Our Amazing Team
Leadership
Jennifer Mueller
Chief Executive Officer
Jennifer joined The Ember Alliance during its inception in 2021, drawn by the opportunity to co-create a new culture of wildland fire management. She brings her passion for workforce development and hands-on training to support community-based fire management solutions. Jennifer is passionate about strategic leadership, cultivating partnerships, and building and leading forward-thinking teams. She brings her experience with program development, compassionate leadership, nearly 15 years of operational prescribed fire experience, and a background in teaching Backcountry Wilderness Medicine. She holds B.A. degrees from the University of Colorado in Environmental Biology and Anthropology.
Sean McCormick
Chief Operating Officer
Sean started his fire career after graduating from the University of Montana. His focus on wildfire suppression changed shortly after working on prescribed fire crews in the Southeast Coastal Plains of North Carolina. Since then, Sean has been working diligently to increase the pace and scale of prescribed fire on western landscapes. You can catch him mountain biking, traveling, or soaking up the river life with his dog June.
Amber Calvino
CPA - CFO (Trestle)
Bio coming soon!
Katelynn Lehto
Accounting Specialist (Trestle)
Bio coming soon!
Wendee Herold
Director of HR (Trestle)
Bio coming soon!
Resilient Communities and Ecosystems
Mary MacDonald
Resilient Communities and Ecosystems Director
Mary is a nonprofit strategist and partnership architect with a passion for advancing innovative services that provide equitable, sustainable, and resilient community opportunities. She has worked for some of the country’s top environmental NGOs where she developed expertise in sustainability, marketing, and fundraising. Mary enjoys horseback riding, hiking, and playing the mandolin.
Kenzie Hartt
Program Manager
Kenzie strives to innovate ways to build teams, facilitate difficult conversations, and share knowledge among partners. Before entering the wildfire realm, Kenzie worked in conservation, stewardship, communications, and volunteer management for conservation organizations, specializing in Rocky Mountain ecosystem restoration. In their free time, Kenzie enjoys backpacking, pottery, sewing, playing with their cats and dog, and DnD.
Evan Briscoe
Program Manager
Evan graduated from Purdue with a B.S. in Chemistry and received his master’s in Conservation Leadership from Colorado State University. Through his experiences as a Peace Corps volunteer and teacher/coach, he realized his passion for community outreach and youth engagement. He is interested in working with communities to develop creative solutions to complex ecological issues. In his free time, Evan enjoys soccer, waterskiing, snowboarding, and reading.
Dr. Meg Matonis
Senior Wildlfire Analyst
As a Wildfire Analyst with The Ember Alliance, Dr. Matonis conducts applied research and risk analyses, supports community engagement, and prepares holistic and actionable CWPP documents. She has a PhD in Forest Ecology from Colorado State University and formerly worked with the Colorado State Forest Service and Rocky Mountain Research Station. Meg has been an on-call wildland firefighter with the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office since 2013.
Cary Gooding
Project Manager
Cary received her Master’s degree from Colorado State University in Conservation Leadership. Her professional background includes complex, adaptive project management and she has a passion for wildlife and ecosystem conservation. Cary is committed to learning and sharing knowledge in interesting and novel ways. In her free time, she enjoys baking, crafting, and getting lost in the worlds of fantasy fiction.
Aimeé Artigues
Project Manager
Aimeé specializes in wildfire resilience across the Western U.S. with an M.S. in Science Education and 26 years in education. She tests for WCAG compliance, has contributed to multiple Community Wildfire Protection Plans, and practices land stewardship on her property, including broadcast burns, water management, and fuels reduction. She champions science-based approaches that balance ecological restoration, community safety, and long-term sustainability to ensure natural resources and resilient communities thrive together. You can also find her spending time with family and furr kids, enjoying music, and tending to her gardens.
Hannah Fagan
Assistant Project Manager
Hannah comes from a background in operational wildland fire and wildfire home assessments. Before working as a wildland firefighter, she got her start in land conservation through Americorps. Hannah has worked for federal and municipal governments across the Colorado front range, which instilled in her a passion for building community resiliency through prescribed fire. Originally from Massachusetts, she loves to use her free time to read, paint, and run.
Jon Henry
GIS Specialist
Jon Henry is a GIS Specialist with The Ember Alliance, where he leads wildfire modeling, spatial analysis, and technical workflow development in support of Community Wildfire Protection Plans (CWPPs), mitigation planning, and fire management initiatives. He designs and builds custom GIS tools that automate processes, standardize wildfire risk analyses, and improve the efficiency and quality of project deliverables.
In addition to his GIS work, Jon plays a central role in IT management and maintaining the organization’s technical systems. He supports hardware, software, user systems, troubleshooting, and security configuration in coordination with organizational leadership, helping ensure staff have reliable and functional technical infrastructure. He also serves as Fleet Manager, overseeing vehicle readiness, maintenance coordination, and operational logistics to support both field and programmatic work.
Jon is actively involved in field and training operations. He is qualified as an Incident Commander Type 5 (ICT5) and Crew Boss (CRWB) and supports wildfire mitigation and incident response efforts. He teaches S-130/190 and S-212 courses through Front Range Community College and provides field instruction with Gulf Corps.
With a background that bridges wildfire operations, GIS development, technical systems management, fleet coordination, and workforce training, Jon brings a practical, systems-oriented approach to strengthening wildfire preparedness and mitigation capacity.
Colin Lofy
GIS Specialist
Colin graduated from Indiana University with a B.S in Environmental Management in 2020 before achieving a dual master’s degree in environmental science and public affairs. They worked in the start-up world for four years building 120Water’s data services team and developing lead service line inventories for communities across the United States. After working in the digital water industry, Colin felt it was time to switch elements, and master fire. When they have some free time, Colin can be found gardening, playing Dungeon and Dragons, volunteering at the Wildland’s Restoration Volunteers, or cozying up with their dog and cats.
Izzy Sofio
Northern Colorado Fireshed Collaborative Coordinator
As the NCFC Coordinator, Izzy brings experience in facilitation, community engagement, wildfire resilience, and a master’s degree in Environmental Science & Management from UCSB’s Bren School. Her experience spans social science research, natural resource collaboratives, climate adaptation efforts, and science communication. Outside of work, you can find her hiking and skiing, trying her hand at biking, climbing, and fishing, experimenting in the kitchen, or reading with her dog, Blue.
Bridgette Windell
Community Engagement and Outreach Manager
Bridgette joined The Ember Alliance as the Community Engagement and Outreach Manager for both The Ember Alliance and NCFC. She brings a background in communications, public engagement, and advocacy; working for various organizations in public, private, and non-profit agencies. Bridgette earned a masters degree in Conservation Leadership from Colorado State University. You can often find her on skis or on the river with her partner and Bernese mountain dog, Moose.
Corrina Marshall
Northern Colorado Fireshed Collaborative Manager
Corrina has extensive experience working with partners and communities on wildfire preparedness, education and engagement, plan and grant writing, and project management and development. Currently coordinating the Northern Colorado Fireshed Collaborative, she is passionate about fostering community to develop unique solutions to our current wildfire crisis. When not on zoom meetings, she can be found gardening, kayaking, and playing with her dog Rhubarb.
Fire Management
Aisha Wiig
Director of Fire Management
Aisha brings a unique background in wildland fire management and over a decade of experience in fire operations to TEA. She began her career on wildfire suppression handcrews, where she recognized the critical role of fire in the landscape. This led her to focus on prescribed fire management, gaining expertise in fire ecology, the implementation of prescribed burns, and reestablishing the human-fire relationship for better coexistence with fire. Aisha recently earned a Master’s in Natural Resources Stewardship with a specialization in ecological restoration from Colorado State University.
As the new Director of Fire Management, Aisha is excited to work with a passionate and dedicated team as she directs the Fire Management Department’s Community Capacity Program, Training Program, and Planning and Implementation Program, while supporting the Integrated Research Management Team.
Greg Gilbert
Planning and Implementation Program Manager
Greg has 25 years of diverse operational experience. He earned a Bachelor’s from Oklahoma State University, Master’s from the University of Colorado – Denver and is working towards a PhD through the University of Idaho. Greg is committed to finding innovative solutions to challenges, developing leaders of leaders, and preparing the future generations of wildland professionals.
Kristin Leger
Community Capacity Program Manager
Kristin received her Master’s degree from Colorado State University in Conservation Leadership. She is passionate about landscape-scale forest restoration including the reintroduction of fire into the ecosystem. She spends her free time rock climbing and cuddling with her dog Otis.
Dan Gualtieri
Wildand Fire Science Coordinator
Dan earned a Bachelor of Science in Wildlife Ecology from the University of Florida, where he was introduced to prescribed fire. After several years as a biologist, he joined the Department of Defense fire management program serving for 15 years in a variety of leadership roles. As Program Manager for the Integrated Research Management Team, Dan will support the development and implementation of wildland fire science and technology through co-production with researchers and fire managers. Collaborating with the Eastern Innovation Landscape Network, which includes the The Ember Alliance and Department of Defense, Dan will bring innovative tools such as QuicFire and LiDAR 3D fuels scanning to fire programs across the US.
Meg O'Brien
Project Manager
Megan graduated with a BS in Animal Behavior, Ecology, and Conservation. Before her three seasons as a wildland fire fighter, Megan gained several years of experience in natural resource management and fire mitigation working for nonprofits in New York and Montana. In her free time, you’ll find Megan dirt biking and running trails through the mountains of Montana.
Andrew Meyers
Assistant Project Manager
Andrew was born and raised in Colorado. He has been involved in wildand firefighting for five years with most of his time focused on wildfire mitigation and prevention around Boulder County. His current passion is teaching and training new sawyers and wildland firefighters. When Andrew isn’t working, he can be found in the Rocky Mountains with his blue heeler, Kota.
Matthew Buice
Uwharrie Crew Lead
Matt pursued many endeavors since receiving his degree in Marine Biology. While in Florida, he worked as a Surgical Tech at a Veterinary Clinic while simultaneously starting and running a Non-profit Wildlife Ambulance Service that is still going strong today. He opened a home rehab clinic for wildlife, treating and releasing thousands before joining a Texas Gulfcorps crew, introducing him to the world of Wildland Fire.
Killian Farrell
Uwharrie Assistant Crew Lead
Killian has several years experience in prescribed fire and land management throughout the U.S. Southeast and Midwest. They have B.S. degrees in Atmospheric & Oceanic Science, and Ecology & Evolution. When not stringing fire through the woods, Killian enjoys hand embroidery, baking, and hiking.
Liz Smith
Uwharrie Permanent Crew Member
Liz has worked for several natural and historic resource conservation corps through the Student Conservation Association, followed by stints with the National Park Service and US Forest Service. Her experience with prescribed fire as a conservation tool began in New York and her desire to learn more about the application and effects of that brought her to North Carolina with The Ember Alliance.
Bianca Enriquez
Uwharrie Seasonal Crew Member
Bianca has a background in agriculture and conservation fieldwork. Her experience includes managing and supporting conservation projects focused on habitat restoration, trail construction and maintenance, and disaster mitigation. In her free time, Bianca enjoys hiking, fishing, and spending time outdoors with her dogs, Dolly and Skeeter, while continuing to learn about fire ecology and land stewardship.
Joe Stahlbaum
Uwharrie Seasonal Crew Member
Joe graduated with a B.S. in Environmental Studies & Sustainability. He is passionate about all things Michigan – seen via spurts about Lake Superior – and is navigating life as a mostly serious young adult. When the work boots are off, he is daydreaming, thinking about words, discovering new music, and breaking a sweat on a trail somewhere. Always a proud Michigander, Joe is leaping into new lands in search of adventure and seeing as much as eyes can see.
Integrated Research Management Team (IRMT)
Troy Floyd
IRMT Member
Troy started as a Forest Patrolman in 1984 with the Georgia Forestry Commission. Early in his career he served as a district fire weather station manager, instilling passion for Fuels and Fire Behavior. Troy took that passion and become one of the first FBAN (Fire Behavior Analyst) for the State of Georgia. Troy enjoys being with his wife of 41 years, and seven grandchildren when off duty.
Linda M Chappell
IRMT Member
Linda is interested in all aspects of wildland fire in the interest of creating and enhancing functioning ecosystems across the globe. She has 30+ years experience in many aspects of wildland fire, and is now assisting in developing the National Interagency Fuels Academy, is an Air Resource Advisor & Plans Chief on wildfires, and is works with the IRMT. When she isn’t teaching and preaching pyro-evangelism, she is known to hike, play with her kids and grandkids, rebuild old trucks, travel, and ride her motorcycle.
Tommy Hawkins
IRMT Member
Tommy served in the U.S. Army from 1982-1988 and also has 38 years of Wildland Fire and Prescribed fire experience. He retired from the State of Georgia and still actively serves on the Southern Area Red Team as Safety Officer and Operations Section Chief. Tommy is an Instructor for several NWCG courses for US ARMY IMCOM, and serves on the IRMT as a Safety Officer to help with the research into Fire and Smoke. When Tommy is not on fires or teaching, he enjoys hunting, fishing and spoiling his 3 grandchildren.
Dr. Sue Wilder
IRMT Member
Sue received her MS and PhD in Botany from LSU. She worked for USGS and the USFWS as an ecologist. She participated for many years on the Southern Area Blue Team (Plans) and on many other incident management teams. She recently retired from FWS and now volunteers for conservation organizations and helps teach fire courses. Her work with the IRMT has bridged both her research and fire ecology interests. When not working, Sue enjoys working on her golf game and fun times with her five grandchildren.
Rick Anderson
IRMT Member
Rick Anderson is an applied fire ecologist with over four decades of wildland experience. After a career with the National Park Service, his current work focuses on cultural fire management and carbon sequestration in meso-america. Rick also innovates training to elevate the craft of prescribed fire domestically and internationally. He is a descendant of Florida’s earliest pioneers who along with their indigenous neighbors shaped the landscape with fire. Rick resides in rural Highlands County Florida in the land of his ancestors continuing our care of the land.
Victa Edge
IRMT Member
Vicky retired with 30 years of service at Georgia Forestry Commission. Her career included early years as an initial attack dozer operator, later years as a supervisor of fire control personnel and always an avid instructor in training. Vicky continues to work with many state, non governmental organizations and federal agencies training upcoming firefighters in the world of fire management. She has been a member of the Southern Area CIMT Red Team for 35 years and currently holds qualifications in Operations, Plans, Public Information, and a Fire Behavior Analyst. Vicky enjoys her husband and family. She spends all her retirement time just enjoying them!
Lynne Howard
IRMT Member
Lynne retired from the U.S. Forest Service with 37 years of service. Her career began in 1980 and she worked in Timber and Silviculture until she moved into Fire Management full time. She retired as the Assistant Director, Aviation for Region 8 of the US Forest Service. She is still a member of the Southern Area Red Team and serves as Air Operations Branch Director. She also serves as Air Operations Branch Director on the IRMT. In her spare time, Lynne enjoys riding her horse and hiking with her husband.
Bill Jackson
IRMT Member
Bill retired from the USDA Forest Service after 35 years. He was an Air Resource Management Specialist for the National Forests in the southern US and Air Regulatory Agencies, which involved evaluating and explaining how air pollution impacts our Nation’s forests, and what effect Forest Service management activities had on air quality. Bill’s role with the IRMT will be as the Primary Smoke/Emissions Discipline Lead. He is also available for Ember Alliance projects needing assistance with understanding smoke impacts to communities and other smoke sensitive targets. When Bill is not working on smoke then he is probably out in the gardens growing veggies or weeding the flower beds.