I am currently working as the State Forest Biologist for Jackson Demonstration State Forest (since 2021). I have a B.S. degree in Environmental Biology from Humboldt State University (1997) and a M.A. degree in Ecology and Systematics from San Francisco State University (2003). Prior to state service, I worked as a biologist to improve conservation and management of non-timber forest resources on industrial timberlands in Mendocino County. I have a broad interest in natural history, conservation biology, evolution, and forest ecology which has led me to work on diverse array of projects to better understand how disturbance and other environmental factors influence plant, fungal, and animal communities over time. These include research on belowground fungal communities in different forest stands in Yellowstone National Park, spotted owl nest-site characteristics, songbird habitat associations, salmonid population dynamics, carnivore distribution, tailed frog and giant salamander population genetics, and the post-fire response of redwood.

The focus of my program is to provide technical expertise in the conservation and management of non-timber forest resources (fungi, plants, fish, herpetofauna, birds, mammals, and other wildlife) associated with disturbance activities that occur on the forest (e.g. timber harvesting, fire and fuels management, recreation, restoration, and research). My primary responsibility is to ensure that our projects comply with the law (e.g. Forest Practice Rules, CEQA, and federal and state endangered species acts) and our forest management plan. I am also developing a plan to monitor the diversity and distribution of species across the forest to better understand how their populations change over time with habitat and other environmental changes. This involves collaborating with outside researchers, agency biologists, user groups, and conservation organizations to conduct experiments (e.g. invasive species control, fuel treatments, etc.) and/or restore habitat, the results of which will inform and guide future management across the forest in an adaptive management framework.