seven generation thinking.
Devin Landry
Manager, California Landscape Stewardship Network
Devin Landry is the Manager of the California Landscape Stewardship Network, where he supports the Network’s goals of providing practitioners statewide with opportunities for peer exchange, co-developing solutions to cross-boundary challenges, and increasing awareness of the landscape stewardship movement to stakeholders, policymakers, and funders. Devin also supports the Network for Landscape Conservation by facilitating peer learning spaces for collaborative practitioners operating place-based and regional networks across the country. Devin earned his M.S. in Wildlife Biology from the University of Montana, and is a proud alum of the Natural Resources Conflict Resolution Program at UM, which kickstarted his journey into supporting collaborative approaches to big socio-ecological problems facing the American West and beyond.
Emily Blackmer
Director of Government & Community Affairs, Sierra Business Council
As Director of Government and Community Affairs at Sierra Business Council, Emily Blackmer leads SBC's efforts to protect and advance the well-being of the Sierra Nevada through coalition-building and advocacy across the region and the state, with a focus on natural resources, wildfire, climate, and meeting the needs of rural Sierra communities. She previously worked for the Sierra Nevada Conservancy. Emily holds a master’s degree in natural resource policy from the University of Michigan and a B.A. from Dartmouth College.
Eric Martin
Director of Public Works, Northstar Community Services District
Verdi, NV with his wife and two sons.
Photo taken by Jade Elhardt
Faith Churchill
Watershed Project Manager, Butte County Resource Conservation District
Faith has been with the Butte County Resource Conservation District for the last four years. Since 2023, she has been involved in the Butte County Collaborative Group's administrative committee, GIS working group, and monitoring working group. During the early days of the Collaborative Group, her main focus was to gather and cross-walk forest health project GIS data into one cohesive online map. With the project map now being annually updated thanks to the combined efforts of the working group, she is focused on creating a county wide monitoring plan to assess and improve our forest health treatments.
Feather Wolfin
Environmental Director, Pit River Nation
Gregory Feather Wolfin, Issi-Illmawi and citizen of the Pit River Nation. Gregory graduated from Haskell Indian Nations University with a bachelors in Indigenous and American Indian Studies with an emphasis in Tribal Sovereignty. While at Haskell, Gregory participated in climatology internships and studied GIS.Gregory is an enigmatic young man, and likes long walks along the Pit River. Gregory has been the Environmental Director for the past eight years and has served as the Illmawi Band Representative for the past ten years. Gregory is the current lead for the Sattitla Highland National Monument, 255k acres designated as a national monument from the Biden Administration and has worked to develop partnerships on and near the Tribe's ancestral lands. Currently, Gregory has worked to re-acquire ancestral lands of the Pit River Nation in an effort to protect and preserve the inherent rights of the Pit River people; past, present and into the future. Gregory is currently figuring the pathways to reintroduce beneficial fire to the tribal landscape as practiced by Pit River ancestors.
Geneva E. B. Thompson
Deputy Secretary for Tribal Affairs, California Natural Resources Agency
Geneva E. B. Thompson (she/her/hers) joined the California Natural Resources Agency in June 2021 as the Deputy Secretary for Tribal Affairs. In this role, Geneva leads the development and implementation of the Agency’s tribal affairs policies and ensures the participation and inclusion of California Native American tribes within the work of the California Natural Resources Agency. Previously, she served as Associate General Counsel for the Yurok Tribe, where she practiced environmental and cultural resource law and represented the Yurok Tribe in tribal, federal, and state forums. She also served as Staff Attorney for the Wishtoyo Foundation and clerked with the Department of Justice Indian Resource Section, the Natural Resources Defense Council, Earthjustice, and the Tribal Law and Policy Institute. Geneva graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law, with specializations in Critical Race Studies and Public Interest Law and Policy. Geneva is a citizen of the Cherokee Nation and enjoys beading, gardening, and hiking with her spouse in state and national parks.
Jaron Brandon
Tuolumne County Supervisor
Jaron Brandon is a Tuolumne County Supervisor and candidate for California State Senate District 4, a geographically diverse district spanning all or part of 13 counties across the Sierra Nevada, Gold Country, Central Valley, and Eastern Sierra.
As a local elected official, Jaron has worked directly on challenges facing California’s rural communities, including wildfire prevention and preparedness, forest and watershed health, water resources, housing, infrastructure, and sustainable economic development. His experience has reinforced his belief that effective natural resource management requires collaboration among local communities, state and federal agencies, tribal governments, landowners, and resource professionals.Jaron is committed to strengthening California’s investment in forest resilience, watershed restoration, and wildfire mitigation while ensuring rural communities have a meaningful voice in decisions affecting the landscapes and economies they depend upon. He believes locally informed, collaborative solutions are essential to building healthier forests, safer communities, and a more resilient California.
Jenny Hatch
Executive Director, Sierra Nevada Alliance
Jenny Hatch is the Executive Director of the Sierra Nevada Alliance, where she works to strengthen regional collaboration and conservation capacity across the Sierra Nevada and Southern Cascades. Raised in the Sierra, Jenny has more than 25 years of experience in conservation, with a career spanning watershed and forest restoration, wildlife and fisheries, sustainable recreation, workforce development, policy, and advocacy.
At the Alliance, Jenny works with conservation organizations, Tribal communities, state and federal agencies, local governments, and other partners to advance landscape-scale conservation and build the regional capacity needed to translate policy and public investment into action on the ground. Her current work includes supporting collaborative conservation initiatives, Tribal capacity and technical assistance, natural-resource workforce development, and regional policy and advocacy efforts.
Jenny holds a B.S. in Conservation Biology from the University of Nevada, Reno, and began her conservation career through two terms of AmeriCorps service.
Jim Mayer
Partner, Frate Sole Olive Oil Company
Jim Mayer is an olive farmer, water leader and public policy consultant. He previously served as CEO of California Forward, Executive Director of the Little Hoover Commission, adjunct faculty at the McGeorge School of Law and Senior Writer for the Sacramento Bee. He is a member of the National Academy of Public Administration.
Joel Metzger
Deputy Director of Statewide Water Resources Planning & Enterprise Project Management, California Department of Water Resources
Joel Metzger is the Deputy Director of Statewide Water Resources Planning & Enterprise Project Management at the California Department of Water Resources (DWR), where he oversees the Division of Planning and the Office of Project Management. He leads the California Water Plan update and cross-department initiatives that integrate infrastructure, policy, and community needs to strengthen statewide water resilience.
Prior to joining DWR, Joel served for five years as General Manager of the Utica Water and Power Authority in Calaveras County, guiding infrastructure modernization, dam safety improvements, and major state and federal funding partnerships. Before Utica, he spent six years at the Calaveras County Water District, leading external and legislative affairs and advancing water resources planning during a period of significant drought and infrastructure investment. Earlier in his career, Joel worked as a journalist and Editor-in-Chief of the Calaveras Enterprise.
Joel is passionate about cultivating effective leadership and building trust that empowers teams to do their best work. Following the signing of SB 72 by Governor Newsom in 2025, he is leading efforts to modernize the California Water Plan and advance long-term water supply strategies for 2040, 2050, and beyond.
Jonathan Kusel
Executive Advisor, Sierra Institute & Mosaic Timber
Jonathan founded the Sierra Institute in 1993 and has directed the organization ever since. He received a Ph.D. in Natural Resource Sociology and Policy from U.C. Berkeley, where he was an instructor before launching Sierra Institute. His dissertation focused on how rural northern Sierra communities changed following the departure of their wood products anchor businesses. This work, at the intersection of community and forest and watershed health, formed the basis for the Sierra Institute’s mission and approach. He also holds a master's degree in Forest Science from the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies. Jonathan lives in Indian Valley with his wife, Amy, and two dogs, Dobby and Sadie. On the rare occasion that he’s not working to promote rural well-being or advance opportunities for his organization, you can find him hiking around the valley or coaching the varsity boys' basketball team at Greenville High School.
Julia Levin
Executive Director of the Bioenergy Association of California
University of California, San Francisco.
Kyle Rodgers
Executive Director, Sierra Institute for Community & Environment
At Sierra Institute, Kyle manages our work with a growing network of collaborative groups working on forest management issues across California, and rural development efforts focused on rebuilding capacity in forest communities across California. Kyle brings a diverse background to this work that includes surveying hemlock trees and monitoring bog turtles on the Blue Ridge Parkway, studying human dimensions of endangered species conservation planning across the Southeast, and prior work at the Sierra Institute on a range of projects from watershed coordination to youth programming. When he isn’t at the office, you might find him coaching youth soccer or hiking with his wife and dog. Kyle holds a BS in Conservation Biology from Clemson University and an MS in Wildlife and Fisheries Science from the University of Tennessee.
Lisa Lien-Mager
Deputy Secretary for Forest and Wildfire Resilience
Lisa Lien-Mager serves as Deputy Secretary for Forest and Wildfire Resilience, leading the Agency’s initiatives to improve the health of California’s forests and landscapes while building resilience to wildfire. She also serves as the Agency’s lead in implementing California’s Wildfire and Forest Resilience Action Plan and aligning policies, programs and investments to help achieve the Action Plan’s goals. Prior to being appointed to the role in September 2023, Lisa served as Senior Advisor for Strategic Communications at the Agency from 2021 to 2023 and as Deputy Secretary for Communications from 2017 to 2021. Before joining the Agency, Lisa served as Director of Communications for the Association of California Water Agencies for five years and held various other positions at that organization. She holds a bachelor's degree in journalism and Spanish from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and started her career as a reporter for the Milwaukee Sentinel.
Luna Latimer
Director of the Mid Klamath Watershed Council
Luna Latimer is the Director of the Mid Klamath Watershed Council, where she has worked since 2004. She is passionate about forestry and the role of non-profit organizations in the well-being of rural communities. Luna received her masters degree from Oregon State University with focus on forest restoration projects on private land within the middle Klamath. Luna serves on the leadership team of the Western Klamath Restoration Partnership, the President’s Advisory Committee for the University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources, and on the Community Advisory Committee for the Redwood Community Energy Authority. Luna lives in Orleans, California.
Marta Prat Guitart
Senior Project & Science Manager, Blue Forest
Marta Prat Guitart is a Senior Project & Science Manager at Blue Forest, where she leads the development of conservation finance projects across landscapes in California and helps build tools and processes to evaluate their impact. Previously, she worked on the development of private-public partnerships for wildlife conservation in the US and internationally, contributing to the protection of over 15,000 acres of natural habitat. Marta is passionate about collaborative approaches that make ecosystem resilience work at scale - for people, nature and the economies that rely on both.
Matt Millar
Sierra Nevada Program Director, National Forest Foundation
Matt Millar is the Sierra Nevada Program Director for the National Forest Foundation, supporting shared stewardship efforts across 11 Forest Service units in Northern California, the Sierra Nevada ecoregion, and Nevada. Grounding his work in ecological science and field experience, Matt spent 15 seasons as a wildland firefighter on engine, helitack, hotshot, and wildland fire module crews throughout the Western United States. He holds an MSc in Environmental Science and Policy from Northern Arizona University. Matt transitioned into collaborative landscape management in 2017 while serving as the Operations Specialist for the Flagstaff Watershed Protection Project with the City of Flagstaff Fire Department. Born and raised in the Sierra Foothills, he draws inspiration from the region's ecosystems in his work with the National Forest Foundation, partners, and public lands.
Patrick Wright
Director of the California Wildfire & Forest Resilience Task Force
Patrick Wright serves as the Director of the California Wildfire & Forest Resilience Task Force. Established by Governor Gavin Newsom, the Task Force brings together state, federal, Tribal, local, and private partners to advance landscape-scale solutions that reduce wildfire risk, improve forest health, and create more resilient natural and human communities.
Patrick brings decades of leadership and institutional knowledge to this year's conference. Prior to his current role, he served as Acting Director of the Forest Management Task Force at the California Natural Resources Agency and as Executive Director of the Tahoe Conservancy from 2006 to 2021.
A longtime participant in SCALE, Patrick has consistently helped collaborative partners better understand the state's priorities and direction for forest and watershed resilience. We are excited to welcome him back to the conference and hear his perspective on the opportunities and challenges ahead.
Rebekah Casey
Assistant Director, California State University, Chico, North State Planning & Development Collective
Rebekah Casey is an Assistant Director at California State University, Chico, North State Planning & Development Collective where she oversees research, restoration, and regional convening efforts and manages a landscape-scale conservation portfolio. She brings more than 20 years of leadership experience directing complex, highly coordinated initiatives emphasizing equity, environmental justice, and impactful Tribal partnerships. Raised in the Sierra Nevada between the West Branch and the North Fork of the Feather River, Rebekah is an enthusiastic adventurer, intrepid coalition builder, and active volunteer. She holds a B.S. in Physics from California State University, Chico and has served on numerous local boards and committees, including a term on the City of Chico's Climate Action Commission.
Rick Hopson
Deputy Regional Forester, Forest Service
Rick Hopson is currently in a temporary detail as a Deputy Regional Forester in the Forest Service Pacific Southwest Regional Office. In his regular position he is the Forest Supervisor on the Lassen National Forest in northern California. Rick has also worked as the Deputy Director of the Ecosystem Management within the Pacific Southwest Region, District Ranger on the Eldorado National Forest, Regional Hydrologist in the Intermountain Region, and served in various hydrologist roles in California. In temporary assignments Rick served as the Director of Grants and Agreements, Director of Ecosystem Management, and Forest Supervisor on the Plumas National Forest. His first Forest Service assignment was on the Chequamegon National Forest in northern Wisconsin back in 1993. Rick has a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Minnesota and a Master of Science degree in Forest Hydrology from Oregon State University.
Sam Uden
Co-Founder & Managing Director, Net-Zero California
Sam Uden is Co-Founder and Managing Director of Net-Zero California. He is a policy analyst and registered lobbyist. He has worked on forest biomass issues in Sacramento for several years.
Sarah Campe
Regional Scientist at the Sierra Nevada Conservancy
Sarah Campe is the Regional Scientist at the Sierra Nevada Conservancy (SNC), where she has worked for over a decade to connect science, policy, and management and support the great work of the SNC’s on-the-ground partners. Sarah moved to Sequoia National Park as a child and imprinted on the Southern Sierra backcountry, sparking a lifelong devotion to these mountains. With a background in environmental science, policy and management, Sarah is particularly interested in landscape-scale dynamics and the social and ecological processes that drive change. Her work focuses on advancing strategies to restore, protect and steward Sierra-Cascade landscapes and communities.
Scott Ritter
Wildfire Scientist, Delos Insurance Solutions
Scott Ritter, PhD, is a wildfire scientist at Delos Insurance Solutions, where he leads the development of wildfire models spanning hazard, vulnerability, and portfolio loss. Before moving into insurance, he was a Research Ecologist with the USDA Forest Service, studying the drivers of wildfire suppression effectiveness and applying risk assessments to landscape treatment prioritization and pre-fire planning. He holds a PhD in Forest Science from Colorado State University and has published on fire behavior modeling, forest restoration, and climate-fire interactions. His work bridges wildland fire science and the insurance industry's approach to wildfire risk.
Sean Kennedy
Deputy Director of Energy Investments, California Strategic Growth Council
Sean Kennedy is Deputy Director of Energy Investments at the California Strategic Growth Council and Affiliate Faculty in Urban and Regional Planning at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. He has extensive experience in climate and housing policy across the public, private, and nonprofit sectors, including roles at the Australian Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency and the World Agroforestry Centre in Bogor, Indonesia.At SGC, Dr. Kennedy leads interagency initiatives at the intersection of housing, agriculture, climate, and equity, including the Factory-built Housing Regional Pilot Program launched in 2024 and the California Agricultural Land Equity Task Force. Before joining SGC, he was an Assistant Professor of Urban and Regional Planning at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where his research and teaching focused on international environmental planning, energy governance, and climate change planning, with an emphasis on the equity impacts of climate and energy policy in California and Southeast Asia.
Sebastian Harrison
Environmental Engineering Consultant
Sebastian joined CCLR with 7 years of experience in the Chemical Industry as a Remediation Project Manager, his past work included assisting in all facets of Sustainability such as brownfield revitalization, waste management, environmental policy, responsible care, solar implementation, and life cycle analysis. Since joining CCLR, he has been fundamental in the roll-out and management of the Equitable Community Revitalization Grant, assisting applicants and grantees plan and execute projects in the investigation and revitalization of brownfields across the state of California. He draws from his past experience to help applicants design budgets aligned with remediation success, and assists grantees with contracting events. While at CCLR he has also acted as a subject matter expert on Sustainable Remediation and helped explain how site clean-up can be linked towards broader Social, Environmental, and Economic goals.
Shelley Villalobos
Senior Manager-CA Reforestation Pipeline Partnership, American Forests
Shelley Villalobos is a collaborator focused on solving complex environmental challenges through partnership, systems thinking and practical implementation. Before joining American Forests, she led sustainability initiatives in the sports industry, helping organizations integrate environmental and social responsibility into major events and operations. Today, she leads the California Reforestation Pipeline Partnership, working with federal, state, nonprofit, Tribal, and private-sector partners to strengthen the systems needed to restore California's forests after severe wildfire. Her work centers on removing barriers to post-fire reforestation by advancing cross-boundary collaboration, workforce development, science exchange and implementation-focused strategies that help move restoration from planning to action.
Sophie Carrillo-Mandel
Senior Associate, Consensus Building Institute
Sophie Carrillo-Mandel is a Senior Associate at the Consensus Building Institute and has facilitated the South Fork of the American River (SOFAR) Collaborative since 2021. SOFAR is an all-lands, multistakeholder group dedicated to achieving resilient landscapes, fire-adapted communities, and safe and effective wildfire response. Sophie specializes in helping diverse partners navigate complex natural resource decisions to find shared priorities and actionable paths forward. Her commitment to collaborative stewardship of Sierra landscapes is rooted in her upbringing in rural Eastern Madera County and nearly a decade on wilderness trail crews with the National Park Service and California Conservation Corps.
Taylor Nilsson
Executive Director, Butte County Fire Safe Council
Taylor Nilsson is the Executive Director of the Butte County Fire Safe Council, where he works to advance collaborative approaches to wildfire mitigation and recovery, forest health, and community preparedness across Butte County. Since joining the organization in 2019, he has helped expand landscape-scale restoration and wildfire mitigation efforts through partnerships with local communities, Tribes, nonprofits, and state and federal agencies. Taylor also helps administer the Butte County Collaborative Group and serves as County Coordinator in Butte County through the Wildfire County Coordinator Program, supporting cross-jurisdictional collaboration to accelerate the pace and scale of forest restoration. He holds a bachelor's degree in Environmental Management and Protection from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo.
Thomas Mitchum
Tribal Liaison & Engagement Specialist, Chico State Enterprises
programs, and partnerships that affect their communities and ancestral lands.
Todd Manley
Director of Government Relations for the Northern California Water Association (NCWA)
Todd Manley is the Director of Government Relations for the Northern California Water Association (NCWA), where he assists member organizations with state and federal water policy issues. Todd also manages the Sacramento Valley Salmon Recovery Program, a collaborative partnership of local water management entities, conservation organizations and state and federal fisheries and water management agencies working together to complete habitat projects and improve science to promote recovery of salmon and other species of fish in the region. This includes focused efforts in Battle Creek and Butte Creek to implement habitat projects and science to benefit endangered and threatened runs of Chinook salmon.
Todd serves on several boards and committees supporting the Sacramento Valley, water management, fisheries and the Pacific Flyway.
Prior to NCWA, Todd was a water policy advocate in Washington, DC.
Todd is a graduate of California State University, Sacramento’s College of Business Administration where he received the degree of Master of Business Administration. He also earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and History from the University of California, Davis. Todd is a graduate of the California Agricultural Leadership Program.
Todd lives in Sacramento with his wife and daughter and in his free time he enjoys woodworking, fishing (particularly on the lower Sacramento River in Redding), hiking, and other outdoor activities.