MEET OUR EXTERNAL STAKEHOLDER TEAM

Aitor currently serves as the Wildfire Technical Advisor to Dr. Moore-Merrell, Administrator, U.S. Fire Administration. Aitor began his wildfire career in 1982 with the U.S. Forest Service where he served in various fire management positions. Throughout his 17 years with the USFS he served on Incident Management Teams (IMT), Initial Attack and Extended Attack IC, engine Captain, hotshot crew member and a Type 1 Prescribed Fire Burn Boss. In 1999, he joined the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) at its national office for fire management at the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC). During his nine years with the BLM, he initially served as the Deputy Fire Training Officer and later the principal Fire Training Officer for BLM. In 2008, Aitor joined the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) in support of the agency’s wildfire mission. In that role he works daily with partner agencies at the NIFC where he currently serves on the Executive Board for the National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG) responsible for developing wildfire standards at the national level. He also serves on the National Multi-Agency Coordinating (NMAC) groups which is responsible for the prioritization and allocation of national resources nationally.

Bob has been in the fire service for over 45 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 to the Western Fire Chief’s 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 is currently finishing his commitment serving on the Congressional Wildland Fire Mitigation and Management Commission.

Ms. Christina Terzich, has been with SDG&E for 22 years providing environmental program, permit and document project management for major electric and gas infrastructure projects. Christina provides regulatory and environmental strategies for major infrastructure projects, new technologies such as batteries and microgrids and environmental/CEQA fire risk planning. Christina also provides review for SDG&E focused on legislative and regulatory proposals and revisions regarding renewables, energy procurement, energy efficiency, CEQA, air quality, hazardous materials, land use and climate change. Prior to joining SDG&E Christina prepared and managed numerous environmental documents, planning documents, wetland permits, hazardous material reports and technical air quality studies for specific plans, residential, commercial, and industrial developments and infrastructure projects for civil engineering firms and though her own consulting firm.  Ms. Terzich holds a B.S. in Natural Resources Management from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and is a native San Diegan. In addition to being a founding member of the Cal Poly Wildland Urban Institute External Advisory Council including leading the effort to obtain coopertion, support and joint funding for the Institute from SDG&E, SCE and PG&E, Christina is also a member of the Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Natural Resources and Earth Sciences External Advisory Council.

Dr. Jacy Hyde is the Executive Director for the California Fire Safe Council, a nonprofit organization that provides technical assistance and funding to support community-led wildfire resilience efforts. She previously served as the Branch Chief for Hazard Mitigation Assistance and Deputy State Hazard Mitigation Officer with the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, where she oversaw a portfolio of state and federal grant programs aimed at reducing risk from natural hazards and advancing equitable climate adaption approaches. Jacy also served for a year with the CA State Assembly Committee on Natural Resources as a California Council on Science and Technology Policy Fellow. After nearly a decade conducting ecology and forestry research in the field, she earned a PhD in Forest Resources and Conservation from the University of Florida on the topic of forest health and energy infrastructure development. Jacy holds a BSc in Field and Wildlife Biology from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo.

Kate Dargan Marquis currently works on wildfire resiliency strategy though many pathways and institutions. She advises the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, she most recently worked for the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy as Assistant Director for Preparedness and Response and serves as Board Director and Chief Strategy Officer for Intterra, a wildfire and public safety software company she co-founded in 2010. She is also a longtime Board member and past Co-Chair of the CA Fire Safe Council. Prior to her advocacy phase, Kate was a pioneering California firefighter/chief for 30 years, the first woman State Fire Marshal for California and a proud Cal Poly San Luis Obispo graduate. She has worked at the community, public agency, industry, technology, and policy levels of the national fire service and is widely recognized for her consensus-building style and innovative approaches to old problems.

Dr. Matt Rahn is currently serving as the Executive Director for the Wildfire Conservancy (a nonprofit research foundation) and as Director for Wildfire Programs at California State University San Marcos. Most recently, he led the creation of a public-health workforce development and training program with Mt. San Jacinto College supporting business and their employees in safe operations and protocols related to COVID-19 guidelines. Prior to this, Dr. Rahn served as the Director for the SDSU Environmental Sciences Program and Field Stations Program, and as adjunct faculty for the Homeland Security Program. Dr. Rahn served as Mayor and City Councilmember for the City of Temecula from 2014-2022. He also served on the Executive Board for the Riverside County Transportation Commission, the regional board for the League of California Cities (and the League’s Public Safety Committee), and on the Board of Directors for the Riverside County Habitat Conservation Authority and the Riverside Conservation Authority. He was also appointed as the first Chair for the State of California Bureau of Cannabis Control Board and continues serving as board member today. Dr. Rahn has over two decades of experience in applied sciences and policy, with an emphasis on environmental science, ecology, statistics, public policy and wildfire science. Having earned both a PhD and JD, Dr. Rahn has focused much of his work on the interface between science and policy, supporting local, state and federal programs in collaboration with lawyers, policymakers and scientists on issues primarily focused on wildfires, land use, public safety, watershed management, endangered species, land use planning and renewable energy. He has designed and implemented many large-scale projects with a strong foundation in policy implications, research design, economic, and statistical analysis. As a researcher and educator, Dr. Rahn has been involved in public safety issues throughout his career. Over nearly two decades, he has been working on issues related to wildfires, with a specific emphasis on economic impacts, improving attack effectiveness, firefighter health and safety, and community resilience. Results of this research have helped establish a benchmark for evaluating economic impacts from large-scale wildfires and understanding the total economic burden. He has also led a staffing study that became the first of its kind to address how firefighter staffing influences initial attack effectiveness and health/safety during a wildfire. He currently serves as the Executive Director for the Wildfire Conservancy, and nonprofit research foundation aimed at advancing the wildfire industry and providing timely research and education advancements in the field. This collaboration is done in partnership with CAL FIRE, CAL FIRE Local 2881, the International Association of Fire Fighters, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and the US Forest Service. His expertise in fire science, energy, land use, and ecology has established him as an expert in designing and evaluating fire management plans and related fire studies. He is currently leading the development of the West Coast Center of Excellence in Firefighter Mental and Behavioral Health, in collaboration with CAL FIRE L2881 and the International Association of Firefighters.

Steve Hawks is the Senior Director for Wildfire for the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS). Steve’s responsibilities at IBHS include wildfire policy and code development, post-fire analysis, implementation of the Wildfire Prepared Home program, and development of the Wildfire Prepared Neighborhood program. He also serves on the Underwriter’s Laboratory Fire Safety Research Institute’s Wildfire Advisory Committee. Steve has over three decades of experience in wildland firefighting and prevention, having served since 1989 with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) until his retirement in December 2022. He was promoted through the ranks from firefighter to Assistant Deputy Director of the CAL FIRE – Office of the State Fire Marshal’s Community Wildfire Preparedness and Mitigation Division upon his retirement. Additionally, he served for 13 years on CAL FIRE Incident Management Teams. He holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Forest Resource Management with a minor in Business Administration from Humboldt State University.