SPEAKERS & PANELISTS

Herb Winters is the District Manager for Gilliam County Soil and Water Conservation District. Born and raised in the Lower John Day Basin, he has worked for conservation districts there since 2008, joining Gilliam SWCD in 2017. He works with farmers, ranchers, and conservation partners to improve streams and rangelands while supporting the agricultural livelihoods that depend on them. His recent work includes wildfire recovery, virtual fencing, and stream restoration to help the landscape better withstand drought and fire. Herb brings a local perspective to the challenges facing rural communities and the practical role conservation districts play in helping landowners get work done. Outside of work, he enjoys hunting and fishing in the country that first sparked his interest in conservation.

Cassi grew up in Wheeler County on a farm in the Kahler Creek Watershed and has a deep love for the rural Lower John Day Basin. She joined the Wheeler Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) in late 2019 as the Office Manager, bringing a background in business operations and accounting. In 2023, she accepted the role of District Manager. Her eagerness to learn and resourcefulness have been key to her rapid gain of knowledge regarding natural resources and conservation. Cassi has led the Wheeler SWCD in playing a critical role in wildfire response and recovery during the 2024 and 2026 extreme seasons while actively working on mitigation/resiliency efforts through restoration projects. When not assisting landowners and teaching kids in her role at the SWCD, or volunteering as a firefighter/EMT, she can be found exploring the outdoors with her young daughter.

Jim Cupples is a Regional Food Systems Coordinator with the Oregon Department of Agriculture, where he leads supply chain coordination projects focused on strengthening Oregon’s food and agricultural infrastructure. His work includes developing regional food and agriculture business centers, coordinating across state agencies and local partners, and improving how infrastructure and transportation data can be used to support emergency preparedness and economic resilience.

Before joining ODA, Jim worked on economic recovery, broadband infrastructure, agricultural technology, and rural development projects across Oregon and the Pacific Northwest. He holds a master’s degree in Organizational Leadership from Gonzaga University and a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the University of Oregon.

Avery Pearson is the Outreach Project Manager for South Willamette Solutions, a rural nonprofit serving the Oakridge-Westfir community in Oregon. Her work focuses on community outreach, public health communication, wildfire and smoke preparedness, and connecting residents with resources and services.

Avery works with local governments, nonprofits, public agencies, and community partners to support projects that strengthen rural communities. She is currently involved in the redevelopment of the Willamette Activity Center as a community resilience hub and is particularly interested in how small organizations, local partnerships, and trusted community networks can build resilience in rural areas. Avery holds an M.S. in Management from the University of Oregon and an M.B.A. from Chico State.

Travis brings over a decade of urban design, planning, and architecture experience with a strong focus on resilient urban systems, sustainable development, mixed-use urban regeneration, and inclusive community-driven placemaking. They specialize in fostering meaningful engagement, ensuring that diverse and informed voices shape the evolution of public spaces, resource networks, and physical & social infrastructure.

With experience spanning entire project lifecycles —from regional framework planning and master plan development to entitlement and implementation— providing him with deep insight into translating visionary concepts into built and performance-meeting environments. He excels at facilitating collaboration across interdisciplinary teams, guiding stakeholders through complex decision-making processes, and aligning multiple projects into cohesive and actionable outcomes.

Sophie is an experienced writer and policy analyst, and holds a graduate degree in climate science & policy from Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand. Her family has farmed wheat in Eastern Washington for several generations, and she is a passionate advocate for increasing institutional support for climate-resilient farming.

In August, 2017, while working as a 4-H Educational Program Assistant, Ruth set up and ran the Livestock Evacuation Center for the Chetco Bar Fire, utilizing 4-H members, leaders and community members to handle evacuations along with feeding and care of the animals. She also handled small evacuation situations during the Klondike Fire, the Anvil Fire and the Arizona Beach Fire. Those experiences started her journey towards providing education about emergency and disaster preparedness.. Ruth was hired as the Coordinator for the Curry County Community Organizations Active in Disaster in July, 2025 and stepped into the position of OLC secretary in January, 2026. After owning many types of livestock over the years at their small family farm on the southern Oregon coast, Ruth and her husband have downsized to Twinkie, the mini-horse, Chewbacca, the renegade goat, Agness the anxiety-ridden Border Collie, Shadow, the ancient cat and 16 chickens.

Cristina Muñoz De La Torre, PhD, is the Founder and Principal of CEED Resilience LLC, an Oregon-based consulting firm that helps communities, nonprofits, and funders strengthen disaster resilience and recovery programs and initiatives. With more than 17 years of experience spanning disaster response initiatives, community planning, research, and policy analysis, she has worked with local and national organizations to develop practical, community-driven solutions for disaster preparedness, recovery, and long-term resilience. Cristina currently supports resilience initiatives in Oregon and across the United States through consulting, facilitation, strategic planning, and capacity-building efforts.

Grace is a climate and sustainability management consultant at Parametrix, where she supports climate resilience, rural economic development, energy resilience, and community-centered implementation for public agencies, nonprofits, Tribal governments, industry, and partners. She serves in project coordination and program-management roles for state and federal initiatives spanning forest and wildfire resilience, biomass utilization, air quality, energy, and community economic development. Grace also facilitates Oregon’s statewide Biomass Utilization Working Group, bringing together partners across sectors to advance collaborative solutions to forest health, wildfire risk, and rural economic challenges. Her prior experience supporting economic development for the City of Oakridge provides firsthand understanding of the opportunities and implementation challenges facing rural and forest-dependent communities.

Beth is a senior scientist at Parametrix who applies her analytical and research skills to help clients understand the most up-to-date information about how climate change is going to affect their world and build a plan to thrive into the future. She provides detailed analyses of the best available climate projections to help her team design to future conditions and runs focused workshops so her clients get all the information they need to make critical decisions. For communities, she translates the complex scientific research into understandable information and facilitates discussions with community stakeholders to plan for an equitable and thriving future. Her recent work includes vulnerability assessments for large infrastructure projects for ODOT, King County, and Sound Transit, as well as hazard assessments for cities and counties throughout the northwest region. Beth is also accomplished in GHG accounting and is leading the emissions modeling and mitigation studies for the Interstate bridge program for the I-5 bridge over the Columbia river.

Kyle Waggoner serves as District Manager for the Umatilla County Soil & Water Conservation District. He works with farmers and ranchers, helping them implement programs and strategies to achieve their individual resource goals. Kyle values conservation and believes his work makes a difference for the farmers and ranchers of Umatilla County. Under Kyle’s leadership, the SWCD responded to the 2019 and 2020 floods in Umatilla County by kickstarting recovery and mitigation systems that are still working towards recovery to this day. When not in the office, he can be found working on his family ranch, hunting, fishing, and camping in the great outdoors.

Scott Crabtree is the Chief Happiness Officer of Happy Brain Science and an expert in applying brain science, game design, and behavioral science to help teams thrive at work. After earning a degree in cognitive science from Vassar College, Scott led the design and development of video games and enterprise software before discovering the power of positive psychology in 2003. He left his senior leadership role at Intel in 2011 to found Happy Brain Science. Scott’s repeat clients include DreamWorks, Nike, Kaiser Permanente, Boeing, Activision, and NBC/Universal. His signature approach combines his game-development roots (“we’ll play to learn”) with the latest findings from neuroscience and adult-learning research. Attendees regularly tell him, “I still use that tool six months later.” In his newest keynote, Leading in the Age of AI, Scott helps leaders shift from “knowing a lot” to asking the right questions, cultivating curiosity, and partnering with intelligent systems for better decisions and happier teams. When he’s not on stage helping organizations reinvent how work feels, Scott is outdoors in the Oregon wilderness with his wife, two daughters, and dog, or jamming on his guitar.

Brenda has been the Executive Director of High Desert Partnership since 2015 and her interest in collaborative work started years ago when she trained in facilitation while teaching agriculture courses at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. Her work has also led her to a deep understanding and appreciation of landscape-scale management and the importance of addressing social issues in management. Brenda believes the High Desert Partnership’s work is important because when there is an organization in a community committed to supporting groups working together, it actually shifts the collective conscience and more positive work gets accomplished.

Cassandra Waterman is the Communications & Outreach Director at the Dry Farming Institute, working at the intersection of agriculture, community, and place. Originally from the Bahamas, she has built her career on the belief that education is most powerful when it’s rooted in relationships and place. She holds an M.S. in Agricultural Education and brings experience in dry farming research, facilitation, and conflict resolution to the work of connecting and amplifying stories from farming communities. Whether organizing stakeholder workshops, co-hosting field tours, or building resources from the ground up, she is drawn to the kind of work that builds capacity and belonging over time.

Amber Ferguson is the Executive Director and co-founder of Rogue Food Unites, where she has transformed food security into an essential component of community resilience. Through innovative partnerships with farmers, restaurants, nonprofits, and volunteers, Rogue Food Unites has built a regional model for ensuring access to fresh, healthy food during times of crisis and recovery. Her work demonstrates that food is not simply aid – it is connection, dignity, and community care.

Hazel Valdez is the Executive Director of the Oregon Farmers Markets Association (OFMA). She is a nonprofit and operations executive having held various leadership positions at Literary Arts, Portland Women in Technology (PDXWIT), and the Oregon Bioscience Incubator (OBI). She was also part of the Women, Infant, and Children Program (WIC), the Farmers Market Program, and several adjacent programs for the state of Arizona. Being at OFMA is a full circle moment where her passions meet: supporting farm producers, market vendors, and food lovers across Oregon while championing fresh ingredients, expanding access to local food, and celebrating the vibrant communities that make farmers markets thrive.

Hazel studied English at UC Irvine and holds a BA in Culinary Management from Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts. Hazel was previously the board secretary for Saturday Academy and the competition team for McConnell’s Boxing Academy as well as being on the board of Women in Science.

Andrew is a dedicated community organizer for food systems, climate justice and environmental protection. Growing up in a rural community, he spent much of his youth exploring rivers, forests, and backyard gardens. In college, he volunteered for the Potawot Community Food Garden in Arcata, CA. His experiences there solidified his passion for agriculture and community food systems. Since then, he has founded community gardens and stood with frontline communities, advocating for a just transition.

Phoebe Autry grew up in south Georgia and began her career in agriculture on a sheep dairy outside Atlanta. Over the past decade, she has farmed and worked in agriculture across the Southeast, Pacific Northwest, and Alaska, including running her own diversified vegetable farm. Her firsthand experience with the challenges of accessing secure, affordable farmland led her to a career in farmland protection. Today, Phoebe works with farmers and ranchers at Oregon Agricultural Trust to protect Oregon’s agricultural land and strengthen long-term access to farmland for the next generation.

Diane Choplin – Diane is a service provider with OSU Extension’s Small Farms Program and owner/operator of Bel Avenir Farm outside Ashland, which barely escaped the 2020 Labor Day fires. In 2025 she received funds from ODH and Southern Oregon Climate Action Now to host a rural fire resiliency panel and three learning circles to support fuels reduction and emergency response work in Jackson and Josephine Counties. Now she’s partnering with Firebrand Collective to continue the work while also starting a Firewise USA community in her own rural neighborhood.

Aiyanna shares the same tribal affiliation as her mom and grandmother (Komemma Kalapuya, Hanis Coos and an Enrolled member of The Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians). She is a traditional storyteller and has participated in KCPA programing and other cultural activities her whole life. She has most recently participated in the Kalapuya Language project, helping raise funds to print the Kalapuya dictionaries, assists with land restoration work on Cha Tumenma and is the current office manager for KCPA.

Shannin Stutzman shares the same tribal affiliation as her mother and grew up surrounded by her culture. Shannin participated in KCPA’s Indian education summer camp and eventually was the director of day to day operations for the camp. Shannin is a traditional storyteller, drum keeper and singer. Shannin has been heavily involved in the local Yoncalla school districts Indian Education program, hosting a variety of cultural and educational events including a yearly powwow. Shannin currently assists KCPA as the property manager for Cha Tumenma, 207 acres of rematriated land in komemma Kalapuya ancestral lands.

Esther Stutzman is Komemma Kalapuya, Hanis Coos and an Enrolled member of The Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians. She is a traditional storyteller, culture bearer and educator, working in Indian Education programs across Coos county and the surrounding areas for many years. She is a founding member of The Northwest Indian Storytellers Association, Mother Earths Children and all Native theatre company, and The Komemma Cultural Protection Association which hosted an Indian Education Summer Camp for nearly five decades, supports local Native youth and Indian education programming as well as language and land restoration work in the Willamette Valley.

Chantel Welch is the Pacific Northwest Deputy Director with the American Farmland Trust, based in northcentral Washington State after several years in Sisters, Oregon. Since 2024 she has been working with a small group of ranchers on prescribed grazing and burning practices, hosting learning circles based on and in collaboration with Farmer Campus’ award winning Farming Through Wildfire Season curriculum.

Lindsey B. Jones is a rural community builder, facilitator, and nonprofit leader based in Cave Junction, Oregon. As Executive Director of the Illinois Valley Community Development Organization (IVCanDO), she oversees relationships, resources, and results that strengthen the Illinois Valley through community development, economic opportunity, and collaborative problem-solving.

Since joining IVCanDO in 2014, Lindsey has managed projects, convened diverse stakeholder groups, and helped pilot innovative approaches to connecting community members, organizations, and resources. She is known for bringing people together around shared goals and facilitating conversations that lead to meaningful action. Throughout Oregon, she works with communities, nonprofits, and leaders on topics ranging from community engagement and strategic planning to organizational development and capacity building.

She brings a unique perspective to her work, drawing on a background in yoga, theater and clowning that prepared her well for the many moving parts of community development.

Lindsey is a passionate advocate for vibrant rural communities and believes deeply in the power of partnerships. She values joy, collaboration, and finding practical solutions that help communities thrive. She also recognizes the important role technology plays in connecting residents and visitors to the opportunities, assets, and experiences that make rural places exceptional.

Jennifer Letz is the mayor of the city of Sisters. She is in her 6th year on the City Council and 2nd year serving as mayor. She enjoys working on a variety of issues important to the citizens of Sisters, including wildfire resiliency, housing affordability, transportation, and economic
Development.

Jennifer is the co-owner of a wildfire mitigation consulting firm which specializes in helping public and private landowners in wildfire-adapted ecosystems. Her career also includes work with the US Forest Service in sustainability and the National Park Service as a backcountry ranger, wilderness EMT, and wildland firefighter. She currently serves on the Governor’s Fire Service Policy Council.

Jennifer holds an MA in Sustainable Management from Prescott College in Arizona and a BA in Film and Media Studies from Willamette University in Salem.

Kellen’s passion lies in community and relationship building. A skilled facilitator and unabashed expert generalist, he’s spent his career bringing people together to tackle complex social and environmental challenges. He currently serves as Executive Director of Citizens4Community, a nonprofit dedicated to fostering civility, collaboration, civic engagement, and social connection in and around the town of Sisters, Oregon.

After earning a degree in Human Biology from Stanford University and a master’s in Environmental Science & Management from UC-Santa Barbara, Kellen spent nearly a decade in the sustainability and social impact fields. His work at the non-profit consultancy Future 500 focused on forging common ground and collaboration between corporations, non-profits, investors, and other key changemakers. He then worked at Center for Humane Technology, where he grew and stewarded a global community of over 10,000 technologists committed to building more ethical products and services.

Kellen has long sought out opportunities to support organizations engaged in community building and social change. He currently serves on the Steering Committee of the Central Oregon Civic Action Project, and previously was a member of Oregon Environmental Council’s Emerging Leaders Board and the leadership team of the California Water Action Collaborative. When he’s not in the C4C office, you’ll likely find him scarfing donuts at Sisters Bakery, quaffing local mead at Lazy Z Ranch, or rolling around town on 2, 4, or 8 wheels with his wife, children, and dog.

John Moriarty is the Associate Director of McKenzie Valley LTRG, leading their community resilience building initiative. Prior to joining MVLTRG in January 2024, John served as a Senior Program Officer for the Oregon Community Foundation, during which time he helped lead the Foundation’s response to both the COVID crisis and the 2020 Labor Day fires (3 of which occurred in the regions he served). John brings more than 25 years of nonprofit leadership experience.

Kim Dwyer serves as the Service Integration Coordinator for Santiam Hospital & Clinics, where she helps connect individuals, families, and community partners with resources and support throughout the Santiam region. Kim has a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and served as a Juvenile Probation Officer for 24 years prior to coming to Santiam Hospital & Clinics. In her current role at Santiam, Kim coordinates regional Service Integration Teams, supports funding requests, organizes community outreach efforts, and works closely with schools, nonprofits, healthcare partners, local agencies, and community organizations.

Kim is passionate about bringing people together, building strong partnerships, and helping remove barriers for those in need. She values the opportunity to serve the community she calls home and is grateful to be part of work that makes a meaningful difference for children, families, and individuals across the region.

Outside of work, Kim enjoys spending time with family and friends and soaking up the sunshine in Eastern Oregon whenever she can.

Melissa Baurer serves as the Executive Director of Community Development at
Santiam Hospital & Clinics, where she has been a transformative leader since
2017. With a Master’s in Criminal Justice and a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology
from Western Oregon University, Melissa brings over a decade of experience in
social services and community health innovation.

At Santiam, Melissa founded and scaled the Santiam Service Integration
Team(s), which evolved into a comprehensive department under her leadership.
She now oversees community health, service integration, disaster recovery,
community benefit, and communications & marketing. Her pioneering work in
disaster preparedness and recovery has been recognized nationally—highlighted
as a best practice by After the Fire USA and cited by FEMA as a model for
replication across the country.

Melissa’s leadership has redefined community resilience through the Santiam
Service Integration Model, setting new standards in health equity, emergency
response, and collaborative care. Her commitment to service extends beyond her
professional role—she is an elected member of the Lebanon Community School
District’s Board, where she advocates for youth and education.
Outside of work, Melissa enjoys kayaking, hiking, and spending quality time with
her husband and two children.