Meet the Team

“As a young female professional, it is sometimes difficult to be taken seriously in the forestry industry. At the Guild, my knowledge is valued. I enjoy working with landowners, professionals, and community members who share the goal of improving forest health and the benefits to communities dependent on them.”

Dakota Wagner

Southeast Region Coordinator

"I work for the Guild because no other organization I know of so seamlessly blends lofty aspirations with the ability to get good work done on the ground. The Guild’s principles provide a vision for improving our world one stand at a time.”

Zander Evans

Executive Director

“I enjoy helping people connect with their environment in a personal way. The Guild community and projects help a wide diversity of people find their way toward those connections.”

Colleen Robinson

Communications Coordinator

“A Guild strength is meaningful partnerships. Part of my job is coordinating field trips, workshops, and webinars on relevant topics that help put science into practice. Our partnerships make that possible.”

Amanda Mahaffey

Deputy Director

Zander Evans

Executive Director

zander@forestguild.org

505-983-8992 ext 705

Southwest office, New Mexico

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Zander was the Guild’s research director for 11 years prior to his current role. His research supports on-the-ground implementation of ecological forestry. He has a PhD from the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies and worked as a cartographer and spatial analyst with the US Geological Survey.

“In college, I became obsessed with environmental threats and thought the only way to make a difference was through international policy. In contrast, I learned there were opportunities to make a positive impact in forests right where I grew up in southern New England. With just a Master of Forestry and some blue paint, I could change the course of a woodlot for a generation. As the Guild’s executive director, it is incredibly rewarding to see the positive impact Guild members have in the forests they manage and how, collectively, we can tackle the environmental challenges that first motivated me."

Eytan Krasilovsky

Deputy Director

eytan@forestguild.org

505-470-0185 (mobile)

505-983-8992 ext 707

Southwest office, New Mexico

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The Southwest program continues the legacy started by the Forest Trust in 1984 to practice and promote excellence in stewardship by building a sustainable forest-based economy, developing future forestry leaders, practicing ecological forest restoration, and training and educating fire and forest workers and landowners. Eytan develops, funds, and implements projects to support these goals. The Southwest program currently works on landscape-scale restoration, youth education and training, wildland firefighter training, and effectiveness monitoring. Eytan is involved in several local collaborative efforts to improve forest management and serves on a wildland-urban interface risk reduction grant review panel. He received his master’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania after working as a field archaeologist in the Northeast and a fire effects monitor and wildland firefighter with the National Park Service.

Matt Piccarello

Deputy Director

matt@forestguild.org

505-470-9725

Eastern United States

Bio coming soon...

Mackenzie Alexander

Southeast Coordinator

malexander@forestguild.org

423-430-6679

Southeast office, North Carolina

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Mackenzie, a proud Minnesota native, discovered her passion for the outdoors and connecting people with nature at an early age. She pursued her academic interests at North Dakota State University, where she earned both a B.S. and M.S. in Natural Resources Management, setting the foundation for her career in environmental stewardship. After completing her degrees, Mackenzie relocated to the picturesque Blue Ridge Mountains of Asheville, North Carolina, to be closer to her family and immerse herself in the region’s natural beauty. Throughout her career, she sought opportunities to engage with diverse outreach programs, from leading back-country backpacking trips to offering outdoor education, hosting networking events, and providing forestry consulting services. In her new role with the Guild, Mackenzie will collaborate with organizations to host forestry related outreach events and support vital restoration projects across the Southeast Region. She’s excited to bring her passion and expertise to a dedicated, like-minded team.

Rhiley Allbee

Pacific West Coordinator

rhiley@forestguild.org

231-629-6996

Pacific Northwest office, Washington

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Rhiley is passionate about facilitating sustainable relationships between people and their environments. She is based in Seattle, Washington and is currently the Pacific Northwest Region Coordinator, involved in expanding Guild membership and organizing the Northwest Innovative Forestry Summit. Rhiley holds a B.S. in Biology from Saginaw Valley State University and a M.S. in Forest Ecology and Management from Michigan Technological University. She’s had work experiences that range from being a Timber Stand Improvement Forestry Technician with USFS, an Agroforestry and Extension Agent with the US Peace Corps in Senegal, and a Sustainable Landscapes and Investment Fellow at the Global Green Growth Institute in South Korea. Rhiley is excited to use her previous experiences to further expand the Guild’s work and membership in the Pacific Northwest.

Judi Beal

Business Coordinator

judi@forestguild.org

505-983-8992 ext. 718

Southwest office, New Mexico

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Judi brings a diverse background of skills and experience in the environmental and healthcare world to her role as Business Coordinator for the Guild. While pursuing a degree in Environmental Studies at UNC-Asheville she worked in the Grassroots Field Office of The National Parks and Conservation Association holding positions from administration to advocacy and outreach. After a summer volunteering with the Bureau of Land Management in SE Utah, she was hired as a Backcountry Ranger and then transitioned into the office to implement the first Fee Demo Program for the BLM. After several years with the BLM she moved back to Asheville, NC to be closer to family and to work as manager of Group Education Programs with the North Carolina Outward Bound School. Her love of learning led her to pursue a degree in the healthcare industry where her career has been focused (for the past 10 years). Joining the Guild has brought her back to her environmental roots. Judi lives in Santa Fe, NM with her husband and enjoys anything in the outdoors, and listening to music.

Rachel Bean

Southwest Program Manager

rachel@forestguild.org

505-919-9062

Southwest office, New Mexico

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Born in New Mexico and raised on the principles of responsible land stewardship, Rachel earned her B.S. in Fish, Wildlife and Conservation Ecology with a focus in Ecosystem Management from New Mexico State University. She spent her post-collegiate years immersed in forest thinning and fuels reduction and now works in her capacity at the Guild to support and expand community and organizational land management projects. From fire resiliency learning networks to programs designed to assist landowners reduce pests and disease, these proactive and collaborative projects address a spectrum of challenges facing the landscape and people of the southwest. A typical day may find Rachel assisting the Forest Stewards Youth Corps, in the field performing ecological monitoring, or facilitating wildfire preparedness knowledge sharing between experts and community members. When not at work Rachel enjoys hiking, rock climbing, baking, and settling down with a good book and mug of black tea.

Sam Berry

Southwest Associate Director

sam@forestguild.org

541-816-6371

Southwest office, New Mexico

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Sam Berry works on facilitating the return of good fire, building fire resilient communities, and supporting workforce development in the landscapes of New Mexico and beyond. Sam works on a variety of projects but leads the Guild’s Southwest Office’s Fire and Fuels Program and Forest Stewards Youth Corps program. His work in general seeks to build connections and do work on the ground that leads to better relationships between wildland fires, the natural world, and communities. Sam holds a MNR from the University of Idaho. He has worked on various wildland and prescribed fire crews, engines and wildfire use modules in several states. He worked in the Klamath region of Northern California promoting fire adapted communities, running chainsaws on thinning crews, managing noxious weeds, and on fisheries crew. In Montana Sam developed and completed two oral history projects documenting lives rural communities. In his free time, he enjoys being with his favorite people and dogs, crafting things, cooking, and being outdoors.

Christi Bode

San Luis Valley Partnership Coordinator

cbode@forestguild.org

720-665-5650

Pagosa Springs, Colorado

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As a mid-career documentary filmmaker and writer focusing on the Southwest’s land, water and cultural issues, Christi brings a unique lens to the Guild. From 12,000 feet above on the Continental Divide to the arroyos of the Chihuahuan Desert, Christi continuously seeks interconnection between our human and ecological landscapes. She believes the most important stories are the ones closest to home, as place-based knowledge and solutions will ultimately shape climate-adapted communities. In her role with the Guild, Christi continues to serve as a dot-connector and solution-seeker, with the goal of elevating collaborative watershed health efforts throughout Southern Colorado. She has a B.F.A in Commercial Photography from The Art Institute of Colorado, although the hundreds of hours Christi’s logged in the passenger seat of a pickup truck or at a kitchen table is fundamental to understanding her role in the landscape.

Lily Bruce

Southwest Project Manager

lily@forestguild.org

505-983-8992 ext. 708

Southwest region, Colorado

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Lily is from rural Vermont, where she watched small communities struggle as they transitioned away from logging economies. After earning her BA in Fine Art from the University of Vermont, Lily spent a decade researching and writing about the connection between place, identity, and natural resources through the lens of traditional textile crafts. This exploration sparked her interest in policy’s role in maintaining vibrant rural communities. Lily received her MS in Forest Stewardship from the University of Colorado, where she deepened her understanding of the federal policies that support community-based forestry.

Through her work with the Forest Stewards Guild, Lily supports small-acreage and underserved landowners in northern New Mexico and southern Colorado in implementing climate-smart forest projects. She also supports the collaborative restoration of key watersheds by coordinating the Executive Committee of the 2-3-2 Partnership. Her goal is to support resilient, connected human and ecological communities that thrive amidst changing environmental and economic landscapes.

Esmé Cadiente

Southwest Director

esme@forestguild.org

505-470-0032 (mobile)

Southwest office, New Mexico

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Esmé manages Collaborative Forest Restoration Program (CFRP) projects. Her work addresses wildfire on a fireshed scale, with a pro-active and collaborative approach to improve the health and long-term resilience of our forests and communities. Esmé also communicates science to the public through project outreach materials, website design, verbal communication and photography, helping a range of audiences understand and engage in their natural world. Esmé holds an M.S. in Ecohydrological Science and Management from the University of Idaho in Moscow, and a B.S. in Environmental Biology from Fort Lewis College in Durango, CO. Her work has emphasized the mixed use of watershed and fireshed landscapes and the coupling between human and natural systems to manage forest and water resources at the landscape to regional scale. Esmé’s past research examines the interface between hydrologic and riparian systems and the ecological role of fire in forested watersheds for maintaining forest health and ecological resilience in a changing world.

Chris DeFiore

Southeast Coordinator

cdefiore@forestguild.org

828-367-9140

Southeast office, North Carolina

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Chris discovered his passion for the natural world and deepening people's connections to it after serving with AmeriCorps in 2007 on an ecological restoration project in California. Many years later, he is excited to work with the Forest Stewards Guild supporting the Appalachian Region in community-based ecological forest stewardship programming.

Chris received a BA in Environment Education from Warren Wilson College and a Master of Forestry from the Yale School of the Environment. He has worked in community-based forestry with The Nature Conservancy, as a Wilderness Instructor with North Carolina Outward Bound, and as a High School Environmental Science Teacher in Asheville, NC.

In his free time, Chris enjoys hiking in the Western North Carolina Mountains while making frequent stops along the trail to explore all the amazing plant life. Chris believes that stewarding forests together is critical towards co-creating a loving, thriving, and sustainable future.

Sarah DeMay

Southwest Project Coordinator

sarah@forestguild.org

505-780-1236

Southwest office, New Mexico

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Sarah DeMay has been working, learning, and living within the fire-prone and fire-adapted landscapes of Northern New Mexico and beyond for over two decades. She’s been steeped in disciplines spanning ecology and prescribed fire to suppression and fire aviation. More recently, after experiencing firsthand the loss of a beloved community and vast areas of forested landscape to multiple high-severity wildfires, Sarah is engaged in wildland fire as a rural community member, landowner, and as an advocate for all people who call this land home. Sarah is driven by a sense of urgency that derives from the combined experiences of working as a wildland firefighter, living off-grid within a fire-prone landscape, and raising a family in a place and time in which climate change, drought, and high-severity wildfire are the norm.

Cody Dems

Southwest Program Manager

cody@forestguild.org

720-253-6419

Southwest office, New Mexico

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Cody joined the Guild to work at the confluence of people and forests. With a background in prescribed fire implementation and research, community outreach, and ecological monitoring, Cody supports multiple programs throughout the Southwest. Ever learning, Cody is excited to combine landscape-scale planning with on-the-ground projects to restore, protect, and promote resilient forest communities. He has a B.S. in Resource Conservation from The University of Montana and an M.S. in Forest Resources from Penn State.

Fallon Grafe

Business Manager

fallon@forestguild.org

505-983-8992 ext. 717

Southwest office, New Mexico

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Sarah F. Hagan

Southeast Project Manager

shagan@forestguild.org

540-254-0320

Lynchburg, Virginia

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Born and raised in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, Sarah feels most at home out of doors and has made a career of trying to better the natural environment around her. In her role at the Guild, Sarah’s responsibilities include forest restoration project management and forestry outreach and communication. Sarah has an undergraduate degree in Biology and a master’s degree in Environmental Management. She is an ISA certified arborist. Sarah's hobbies include playing the piano badly, reading, and obsessing over her houseplants.

Maya Hilty

Fireshed Coordinator

mhilty@forestguild.org

505-428-9155

Southwest office, New Mexico

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Maya Hilty’s strong interest in promoting community environmental stewardship drew her to the Guild. She aims to continue expanding fire preparedness efforts around Santa Fe and building an ethic of collective responsibility for fire mitigation through public outreach and education. 

Maya grew up in western Colorado, received a B.A. in Environmental Studies from Carleton College in Minnesota, and worked as a daily newspaper reporter prior to joining the Guild. In her free time, she enjoys exploring the outdoors, playing soccer, and hanging out with her partner and two cats.

Gabe Kohler

Program Manager

gabe@forestguild.org

509-844-3048

Southwest office, New Mexico

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Gabe has a strong interest in the human dimensions of natural resource management and wants to develop forest and fire management that strengthens the connection between rural communities and the forestland that surrounds them. He holds a B.A in Environmental Studies from Lewis and Clark College and a M.S in Forest Ecosystems and Society from the Oregon State University College of Forestry. During his graduate studies, Gabe learned to approach natural resource challenges from an interdisciplinary perspective, merging the social sciences with fire science and management. In his work as a social scientist contractor and research associate, Gabe talked with hundreds of natural resource professionals throughout the western US about their experiences, and hopes to bring these diverse perspectives to his work with the Guild. Gabe’s weekends are spent camping, biking, listening to live music, and road-tripping around the states with his girlfriend and their dog Magoo.

Chanda Littlefield

Pacific West Coordinator

chanda@forestguild.org

541-913-3221

Pacific West office, Oregon

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Chanda brings valuable forestry experience to the Forest Stewards Guild, having previously worked as a forester at the Washington Department of Natural Resources and the US Forest Service in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest. Most recently, at Nakamoto Forestry, she played a key role in setting up their sustainability department, deeply engaging with Japanese forestry practices. Holding a degree in Forestry with a dual focus in Forest Management and Forest Restoration and Fire from Oregon State University, she is well-versed in both the practical and ecological aspects of forest stewardship. She is driven by a commitment to improving the planet's health and is enthusiastic about expanding Guild membership in the Northwest, while also strengthening connections with existing members. Her work emphasizes bird population management, climate considerations, and biodiversity, with a goal of increasing environmental education access for underserved communities. Beyond her professional life, Chanda enjoys outdoor activities like backpacking, mountaineering, and Nordic skiing.

Michael Lynch

Great Lakes Director

mike@forestguild.org

608-449-0647

Lake States office, Minnesota

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Michael focuses on regional research needs, collaboration opportunities, and natural resource planning at a landscape-scale. Michael has specialized experience developing integrated solutions to balance the multifaceted ecological, economic, and social needs of the Lake State’s forest resources. Michael holds a BA from Gustavus Adolphus College with majors in Biology and Environmental Studies and an MS in Biological Integration from the University of Minnesota. Prior to working for the Forest Stewards Guild, Michael worked with the Wisconsin DNR, Minnesota Forest Resources Council/Minnesota DNR, Sugarloaf: The North Shore Stewardship Association, and USDA Forest Service. Michael also operates a southern Minnesota corn and soybean farm that pairs land and water conservation practices with production agriculture. He spends his time away from Guild and farming activities engaging in a variety of outdoor adventures with his wife and kids. Michael's office is located in Mankato, MN.

Collin McElroy

Southwest Ecological Monitoring Coordinator

collin@forestguild.org

541-222-9571

Southwest Office, New Mexico

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Collin comes to the Guild with a passion for ecology and a wide range of ecological monitoring experience. He has conducted avian surveys, rare plant surveys, monitored rangeland health, and assessed efficacy of vegetation treatments. He has a B.S. in Biology with a focus in Ecology and Evolution from the University of Oregon. He is excited to be a part of landscape scale collaborative projects working to inform responsible land management. When not at work, you can find Collin birding, playing disc golf, or planning to go birding.

Kyra Mills

Southwest Program Manager

kmills@forestguild.org

530-979-7690

Southwest office, New Mexico

Bio coming soon...

Christian Nelson

Lake States Coordinator

christian@forestguild.org

218-591-2140

Lake States, Duluth, Minnesota

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Christian has been professional forester in the Lake States for over 25 years working with state agencies and Native American tribes. He has a passion for science-based, ecologically focused, and pragmatic forestry practices and believes people have a place in the environment and therefore a responsibility to be good stewards. Christian is proud to be part of an organization that promotes good, sustainable, science-based land management, research to fill knowledge gaps, and targeted outreach to help promote good stewardship. He has a B.S. in Wildlife Management from Saint Cloud State University, completed the coursework for an M.S. in forest management at the University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point, went through the National Advanced Silviculture Program, and holds certificates in GIS and computer programming. Outside of work, Christian is a disc golfer, mountain biker, canoe camper, hunter, amateur musician, and routinely slays (pretend) monsters in a game group.

Andrew Pearson

Youth Program Coordinator

apearson@forestguild.org

505-795-2551

Southwest office, Santa Fe, New Mexico

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Andrew has been working with youth in the outdoors for nearly a decade from the Northwoods of Wisconsin to the high desert of beautiful New Mexico. He’s honored to work at the intersection of environmental stewardship, outdoor education, and youth development to invest in the next generation of forest stewards. In his role at the Guild he supports crews of young adults as they develop technical competencies and job skills while improving the landscapes of their communities. On his own time Andrew enjoys fixing up motorcycles, exploring Albuquerque on his bicycle, and convincing himself that he’ll get around to the growing mountain of unread books on his shelf.

Mateo Pomilia

Southwest Program Manager

mateo@forestguild.org

847-533-1849

Southwest office, New Mexico

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Mateo brings diverse international experience to the Guild, having worked for a decade and a half in biodiversity conservation, agroecology and intercultural education throughout South and Central America, southern Africa and the US. Mateo’s interests include traditional ecological knowledge, ecological restoration, protected areas governance and intersections between environmental and social justice. Mateo is ecstatic to join the Guild’s efforts to collaboratively manage forest landscapes in northern New Mexico for resilience, biodiversity conservation and the benefit of local communities. Mateo holds a MSc in Biodiversity and Conservation from the University of Leeds (UK) and a BA from the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill. Mateo is an avid outdoorsman, linguist and songwriter-singer.

Colleen Robinson

Communications Manager

colleen@forestguild.org

505-983-8992 ext. 700

Lake States office, Wisconsin

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Colleen describes her perfect work as helping people recognize and acknowledge their own connections to their environment. She has a Bachelor's Degree in environmental education and a broad background in communications. After 10 years with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources' Forest Health Program and 14 years with the non-profit, Friends of Pheasant Branch Conservancy, her knowledge directly relates to our communication needs. She understands our work with forests and the people who own, manage and recreate within them. Colleen maintains our website, member and donor communications, event registrations, e-news, magazine, and Annual Review. Outside the Guild, she is a Wisconsin Master Naturalist course instructor, a Certified Mindful Outdoor Guide, and enjoys time in the woods and on the water with friends and family. She puts high value on locally sourced, healthy food. You'll often hear her say "I belong outside."

Carlos Saiz

Southwest Fire and Fuels Coordinator

carlos@forestguild.org

505-795-2556

Southwest office, New Mexico

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My passion with this work goes hand in hand with my previous work experience. I’ve spent a decade working in my hometown as a Wildland Firefighter for the City of Santa Fe Fire Department (SFFD). My focus was wildfire and assisting the WUI specialist, but I’ve done many different things from Fire suppression on a hand crew and an engine, to acting as an EMT-I for medical/rescue assignments. Outside of work I have a fitness background Powerlifting in college at NMSU where I have a bachelor’s in communication. I’m also a martial arts practitioner with 16 years of experience. I hope to incorporate all I know with the Guild’s mission.

Photo of Luz Salinas in front of lightly snowed mountain

Luz Stefani Salinas

Southwest Project Coordinator

luz@forestguild.org

954-588-5511

Southwest office, New Mexico

Bio coming soon

Originally from Venezuela, Luz grew up in South Florida, a city essentially built on a wetland ecosystem and was inspired by the impacts of urbanization on this landscape. Witnessing the environmental challenges in this unique region sparked her passion for protecting ecosystems and addressing the critical impacts of climate change. She chose to focus on this work because of a strong belief in the importance of sustainable forest management in the face of escalating environmental challenges. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Nova Southeastern University and is currently pursuing a Master of Science in Forestry at Mississippi State University. Her prior roles involved working with biological control agents and invasive species management at the USDA and engaging in research with LANL that intersected forest ecology, drought stress, and climate change mitigation. She brings skills in GIS, data analysis, research design, and public outreach to her projects. In her off time, she enjoys yoga, life drawing, and watching films, finding balance through creative and mindful practices.

Rachel Swanwick

Northeast Program Manager

rswanwick@forestguild.org

908-938-0087

Burlington, Vermont

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Rachel holds a B.A. in Environmental Studies and International and Global Studies from Brandeis University and an M.S. in Natural Resources from the University of Vermont. Her graduate research explored the perceptions of forest stewards from state agencies and Tribal Nations in Maine on climate adaptation and cross-cultural knowledge exchange. Rachel’s professional experience ranges from working as a research associate at the National Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center, scientific program analyst at Keystone Symposia, US Forest Service Ranger and environmental educator. Rachel will support multiple Guild programs in the Northeast, and she is excited to apply her diverse background to this role. In her free time, Rachel enjoys listening to live music, practicing yoga and spending time outdoors.

Elijah “Osito” J. Small (he/him/his)

Watershed Restoration Manager

esmall@forestguild.org

505-208-1566

Southwest Region

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Born in South Dakota and raised running around on the tallgrass prairies, Elijah’s passion for nature started early, during daily walks with his mother through Camden State Park in Southwest Minnesota. By kindergarten, he knew he wanted to be a biologist, a goal that shaped his life’s path. He holds a BS in Field Biology from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls and a MS from Highlands University in Las Vegas, New Mexico. His career spans community organizing, working with tribal governments, raising endangered fish, managing conservation corps, and developing workforce programs across the Southwest and Northern Great Plains. Now, as the Watershed Restoration Manager for the Guild’s Southwest Region, Elijah focuses on bringing natural resource benefits directly to underrepresented communities. Rooted in the teaching of his culture, he is driven by the belief that healing the land (Ma’Ca) is essential to healing the people (Oyote).

Polly Weigand

Fire Projects Manager

polly@forestguild.org

631-898-6181

Hampton Bays, New York

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Polly hails from the Tug Hill Plateau, just west of the Adirondack Mountains of New York and lives on the east end of Long Island where she obtained a master’s degree in urban ecology from Hofstra University; founded (and directs) the Long Island Native Plant Initiative, administers the Long Island Invasive Species Management Area, and most recently served a as Science and Stewardship Program Manager, where she led the development of a Prescribed Fire Program for the Central Pine Barrens Commission.

As a member of the North Atlantic Fire Science Exchange leadership team, Polly helps support increased capacity for science-based wildland fire management by hosting educational programs, developing innovative technical resources, supporting research initiatives and fostering connections between researchers and managers.

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