Our Team

Our Team

The Arizona Wildfire Initiative was funded by the Arizona governor’s office in the Spring of 2023. We are a small group of passionate individuals with diverse backgrounds who want to help prepare Arizonans to be able to live with wildfire. We hope that through our work we will be able to strengthen Arizona communities’ resilience, assuring that when fires happen these communities are prepared for both the fire itself and the post-fire effects.

Andi Thode

She/Her

Director
Andi Thode grew up in northern New Mexico. She completed her B.S. (1996) and later her Ph.D. (2005) in fire ecology through the Ecology Graduate Group at the University of California, Davis. She has been heavily involved in the Association for Fire Ecology since its’ inception. In 2001 Andi started working as a fire ecologist for the Pacific Southwest Region of the U.S. Forest. In 2005 she left the U.S Forest Service to work at Northern Arizona University. She is currently a professor of fire ecology and fire science in the School of Forestry at NAU. Her research focuses on fire effects, fire monitoring and landscape level fire severity effects. Andi is the PI for the Southwest Fire Science Consortium and the Director for the Arizona Wildfire Initiative.

Laura Jo West

She/Her

Community Resilience

Assistant Director of Community Resilience

Laura has devoted more than 40 years to public service, 33 in leadership positions with the U.S. Forest Service in locations all across the west.  She recently left the agency after serving seven years as the Forest Supervisor of the Coconino National Forest.  Laura has extensive experience in land and natural resource management, as well as a deep interest in finding a balance in the way we care for public lands.  Having witnessed firsthand the devastating effects of uncharacteristic wildfire, Laura is committed to working with communities to find ways to adapt and respond to this ever increasing occurrence.

Laura holds degrees and has completed graduate work in forestry and public land policy from Utah State University and earned a master’s in organizational leadership from Gonzaga University.  Teaching, collaborating, coaching, and mentoring are among Laura’s strongest passions, skills she continues to develop.  Laura is honored to teach Natural Resource Policy for the School of Forestry at NAU, and is working to become certified as an Equus Coach, combining her love of humans with her love of horses.

In her spare time, Laura enjoys hiking, stargazing, flat-water kayaking,  reading, learning, travel, and continuing her perfect Wordle streak.  She lives in Flagstaff with three greyhounds, her rez dog, Olive, and her beautiful paint filly, Bella

Link to Department Page

Denise Stippick

She/Her

Administrative & Fiscal

Program Manager
Denise is responsible for the financial and budgetary aspects of the project and works with Project Leaders on problem solving, compliance issues, reports, etc. Denise is also responsible for budget oversight and coordination, program administration, event planning, and implementation of procedures and policies to ensure that detailed objectives are met. She also applies institutional HR and talent policies and practices and makes decisions related to allocating resources on a day-to-day basis. Denise prepares financial forecasts based on financial data to determine how best to allocate AZWI resources.

Marisol Holder

She/Her

Workforce Development & Education

Academic Success Program Manager
Marisol grew up in Oregon. She earned both her Bachelor of Arts in History and Master’s in Teaching from Southern Oregon University. She taught middle and high school before focusing on students’ needs in higher education as both a diversity coordinator and advisor. Marisol’s is the Manager, Academic Success Programs for the school of Forestry and leads the Workforce Development and Education facet of the Arizona Wildfire Initiative. When Marisol is not working, she enjoys being with her family and friends, being the human her dog, Emmi Lou, deserves, cooking and baking, and visiting historical sites and museums.

Link to Department Page

Kimberly Walker

She/Her

Workforce Development & Education

Student Development & Support Coordinator, Sr.
Kimberly Walker works in the NAU School of Forestry department. With her background in Educational Leadership, Kimberly works on utilizing her skills in creating engaging and educational events for the students in the School of Forestry, informational presentations to interested and incoming students and families, and assist the Manager of Academic Success Programs on creation of new programs for the School of Forestry. Kimberly is also a very talented trumpet player in the Flagstaff community who has performed in many groups such as the Flagstaff Community Band, FTown Sound, and Flagstaff Symphony Orchestra.
Link to Department Page

Molly McCormick

She/Her

Science Communication

Program Manager
Molly is an ecologist and botanist who has worked in conservation and ecosystem restoration across the Southwest for 20 years working for the federal government and non-profit organizations. She received her bachelor degree in Southwest Studies from Colorado College and a M.S. in Environmental Science and Policy at Northern Arizona University. Molly is currently the program manager for the Southwest Fire Science Consortium and leads the outreach facet of the AZWI. She is also a permaculture designer, herbalist, and has a hobby native plant nursery.

Link to Department Page

Annie Elko

She/Her

Science Communication

Program Assistant Manager
Annie Elko received a B.A. in History from Earlham College and a M.A. in English from the University of Vermont. Her master’s work was based on the necessity of the arts in the public’s understanding of climate change. After moving to Flagstaff in 2021, Annie took several courses in Forestry and Wildland Fire and began work on the creation of outreach products and science synthesis for the AZWI and SWFSC. In her spare time, Annie enjoys trail running on the Arizona Trail and hiking in the Grand Canyon. 

Link to Department Page

Callum Cintron

They/Them

Forestry, Fire, & Climate Tribal Liaison
Community Program Coordinator, Sr.
Callum Cintron divides their time between AZWI and ITEP engaging in communications, outreach and relationship-building with Indigenous communities to aid in forest, fire and climate resilience. Their work involves collaboration, education and program development to serve Tribal needs and incorporate Indigenous Knowledge into AZWI’s facets. Callum’s undergraduate studies were in Anthropology and Natural Resources with focuses in DEI and Native American Studies. During their free time they volunteer for various causes and spend time with their dog, Albert.

Lauren Orme

She/Her

Workforce Development & Education

Inclusive Recruitment and Retention Manager

Lauren Orme has a B.A. in Environmental Studies and a Master’s in Education. She divides her time between AZWI and NAU’s School of Forestry, where she works in student equity initiatives and workforce development. Lauren believes all people deserve opportunities to engage meaningfully with nature and our planet deserves active, informed, and empathetic stewardship. In her free time Lauren bakes bread, volunteers as a copywriter for environmental nonprofits, and explores the Southwest with her dog, Eleven.

Link to Department Page

Catrin Edgeley

She/Her

Community Resilience

School of Forestry Faculty
Cat Edgeley is a wildfire social scientist whose research explores how human communities adapt before, during, and after wildfires. The SWFSC has helped her connect with managers and scientists across the Southwest to identify research directions and tailor studies to align with regional and local needs. In her spare time, Cat is usually outside hiking or snowshoeing on the Coconino National Forest with her dog Monty.
Link to Department Page

Anita Antoninka

She/Her

Workforce Development & Education

School of Forestry Faculty
Anita Antoninka is an ecologist working to understand how land use and climate change are affecting plan and soil communities and ecosystem function, with a focus on restoration. She is also involved in training students from historically excluded backgrounds in science for research and management careers
Link to Department Page

Wade Axup

He/Him

Administrative Support & Logistics Management

Academic Program Coordinator, Int.
Wade Axup received a B.S. in Marine Biology from CSU Long Beach and has a professional background in secondary science education leadership. Wade brings a variety of management and administrative skills to the AZWI. He supports all three facets of the Wildfire Initiative through project management, travel coordination, content management, material development, and serves as liaison between the AZWI and University departments. Wade enjoys mountain biking and exploring northern Arizona with his wife and dog.

C J Horn

He/Him

Logistical Management & Organization

Graduate Service Assistant
C J is a graduate student at NAU, researching plant demography and plant traits with a focus on population changes over time due to climate. He works with AZWI on organizing meetings, taking minutes, and website development. He also helps with general purpose tasks across the team. In his free time, C J enjoys board games and skiing.

Jacob Shelly

He/Him

Science Communication

Graduate Service Assistant
Jacob is a graduate student at NAU, working on creating a GIS interface for public use that will promote wildfire resilience in the Flagstaff community. Jacob is a NAU graduate of the School of Forestry and he is excited to contribute to this new initiative to the best of their abilities. He enjoys camping in the forest with friends and family.
Link to Department Page

Cole Brant

He/Him

Science Communication

AmeriCorps VISTA; FELL Team Lead
Cole spearheads the Fire Ecology Learning Lab (FELL) Ambassador program, implementing a science-standardized fire ecology curriculum throughout Arizona and New Mexico. His role includes crafting single-day activities tailored for all grade levels (K-12), forging partnerships with southwestern educational institutions such as summer camps and after-school programs and plays a role in expanding and refining the curriculum along with its lesson plans.
Link to Department Page

Amber Born

She/Her

Diversity & Inclusion in the School of Forestry

Graduate Service Assistant

Amber is currently researching how fire severity affects the Jemez mountain salamander prey base in order to better understand the effects of wildfire, and to mitigate against biodiversity and habitat loss. She is a first generation college student and one of her goals is to help other individuals from underrepresented backgrounds achieve their dreams in STEM. She is so thankful to be living in Flagstaff and spends her spare time hiking and running in this beautiful place she calls home.

Shila Simpson

Pronouns

Science Communication

AmeriCorps Community Resilience Technician

Short Bio

Link to Department Page

Joshua Massey

He/Him

Science Communication

AmeriCorps Climate Resilience Corps Member/ FELL
Josh is a Fire Archaeologist, active in Wildland Firefighting for the past 13 years with focus on Cultural and Natural Resource Preservation. He has a B.S from Northern Arizona University and is a current graduate student at Arizona State University, focusing on Emergency Management. He is an ambassador for the Fire Ecology Learning Lab and is excited to bring his fire knowledge and experience to help develop ecology curriculum and create pathways for Native Americans to move into leadership roles. During his free time he likes to coach baseball, hike, spend time with family and bowl on an all-native American travel team. 

Link to Department Page

Max Yusen

He/Him

Science Communication

AmeriCorps Climate Resilience Corps Member

Max is an AmeriCorps member with the Arizona Climate Resilience Corps. He is translating the Fire Ecology Learning Lab curriculum for middle schoolers into Spanish, while also going into classrooms to teach K-12 students about fire ecology in the Southwest. Max has background in Environmental Science and Spanish, studying both at the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities and abroad in Costa Rica. In his free time, he enjoys cooking, reading, watching movies, and playing basketball. 

Link to Department Page

Derrick Lameman

He/Him

Science Communication

AmeriCorps Member/FELL Ambassador

Derrick is a Fire Ecology Learning Lab (FELL) Ambassador. His role includes reaching out to schools located in the Navajo Nation and presenting the FELL curriculum in K-12 classrooms.

Link to Department Page

Sadie Wiese

She/Her

Science Communication

Content Writer; FELL Team Member (New Mexico)
Sadie has a B.A. in Environmental Science and Policy from Smith College and a background in environmental education and curriculum development. She aids in the development of and outreach for the FELL curriculum around New Mexico. Sadie also collaborates with other members of AZWI to create and distribute content on wildfire related topics. In her free time, she is usually found skiing, painting, or planning her next road trip across the desert.

Link to Department Page

Meagan Dreher

She/Her

Workforce Development & Education

Research Technician/Course Development

Link to Department Page

Regan Delaney

She/Her

Workforce Development & Education

Student Worker, Undergraduate

Regan is an undergraduate at the School of Forestry at Northern Arizona University, pursuing her Bachelor’s in Forestry with a Human Dimensions Certificate. She aids in NAU School of Forestry-related events, projects and coordinates with students and faculty. She assists in outreach/other marketing strategies for the Arizona Wildfire Initiative and also participates in other collaborations such as events, meetings, and projects supporting and promoting the AZWI. In her spare time she loves to hike, mountain bike or add to her record collection.

Link to Department Page

Megan Rangel-Lynch

She/Her

Community Resilience

Program Assistant Manager

Megan Rangel-Lynch received a B.S. in Environmental Studies from the University of Oregon. She has a research background examining how the Forest Service engages communities during the revision of national forest plans, paying close attention to the engagement of historically underrepresented communities. As a part of AZWI, Megan is working to form and maintain relationships with community leaders and help communities across Arizona become more resilient to wildfire. In her personal time, she enjoys connecting with family and friends, cheering on her favorite sports teams, and exploring new trails.

Link to Department Page

Grace Carr

They/Them

Student Worker

Tribal Community Engagement Assistant

My name is Grace Carr (they/them) and I am a fourth-year Ecology & Evolutionary Biology major at NAU with minors in Sociology and Statistics. My passion for my discipline stems from a love of conservation, sustainability, and preserving our natural resources. I feel that building a strong, supportive foundation among communities, with special attention given to resiliency, intersectionality, and mutual benefit, defines our path forward to a better environmental future. The importance of effective communication and outreach between Tribes, institutions, and agencies cannot be understated in achieving this goal. I hope to contribute my perspective to AZWI’s initiatives through an accessibility-focused approach and an eagerness to learn.

Wren Nattress

They/Them

Student Worker

Tribal Data and Research Assistant

Wren Nattress is an undergraduate student at the School of Forestry at NAU, pursuing their bachelors in Forestry with a certificate in Forest Health and Ecological Restoration. They’re also an Ambassador for the School of Forestry and work for the Silviculture and Applied Forest Health Lab. With the AZWI, Wren assists with data collection and research under the tribal liaison to assist with expanding Indigenous engagement and outreach related to fire, forestry, and climate within the School of Forestry. In their free time, they like to paint, go hiking, and enjoy the great outdoors.