Ms. Chalker-Scott, has a Ph.D. in Horticulture from Oregon State University and is an ISA certified arborist and an ASCA consulting arborist. She is Washington State University’s Extension Urban Horticulturist and a Professor in the Department of Horticulture. Ms. Chalker-Scott conducts research in applied plant and soil sciences, publishing the results in scientific articles and university extension fact sheets. She is also actively involved in enhancing the scientific literacy of her audiences by teaching them how to assess the credibility of information from print and online sources. Ms. Chalker-Scott also is the award-winning author of five books and was featured in a video series – The Science of Gardening – produced by The Great Courses. She also is one of the Garden Professors – a group of academic colleagues who educate and entertain through their blog and Facebook pages. Ms. Chalker-Scott’s educational contributions to science-based information have been recognized by such groups as Garden Communicators International, the National Association of County Agricultural Agents, and the International Society for Arboriculture.

Dr. McCoshum has designed urban, suburban, and rural conservation projects across the United States. His research expertise includes monarch ecology, milkweeds, and native bee communities, and he has more than 15 years of experience working in the arid Southwest. Dr. McCoshum has extensive experience rearing monarchs in laboratory settings, growing milkweeds, and creating vegetation management plants, and urban conservation designs. In addition to his research and professional work, he is the author of Inviting Pollinators and Other Wildlife into Your Garden, which dives into the processes of creating robust, aesthetically pleasing, wildlife habitats.

Mr. Mohney is the Engineering Geology Program leader for the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT). The Engineering Geology Program at ODOT encompasses site characterization, subsurface exploration, slopes and embankments, geologic hazards, groundwater, geotechnical instrumentation, and planning and research activities. In this role, he also oversees the Unstable Slopes (landslide/ rockfall) Program for ODOT. He is a registered geologist and a certified engineering geologist in Oregon with over 30 years of experience in Oregon and the western states. Mr. Mohney has been the Engineering Geology Program leader since 2004. Prior to this, he had been a staff and project-level geologist for consulting firms and the mining industry as well as for ODOT. He is a graduate of the Geology Program at Portland State University. During his professional career, Mr. Mohney has been involved in the investigation, design, and construction of a wide range of challenging earthwork projects including high fills on soft ground, side slope embankments, and cut slopes in mixed-face conditions. His other work includes landslide and rockfall mitigation, ground improvement, and dewatering.

Ms. Quinn-Davidson is a Fire Advisor and the Director of UCANR’s Fire Network. Ms. Quinn-Davidson’s primary focus is on the human connection with fire, and increasing the use of prescribed fire for habitat restoration, invasive species control, and ecosystem and community resiliency. Ms. Quinn-Davidson works on prescribed fire issues at various scales, including locally in Humboldt County, where she works with private landowners to bring fire back as a land management tool; at the state level, where she collaborates on policy and research related to prescribed fire, and helps inspire and support prescribed burn associations; and nationally, through her work and leadership on prescribed fire training exchanges (TREX). Ms. Quinn-Davidson is passionate about using prescribed fire to inspire and empower people, from rural ranchers to agency leaders to young women pursuing careers in fire management, and everyone in between.

Ms. Valachovic is passionate about finding solutions to challenging problems bringing her skills in forestry, natural resources and sociological research, design and mitigation of the built environment for wildfire resilience, as well as her years rooted in County government and community engagement. She is a member of the California Governor’s Wildfire Forest Resilience Task Force and other California state fire policy workgroups. Ms. Valachovic is the co-lead of the Northern California region of the California Fire Science Consortium and is a founding member of the Northern California Prescribed Fire Council. She has co-authored papers on fire behavior in California forests and the intersection of fire performance in home and landscape design. She is active in California policy development and has been a technical resource for bioenergy, forest management, home hardening, and improvements to defensible space legislation. She will share her experience from post-fire assessments that have helped craft her vision for adaptation.