Hawaiʻi Wildfire Management Organization & Hawaiʻi-Firewise

Dana Aina recently accepted a part-time position as a Firewise Community Support Specialist for HWMO. He’s been an active member of the Waikōloa Village Firewise Committee since 2019 and carried out the HWMO volunteer role of firewise community ambassador and wildfire home assessor since 2022. Originally from Kailua-Kona, Dana graduated from Konawaena High School (class of ‘83, Go Wildcats!) and served 3 years in the U.S. Navy. He earned both his bachelor's degree in Exercise and Sports Science (Teaching Option) and master's degree in Counselor Education (Student Development) from The Pennsylvania State University. Passionate about helping others achieve their goals, Dana spent over 30 years as a professional educator at the high school and post-secondary levels. A kanaka maoli, born and raised on Moku O Keawe, Dana enjoys learning and likes to walaʻau about his ancestral home and culture with others.

Waikōloa Firewise Community Member & Team Rubicon USA - Hawaiʻi Island Administrator

Shelly Aina has been a member of the Waikōloa Firewise Community since moving to Waikōloa in 2017. She was chair of the Waikōloa Village Associationʻs Firewise Committee, until the end of 2024. She has been an HWMO volunteer community ambassador and NFPA-trained wildfire home assessor since 2022. Originally from Pennsylvania, she is married to Dana Aina. They moved to Hawaiʻi Island in 2016. Following her service in the US Army, she attended The Pennsylvania State University, earning a B.A. in Liberal Studies. She spent 30+ years at Penn State working first as the Veterans Outreach Coordinator, then as an Information Technology Manager. After retiring, Shelly and Dana moved to Hawaiʻi, where she earned a certificate in Hawaiian Studies from Hawaiʻi Community College - Pālamanui. Shelly is passionate about volunteering her time with non-profit organizations. Most recently she assumed the role as the Hawaiʻi Island Administrator for Team Rubicon USA.

County of Hawaiʻi Mayor

Mayor Kimo Alameda is a proud father of seven children who has dedicated his professional career to serving the people of Hawaiʻi Island.

Prior to being elected as Mayor, he led Bay Clinic as CEO, the Hawaiʻi Island Fentanyl Task Force, and was the Executive of the County of Hawaiʻi’s Office of Aging.

A licensed psychologist and former coach, Mayor Alameda leads the County to build healthy communities, support geographic equity, and create a stronger island for all.

Fire Safety Research Institute

Derek Alkonis is a Research Program Manager with Fire Safety Research Institute (FSRI), at UL Research Institutes. He manages the implementation of organizational initiatives related to firefighter health and safety and spearheads efforts in addressing wildland urban interface fire challenges, a priority expansion area for FSRI research. Prior to joining FSRI, Derek served 31years with the Los Angeles County Fire Department, most recently as Assistant Fire Chief of the Air and Wildland Division. During his tenure with LACoFD, he responded to WUI fires throughout the state during the busiest wildfire seasons in California’s recorded history. As LACoFD’s Director of Training, he developed and implemented innovative programs supporting fire ground tactics, survival, and fire fighter health. Derek was FSRI’s Maui Wildfire Comprehensive Review and Analysis Team Leader and is currently leading the Southern California Fires Comprehensive Review and Analysis Team. Derek earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of California San Diego where he also played on the baseball team.

Governor's Climate
Advisory Team & University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Richardson School of Law

Denise Antolini is a volunteer member of Governor Greenʻs Climate Advisory Team (CAT), formed in June 2025 to develop policy recommendations that help Hawaiʻi mitigate future climate disasters by investing in environmental and infrastructure resilience and that help our state recover post-disaster. The Jan. 2025 CAT report led to several bills introduced and pending in the Hawaiʻi Legislature. Denise has more than 30 years of experience in environmental law. She retired in 2023 as a Professor Law Emerita from the William S. Richardson School of Law, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. She is active in North Shore, Oʻahu, community and environmental issues.

Headwaters Economics

Kimiko Barrett is the Senior Wildfire Research and Policy Analyst at Headwaters Economics, a non-partisan independent research organization based in Bozeman, Montana. Kimi is a committed agent of change in how we live with inevitable wildfires. In partnering with institutions, community leaders, local government, federal policy makers, and other subject matter experts, she has led research of national significance on topical issues such as the economics of wildfires, structural ignition vulnerabilities, building codes and land use planning, and community risk reduction strategies. Kimi served on the Federal Wildland Fire Mitigation and Management Commission, providing key Congressional policy recommendations to better address wildfire impacts. She also is the previous Program Director for Headwaters Economics’ Community Planning Assistance for Wildfire (CPAW) program, working with more than 80 communities across the country to devise community-driven solutions to reduce and adapt to increasing wildfire risks. Born and raised in Bozeman, Montana, she now lives in nearby Livingston and has her Ph.D. in Forestry.

Hawaiʻi Wildfire Management Organization

Andrea "Nani" Barretto is honored to be serving as HWMO's new Co-Executive Director, as of September 2019. Although she is new to the world of wildfire, she brings a leadership "flavor" that is built on collaboration, inspiration, servant leadership, catalytic communication, and clarity of purpose to achieve the organizational mission. Nani began her public service with the Peace Corps in Zambia (2001-04) and continued in higher education as a social scientist at the University of Michigan (2006-11). She earned a Master of Health Science degree from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in the Department of Health, Behavior, and Society in 2006 and a bachelor's degree in Neuroscience & Behavioral Biology from Emory University in 2000. Since her arrival on the Big Island in 2011, she has served as a grants consultant for area schools and nonprofits.

Division of Forestry and Wildlife

Steve has been the Branch Manager for the Hawaiʻi Branch Division of Forestry and Wildlife since 2014. Prior to that he was the Forestry Manager from 2003 to 2014 and the Protection Forester starting in 1990 managing Hawaiʻi island’s Forest Reserve System and Wildland Fire Program. He graduated with a Forest Science Degree from the University of Illinois. He spent two years as a Peace Corp Volunteer in the Phillipines working as an agroforester and a year with the USFS as a forester before moving to Hawaii.

Mauna Kahalawai Watershed Partnership

Chris Brosius has been the Program Manager for the Mauna Kahalawai Watershed Partnership since 2004. This watershed landscape is a storehouse for Hawaiian biodiversity and also serves as the principal water source for the island of Maui. He and his team are administered through the University of Hawaii’s Pacific Cooperatives Studies Unit. Together they bring additional capacity to managing the watershed and assist in coordinating resources among agencies and landowners to mitigate threats to forest health across 50,000 acres. By focusing on invasive species programs, outreach and education, coordination and gap filling, MKWP is attempting to curb forest degradation and enhance the sustainability of the island of Maui. In recent years this has also meant addressing the increase in fire threats and impacts due to adjacent fallow lands, droughts, and more ignitions. Efforts to address this important issue include participating in wildfire hazard scoping groups, planning, fuel mitigation, outreach and education.

Hawaiian Electric

Colton Ching is senior vice president of planning and technology. He has responsibility for planning Hawaiian Electric’s 100% renewable energy grid and the procurement of cost-effective, reliable, and resilient renewable resources to fulfil its plans. Colton is also responsible for developing and managing Hawaiian Electric’s strategies and budgets for the transmission and distribution system, including Hawaiian Electric’s Wildfire Safety Strategy. Colton previously served as Vice President of Energy Delivery as well as Vice President of System Operation and Planning and has 34 years of utility experience.

In addition to his work at Hawaiian Electric, Colton serves on the IEEE Power & Energy Society External Advisory Board, Department of Energy Advanced Research on Integrated Energy Systems (ARIES) External Advisory Board, the Pacific Energy Institute Advisory Board, and the Executive Board of the Aloha Council of the Scouts BSA. Colton is also one of 13 inaugural cohorts in the Omidyar Fellows Leadership program.

Retired US Forest Service Fire Research Scientist

Jack Cohen, Ph.D., has been involved in wildland fire operationally as a firefighter and Fire Behavior Analyst and as a US Forest Service Research Physical Scientist (1976-2016, retired). As a scientist he did fire behavior research at the US Forest Service fire laboratories: Missoula Fire Sciences Laboratory (1976-1979; 1995-2016), the Riverside, CA Fire Laboratory (1979-1989) and the Southern Fire Laboratory (1989-1995). Using computational modeling, laboratory and field experiments, and investigations of wildland-urban fire disasters, Jack’s research discovered that home ignitions during extreme wildfires are determined by the characteristics of a home in relation to its surroundings within 100 feet (30 meters); he called this area the home ignition zone (HIZ). He applied this understanding to develop the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) “Assessing Structure Ignition Potential from Wildfire” training and co-developed the NFPA Firewise USA Program.

Hawaiʻi Dept. of Land and Natural Resources and Hawaiʻi Wildfire Management Organization Board

Dan Dennison is the Communications Director for the Hawaiʻi Dept. of Land and Natural Resources. He also serves as the statewide Fire Information Officer for wildland fires on DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife lands and currently is the board chair of the Hawaiʻi Wildfire Management Organization. Dan has extensive experience covering wildland fires in the west, while working as a television reporter and news director for 40 years in Colorado, Hawaiʻi, California, and Virginia. Dennison first came to Hawaiʻi in 2023 as news director at KHON-TV, and subsequently was news director at KHNL/K5-TV. Dan has multiple Emmy Awards and other honors from the Associated Press, National Press Photographers Association and multiple state broadcast organizations. He is an avid hiker, bicyclist, snorkeler, skier, and loves to play tennis and Frisbee. He says he is both blessed and honored to document the work of DLNR staff and its many partners in the mountains, forests, and waters that comprise Hawaiʻi Nei. “The best job in the world.

Fire Adapted Communities Learning Network

As the Strategy Director for the Fire Adapted Communities Network, Tiernan brings over a decade of work in community disaster response and recovery to support network members in defining, envisioning, and building the fire future they want. Offering a wealth of experience with facilitation, community organizing, and strategic planning, she provides members with coaching, sector analysis, and resource curation and creation, with a focus on post-fire community recovery. Tiernan’s past work includes co-founding a nonprofit for local flood relief and recovery and designing and managing community resilience programs for multi-stakeholder coalitions. She is passionate about supporting systems and processes that are people-first and tailored to local culture and needs. Tiernan holds a Master’s of Landscape Architecture from Cal Poly Pomona, as well as an MA in Classical Languages from UC Berkeley. When not working she spends her time trail running with her dog and weaving a growing mountain of textiles.

East Maui Watershed Partnership

Dan has extensive experience with land management, working primarily to abate threats to the wet forests of windward Haleakala. Dan is the program manager of the East Maui Watershed Partnership, a project of the University of Hawaii. Through the partnership, he works on landscape level threat reduction projects that take place on public and private land. These projects rely on multi-agency planning, information sharing, and relationships. The partnership evaluates and prioritizes all threats to the watershed, and in the past year, has initiated fundraising for and implementation of wildfire fuel reduction projects at dryer project sites.

International Code Council

Karl Fippinger is a senior executive leading advocacy for resilient codes and standards in the built environment with the nation’s fire service and emergency management leaders. He is a 30-year veteran of the fire and emergency services having served as an Assistant Fire Chief in Prince William County, VA as well as an adjunct instructor with the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department in Fairfax County, VA. Karl is a Certified Emergency Manager and previously served as a member of the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s National Advisory Council. He brings more than 25 years of public and private sector experience in federal, state, and local disaster preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation.

Launiupoko Firewise Resident Leader

Gordon Firestein has been a resident of Launiupoko, Maui since 2008 and has been actively leading his neighborhood’s Firewise efforts since 2015. A firm believer in the power of community action, Gordon is dedicated to helping his neighbors take proactive steps to reduce wildfire risk and protect their homes. He recently completed the 2-day Assessing Structures for Ignition Potential (ASIP) course so he can be available to complete home assessments for interested neighbors.

National Fire Protection Association

Megan has been working in and around wildfires since 2003, when she started as a seasonal firefighter with the Washington State Department of Natural Resources. She currently works at the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) in the Wildfire Division, serving as the Firewise USA® Program Manager and represents NFPA in different wildfire working groups. She connects with federal, state, and local partners to engage residents and communities in proactive wildfire risk reduction activities through the framework of the Firewise USA® Recognition Program and believes that collaboration is the key to success in navigating the wildfire problem – no one organization or person has all the answers.

Hawaiʻi Wildfire Management Organization

Born in Placerville, California, Heather moved to Hawaiʻi in 2002 to begin her college education at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo; later graduating with honors with a degree in Marine Science and a Certificate in Planning. Before joining the HWMO, she worked as an Environmental Planner performing a variety of development, transportation, and public involvement projects; in addition, she was an Extension Specialist at the Hawaiʻi Ant Lab, a program of the Research Corporation of the University of Hawaiʻi, assisting communities and agricultural industries in the prevention and management of invasive ants. To protect the delicate environment here in Hawaiʻi, Heather acknowledges the importance of community awareness, cultural sensitivity, and public participation in conservation and management efforts.

National Park Service

Greg Funderburk is the Fire Management Officer of the Interagency Fire Management Program between the National Park Service and US Fish and Wildlife Service in the Pacific Islands. The program provides wildfire response, supports firefighters and contributes to the management of wildland fuels and post fire recovery across the National Parks and Wildlife Refuges of the Pacific. Mr. Funderburk has been stationed at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park for 13 years. A graduate of North Carolina State University, his fire management experience was gained through employment with the National Park Service and US Forest Service at posts in Utah, Montana, California, Oregon, Nevada, and Hawaiʻi. He currently serves as a Planning Section Chief on a National Interagency Complex Incident Management Team.

Hawaiʻi Wildfire Management Organization

Sara Gabrielson joined the Hawaiʻi Wildfire Management Organization as the regional coordinator for the Pacific Fire Exchange managing the Pacific region chapter of the national Joint Fire Science Program’s Fire Science Exchange Network. Sara serves as a bridge between researchers, land managers, and emergency responders ensuring current fire science and resources are disseminated and communication lines stay active between these stakeholders. Sara earned a PhD in Ecology from Northern Arizona University studying the impacts of invasive species on community ecology and conservation of natural resources and a BA in Environmental Studies from Vassar College. She has worked extensively with land managers in Hawaiʻi to reduce harmful impacts of invasive plants and animals on native forest ecosystems and conserve Hawaiʻi’s unique flora and fauna.

Kahikinui Firewise Resident Leader

Desiree Graham is grateful to call the Hawaiian Home Lands in Kahikinui, Maui, her home. Inspired by her father-in-law, Aimoku Pali, she continues his legacy of service and support for all Kanaka. As a passionate and dedicated community advocate, Desiree works tirelessly to ensure the safety of her neighbors by preventing fire risks. She actively contributes to the Kahikinui Community Firewise Committee and looks forward to welcoming more new members to strengthen the collective effort to safeguard their homes. Desiree’s deep commitment to her community and its resilience against fire hazards reflects her drive to protect and preserve the ʻāina and those in her community.

Headwaters Economics

Doug is the Program Manager for the Community Planning Assistance for Wildfire (CPAW) program, which is managed by Headwaters Economics. CPAW works with communities across the country to reduce wildfire risks through improved land use planning, compelling communication, and applied research at no cost to the community. Doug spent the early part of his career as an urban land use planner and then transitioned to the fire service where he spent 25 years working as a structural firefighter and paramedic for the Bend Fire Department. Doug’s two decades of professional experience in fire departments and as a land use planner provide practical insights and expertise to communities working to reduce wildfire risks. Doug lives in Bend, Oregon.

Division of Forestry and Wildlife

Honolulu Civil Beat

Originally hailing from Aotearoa New Zealand, Heaton is an award-winning journalist covering environment, climate change, food systems and the Pacific for Honolulu Civil Beat. He has written about wildfire for just over two years, including Civil Beat’s Pulitzer-nominated coverage of the Aug. 8 fires on Maui. Heaton takes a particular interest in fire prevention and mitigation, including the myriad factors that cause, stoke and potentially quell Hawaiʻi’s everpresent fire problems.

Department of Hawaiian Home Lands

Richard Hoke is the Executive Assistant to the Chair of the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands since March, 2023. Hoke holds a Juris Doctor degree (JD) from the William S. Richardson School of Law and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Urban Studies from the University of Hawaiʻi. Hoke oversees the Chair’s special projects which includes developing DHHL’s Wildfire Response Plan post Lahaina. DHHL has over 200,000 acres in its land inventory, statewide, many in high-risk wildfire areas. Mitigating these risks on a limited budget underscores the need to engage homesteaders to take kuleana to protect themselves and their homesteads from wildfires. It is DHHL’s vision that the core of its Wildfire Response Plan be its firewised homestead communities.

National Fire Protection Association

Gary Honold has been the Regional Director for the National Fire Protection Association's Northwest Field Office for eleven years. His job responsibilities include working with AHJs (Authorities Having Jurisdiction), industry, trades, facility managers, and the public to research, adopt and implement over three hundred codes and standards developed by NFPA. Mr. Honold is a Certified Fire Protection Specialist with over ten years of code enforcement and fire investigation experience. He retired from the Missoula Fire Department after twenty-one years of service. During his tenure with the Missoula Fire Department, Mr. Honold held the positions of Fire Fighter/Paramedic, Fire Inspector, Assistant Fire Marshal, and Engine Company Captain. While serving as Assistant Fire Marshal he was an elected member on the executive board for the Montana State Fire Marshal's Association and worked on the committee addressing the statewide adoption of the fire code.

Kauai Incident Management Team

After serving Kauaʻi for nearly 27 years, retired from Kauaʻi Fire Department (KFD) as a Battalion Chief. During my time in KFD I became involved with Kauaʻi’s Incident Management Team (IMT). A few major incidents assisted with; April 2018 Kauaʻi was hit with a major flooding event and I filled roles in Operations and Planning. In 2021 was asked to come out of retirement and serve as part of Unified Command and help wrap up Kauaʻi’s response to COVID. Also, deployed to Maui days after the Lahaina fire and helped their IMT. Currently, I am IMT Lead at Kauaʻi Emergency Management Agency (KEMA) and my main focus is building capacity and strengthening our skills through training and exercise. Our goal is to have many trained personnel to assist us and our neighbor islands, when disaster strikes.

Kauaʻi Planning Dept.

A graduate of Kamehameha Schools and UC Berkeley, Kaʻaina is the Planning Director for Kauaʻi County. He has led Kauaʻi in numerous climate resiliency initiatives, including the county’s Shoreline Setback Ordinance, considered to be one of the most progressive coastal setback policies in the nation. In 2022, he drafted and spearheaded the adoption of the Sea Level Rise Zoning District. This district, with its corresponding regulations, is one of the first ordinances in the country to utilize scientific modeling to create zoning requirements for the built environment to address specific climate hazards.

In his spare time, he enjoys working with his wife and son on their small citrus and sheep farm on the south side of Kauaʻi.

Hawaiʻi County Council Member, District 8

Dr. Holeka Goro Inaba, is a life long resident of Kaloko, Kona and is a dedicated public servant representing District 8 (North Kona) on the Hawaiʻi County Council. A proud graduate of Kamehameha Schools Kapālama, he pursued higher education at Chapman University, earning both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees before returning home in 2017 and earning his doctorate degree in educational leadership shortly thereafter. Dr. Inaba has a strong background in education, having worked in the public and private education sectors and as a communication consultant. Inspired by his deep connection to the community and encouraged by family friends, he began his journey in public service in 2020 and was elected Chairman of the Council in 2024.

Honolulu Fire Department

US Fish and Wildlife Service

Eric Johnson is the Assistant Fire Management Officer of the Interagency Fire Management Program between the National Park Service and US Fish and Wildlife Service in the Pacific Islands. The program provides wildfire response, supports firefighters and contributes to the management of wildland fuels and post fire recovery across the National Parks and Wildlife Refuges of the Pacific. Mr. Johnson has been stationed in Hawaiʻi for four years. A graduate of Oregon State University, his fire management experience was gained through employment serving the Bureau of Land Management, US Fish and Wildlife Service, and US Forest Service in Oregon and Alaska. He currently serves as the Fire Behavior Analyst of Southwest Area Complex Incident Management Team 3.

Kauaʻi Emergency Management Agency

Solomon Kanoho is the Special Executive Officer of the Kauaʻi Emergency Management Agency, assisting with daily administrative and emergency operations, including completion of several plan updates and “Best Available Refuge Area” shelter assessments by a first of its kind DoD IRT mission. He retired from the Kauaʻi Fire Department in September 2019 as the Assistant Chief of Fire Operations, with 27 years of service. Solomon has been with KEMA for two years and brings AHIMT and emergency response experience to KEMA.

Fire Safety Research Institute, part of UL Research Institutes

Steve Kerber is the Executive Director of the Fire Safety Research Institute (FSRI) at UL Research Institutes. He leads a fire safety research team dedicated to addressing the world's unresolved fire safety risks and emerging dangers to reduce death, injury and loss from fire. Steve has led research in the areas of fire safety engineering, firefighter safety, fire forensics, and fire science. FSRI’s research reaches hundreds of thousands of firefighters around the world, informing them on how changes in technologies and in their communities may impact their work environment to improve their safety and effectiveness. FSRI partners with universities, community leaders, local, state and federal government officials, NGO’s and industry to study the world's most pressing fire safety needs, including battery fire safety, wildland urban interface fires, firefighter health and safety, material evolutions and computational modeling. Steve directed the independent, broad-based analysis of the August 8,2023 Maui Wildfires at the request of the State of Hawaiʻi Attorney General.

Steve is also a 13-year veteran of the fire service, volunteering his service at the College Park Fire Department in Prince George's County Maryland where he served at ranks up through Deputy Chief. Steve has also been appointed to the rank of Honorary Battalion Chief by the Fire Department of New York, was named the 2014 International Society of Fire Service Instructors and Fire Engineering George D. Post Instructor of the Year, was awarded the 2019 Metropolitan Fire Chiefs President’s Award of Distinction and is a Fellow of the Society of Fire Protection Engineers.

Wildland Fire Leadership Council

Katie manages the Western Region of the Wildland Fire Leadership Council (WFLC). In addition to advancing the priorities of WFLC, the Western Region leads implementation of the National Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy through interaction with those who have an interest in the outcomes of wildland fire. She facilitates the development and enhancement of enabling conditions that support: Improvement and innovation in wildlands, Identification and remediation/removal of barriers, Collaborative identification and prioritization, Co-management of risk, and Acceptance of short-term risk for long-term benefit.

Prior to joining the WFLC, Katie enjoyed a rewarding career as Director of Project Wildfire, an education and mitigation organization in Oregon. She also spent over a decade as a structural and wildland firefighter, fire inspector and fire prevention specialist at Redmond Fire & Rescue and Bend Fire & Rescue. These experiences contribute to her current journey of helping partners achieve landscape resiliency, community resiliency and fire adaptation, and a safer, more effective wildfire response.

Department of Hawaiian Homelands Planning Office

Nancy McPherson has served as an environmental and land use planner for the State of Hawaiʻi Department of Hawaiian Home Lands for the last 13 years. Before that, she worked on Molokaʻi as a CZM and Long Range Planner with the County of Maui for 6.5 years, staffing the Molokaʻi Planning Commission and working on the Molokaʻi and Lānaʻi Community Plan updates. Nancy has continued to do planning on Molokaʻi and Lānaʻi as well as on Kauaʻi for DHHL and is focused on coastal zone management, climate change adaptation, and hazard mitigation for Hawaiian Home Lands statewide. Nancy earned a BA from Sonoma State University with a double major in Urban and Regional Planning and Economics.

Waiʻanae Mountains Watershed Partnership

Yumi Kam (Miyata) is the Program Manager for the Waiʻanae Mountains Watershed Partnership (WMWP). For the past 16 years, Yumi has managed a wide range of conservation projects (primarily focused on wildfire and watershed management) across the Waiʻanae Mountains. She has written management plans, implemented landscape level projects and grants, and presented on topics related to wildfire mitigation, native plant propagation, ecosystem restoration, and natural resources in Hawaiʻi. Mrs. Kam developed and manages the WMWP outreach program which incorporates surrounding communities and engages schools in school campus native plant nurseries and volunteer service trips to malama āina in WMWP Project sites. Yumi sits on the Board of Directors for the Hawai‘i Association of Watershed Partnerships and is the current Secretary/Treasurer. She earned her Juris Doctor and Environmental Law Certificate from William S. Richardson School of Law and is licensed to practice law in the State of Hawaiʻi. She also received B.S. degrees in Business Administration and Natural Resource Management from Colorado State University. Previously, Mrs. Kam worked as the Special Projects Coordinator for the Chairperson of DLNR.

County of Hawaiʻi

Bethany Morrison is a long-range planner for the County of Hawaiʻi Planning Department and previous administrator of the Office of Sustainability, Climate, Equity & Resilience. She spent 17 years with the County of Hawaiʻi, most of that time serving as a project lead in the long-range planning division. She supervised a team of planners and served as the project manager for the comprehensive update to the County’s General Plan and the Integrated Climate Action Plan. Bethany has been collaborating with colleagues across the state and the pacific for over 15 years to address climate change mitigation and adaptation. Bethany holds a bachelor’s degree in political science.

USDA Forest Service: Northern California Geographic Area Coordination Center

Kevin Osborne works as a fire analyst in the Predictive Services Unit (PSU) of the Northern California Geographic Area Coordination Center or ‘North Ops’. As one of 10 geographic area predictive PSUs across the nation, the North Ops PSU provides decision support to fire management leadership, offering detailed information on anticipated significant fire activity and potential resource needs. In his role as a fire analyst, Kevin focuses on historic fire danger, the relationship between climatological data and fire occurrence, and development of products to display and convey past, present, and forecast fire danger to decision makers at multiple levels of the interagency wildland fire management community. During periods of fire activity in Northern California, Kevin regularly functions as a regional decision support center lead coordinating fire analysis and modeling needs for ongoing large incidents, a Wildland Fire Decision Support System (WFDSS) subject matter expert, a Long-Term Fire Analyst (LTAN), and Fire Behavior Analyst (FBAN).

Prior to arriving at Predictive Services, Kevin held various positions in wildland fire management, including roles in fire ecology, fuels management, and as a wildland firefighter. He holds a B.S. in Environmental Science from The University of Notre Dame and an M.S. in Forestry Sciences with a focus on wildland fire and fuels management from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo.

Maui Fire Department

Ryan Otsubo is the Assistant Chief of Support Services for the Maui Fire Department, where he oversees the Fire Prevention Bureau, Health and Safety Bureau, and most civilian positions. With a strong background in fire prevention and administration, he previously served as the Fire Prevention Captain for four years and as the Battalion Chief of Administration for three years. During his tenure in these roles, he played a key role in amending the Fire Code, expanding the Fire Prevention Bureau, and developing mitigation plans for Maui County.

Hawaiʻi Wildfire Management Organization & Kamuela View Estates Firewise Resident Leader

Harriet Parsons wears two hats - she is both a Firewise community leader for her neighborhood Kamuela View Estates in Waimea for the past year and subsequently she joined HWMO part time as a Firewise Specialist supporting communities across Hawaiʻi County and the state. At home she finds joy in working to remove invasive species with native fire resistant plants within a flood easement on her own property (which has been a 5 year project and a labor of love!). Harriet's background is in science support with a Ph.D. in Astrophysics and she now uses those skills to engage Firewise communities whilst learning and sharing the technical aspects of wildfire mitigation.

Mauna Kea Watershed Alliance

Cheyenne Hiapo Perry is the Manager of the Mauna Kea Watershed Alliance (MKWA) with 416,000 acres of Partnership lands on the mountain of Mauna Kea. He holds a B.A. in Marine Science and an M.S. in Tropical Conservation Biology and Environmental Science from the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo with extensive experience in conservation work on the Island of Hawaiʻi. Cheyenne has worked with the U.S. Forest Service, Office of Hawaiian Affairs, and now the MKWA that is one of ten Watershed Partnerships (the Hawaiʻi Association of Watershed Partnerships) totalling over 2 million acres of Partner lands. In the modern context of management he incorporates traditional land divisions and ecosystems, perspectives of forests and land relationships, stories and traditional ways of knowing, and observation to guide management on Mauna Kea.

Hawaiʻi Wildfire Management Organization

Elizabeth Pickett is Co-Executive Director of Hawaiʻi Wildfire Management Organization, where she began working in 2008. Elizabeth works with staff and partners across the state and Pacific region to implement wildfire mitigation, planning, and education projects. Through her time at HWMO, she has witnessed how important collaboration and inclusive processes are on all projects and believes such a coordinated and respectful approach is the pathway to wildfire readiness and resilience in Hawaiʻi. She is Vice President of the Big Island Wildfire Coordinating Group and helped co-found the Pacific Fire Exchange project to develop and connect fire and land management science and practice. She earned a Master of Environmental Science degree from Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies and a bachelor's degree from the University of California, Berkeley.

Kauaʻi Incident Management Team

Pat is currently serving in his 7th year as the Director of Parks and Recreation for the County of Kauaʻi. As the Director he is responsible for overseeing the Department, which includes 8 Divisions and approximately 200 employees. Additionally, Pat is a member of Kauai’s All-Hazard Incident Management Team. The Kauaʻi IMT is comprised of multi-departmental and multi-jurisdictional personnel to respond to incidents on Kauaʻi and assist other Counties as well.
Before taking on the role of Director for the Parks Department, Pat spent 16 years with the Department of Land and Natural Resources, Division of Forestry and Wildlife, where he was the Forestry Program Manager for the Island of Kauaʻi. As the Forestry Manager Pat oversaw the Resource Management of Kauaʻi’s Forest Reserve System as well as oversaw the Wildland Fire Program.

Western Fire Chiefs AssociationBob has been in the fire service for over 47 years starting as a volunteer firefighter, then rising to executive positions. He served in the Ventura County Fire District for 34 years, the last 15 as Fire Chief. He then became the Nevada State Forester and now Senior Policy Advisor/CEO for the Western Fire Chiefs Association.

During his career, Bob continued his formal education and became focused on the wildland fire problem due to its dynamic nature and challenges. As Fire Chief of a CAL FIRE “Contract County” and the Chair of the FIRESCOPE Board of Directors, he became quite involved in state aid agreements and the state response system. He furthered his national wildland policy knowledge by becoming the Chair of the International Association of Fire Chief’s Wildland Fire Policy Committee. This forum required a global viewpoint of the nation’s wildland fire problem and interaction with National Association of State Foresters, federal partners and the international wildfire community. Bob was instrumental in the development of the Ready, Set, GO! program and was part of the development team for the National Wildland Fire Cohesive Strategy. Bob recently served on the Congressional Wildland Fire Mitigation and Management Commission.

Papakōlea Firewise Resident Leader

Noel Shaw is a proud member of Nā Leo o Papakōlea, the recently revitalized Hawaiian Homestead Association representing the Hawaiian Homestead beneficiaries of the Papakōlea, Kewalo, and Kalawāhine and working to make their community thrive. A mother of three, fourth generation Hawaiian Homesteader, and farm to school and aloha 'āina advocate, passionate about creating true safety by removing one chunk of guinea grass at a time.

Los Angeles County Fire Department

National Association of State Foresters

Keith Smith, Senior Director – Fire Technology for National Association of State Foresters. Passionate about protecting our forests from the wrath of wildfires. Four decades devoted to pioneering wildland fire data architecture, collection, and reporting. He advocates for interagency collaboration to ensure timely and accurate reporting. Project manager and executive sponsor of interagency applications, orchestrating success one project at a time! Proud to make an impact while savoring every bite of crispy bacon. 🔥📊 🥓 #DataDrivenSolutions #FireTechExpert #DataHero #BaconLover

University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa CTAHR and Hawaiʻi Wildfire Management Organization Board

Mark Thorne has served as an extension specialist in range and livestock management for the University of Hawaiʻi-Mānoa, Cooperative Extension since 2003. He holds a BS and MS degrees in rangeland ecology and watershed management from the University of Wyoming and a Ph.D. in rangeland ecophysiology from Colorado State University. Mark’s research is focused on the ecology and management of rangelands. He strives to understand how disturbances (wildfire, drought, erosion, etc.) impact rangeland resources and how mitigation is achieved through various management strategies such as target grazing with livestock. His current research includes investigations into the ecology of the Twolined Spittlebug invasion of Hawaiʻi rangelands, targeted grazing management for wildfire fuels mitigation, grazing efficiency for grass-finish beef production in tropical environments, anthelmintic properties of forages and their influence of grazing behavior of goats and sheep, mineral supplementation for Hawaiʻi livestock, and the impact of feral ungulates on rangeland resources.

Todaro Consulting (Hawaiian Electric consultant)

Nathan Todaro is the founder and managing director of Hawaiʻi-based Todaro Consulting. Nathan helps electric utilities develop and implement wildfire mitigation and grid modernization plans. He is currently leading Hawaiian Electric’s wildfire situational awareness efforts, including the deployment of weather stations to improve real-time weather monitoring and artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted video cameras to enable early identification of potential ignitions. Prior to founding Todaro Consulting in 2021, Nathan held leadership roles at Southern California Edison (SCE), where he oversaw implementation of various grid modernization, wildfire mitigation, and Research & Development (R&D) programs. Nathan earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Irvine.

Hawaiʻi Fire Department

Kazuo Todd is the Fire Chief of the Hawai‘i Fire Department and Chair of the State Fire Council. He leads a team of over 500 career personnel and 150 volunteers, operating from 20 career and 18 volunteer fire stations across the Big Island. Under his leadership, HFD provides fire suppression, EMS, rescue, hazardous materials response, and ocean safety services. Chief Todd is committed to strengthening wildfire preparedness, enhancing emergency response capabilities, and improving departmental efficiency. He plays a key role in statewide fire policy and mitigation efforts, including the development of the State Fire Marshal’s Office. A strong advocate for leadership development, he emphasizes continuous improvement and operational excellence.

University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa CTAHR

Clay has been a faculty member of the Natural Resources and Environmental Management Department at UH Mānoa since 2013, leading a cooperative extension and research program focused on wildfire mitigation and ecosystem restoration to support communities, watershed programs, and landowners across Hawaiʻi and Micronesia. He grew up on Long Island, NY and came to Hawaii in 1999 as a wildlife project intern. He soon turned to plant science with graduate degrees at University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa and University of Tasmania, leading to work with land care projects in many parts of the world.

Maui Fire Department

Brad Ventura is a dedicated fire service leader with over 23 years of experience in the Maui County Department of Fire and Public Safety. He began his career in January 2002 and was appointed Fire Chief on October 1, 2021, by the Fire and Public Safety Commission. As Vice President of the Hawaiʻi Fire Chiefs Association, he plays a key role in shaping fire service leadership across the state. He is also an active member of the Hawaiʻi State Fire Council and the Western Fire Chiefs Association Wildfire Policy Committee, where he contributes to regional and national wildfire policy initiatives. Chief Ventura oversees 18 fire companies and 12 beach lifeguard towers, leading a team of 473 personnel who serve Maui County, which includes the islands of Maui, Molokaʻi, and Lānaʻi. His department is responsible for protecting a resident population of approximately 167,000 and the two million visitors who travel to the county each year. A strong advocate for public service and emergency management, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Public Administration from Hawaiʻi Pacific University.

Division of Forestry and Wildlife

Michael Walker is the Fire Protection Forester for the Department of Land & Natural Resources Division of Forestry and Wildlife administrative branch in Honolulu and a member of the State Fire Council. His responsibilities encompass coordinating training programs for DOFAW staff involved in firefighting, federal grant management, and ensuring compliance with safety protocols for the Division. Michael has 25 years of natural resource conservation experience in Hawaiʻi and has been with Forestry and Wildlife since 2017.

G70

Cody has 7 years of professional experience in Hawaiʻi, and specializes in Disaster Management and Community-Based Resiliency Planning. He prepares environmental impact documents, applications for various land use permits, master plans, design guidelines and technical assessments of climate change factors. Cody excels in presenting technical data in clear, understandable language for decision-makers. He is certified through FEMA with Community Planning for Disaster Recovery, Volcano Crisis Awareness, and Decision Making. He has also trained with the American Red Cross in Disaster Assessment and Sheltering Services and is a board member of the Hawaiʻi Wildfire Management Organization. Prior to joining G70, Cody worked on coastal hazard adaptation research and training programs at the National Disaster Preparedness Training Center (NDPTC).

National Weather Service

Derek Wroe is a Lead Forecaster at the National Weather Service (NWS) in Honolulu. He earned a B.S. in Meteorology in 1998 and a M.S. in Meteorology in 2001, both from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. Derek embarked on a career as a meteorologist in 2001 at the NWS in Monterey, CA, where he was introduced to the wildfire issue in the western U.S. Derek returned to Hawaiʻi to join the forecast team at NWS Honolulu in 2003 and several years later became part of a group tasked with expanding fire weather services for the Hawaiian Islands. In 2012, Derek broadened his experience in fire weather forecasting by becoming a certified Incident Meteorologist, part of a group of NWS meteorologists that undergoes specialized training in support of large wildfire incidents. In this capacity, he has worked in the field for days or weeks at a time, while based at wildfire incident command posts in remote areas of Oregon, Montana, Nevada, and California. NWS Honolulu meteorologists, including Derek, are seeking to modernize and improve fire weather services for Hawaiʻi.

Wildland Fire Leadership Council

Mike is Principal of Zup Co., Inc., a natural resource and sportsmen’s consulting firm. Currently, he represents the Wildland Fire Leadership Council as Executive Director. WFLC is an intergovernmental committee of federal, state, tribal and local officials convened by the Secretaries of the Interior, Agriculture, Defense and Homeland Security dedicated to consistent implementation of wildland fire policies, goals and management activities. He reports directly to the Undersecretary of Agriculture and the Assistant Secretary of Interior.

In the recent past he represented the Southern Governors’ Association on natural resource issues. Mike was responsible for the coordination of all aspects of the regional cohesive wildland fire management strategy organization. He has also represented the Southern Group of State Foresters as executive director, served as executive director of a collaborative natural resource research partnership, represented hunting and fishing guides/services on both policy issues and strategic marketing, and represented forest industry and landowners on a host of issues.