Staff-Directory

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 (AFE) 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 (NAU). 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. Andi received her B.S. in Environmental Biology and Management from UC Davis in 1996. She received her PhD in Ecology from UC Davis in 2005.

Molly is an ecologist and botanist who has worked in conservation and ecosystem restoration across the Southwest for 20 years. She most recently served as the coordinator of the US Geological Survey (USGS) Southwest Biological Science Center's Restoration Assessment and Monitoring Program for the Southwest, where she helped build a program that connects cutting edge science with today's pressing land management issues. At USGS, she spent a summer detailing as the Congressional Liaison for the USGS Ecosystems Mission Area. She has worked across the Southwest, as a restoration practitioner with Borderlands Restoration and biologist at Grand Canyon National Park. She received her bachelor degree in Southwest Studies from Colorado College and a M.S. in Environmental Science and Policy at Northern Arizona University. She is also a permaculture designer, herbalist, and has a hobby native plant nursery.

Cole is a recent graduate from Northern Arizona University with a degree in Forestry and a certificate in Fire Ecology. While an undergraduate, Cole worked with the Southwest Fire Science Consortium as a member of the Student Association for Fire Ecology. After graduating, he spent one season on a Type 1 handcrew in Northern California before returning to Flagstaff. Cole looks forward to working in fire ecology outreach and education with the Consortium and helping to bridge the gap between scientists and managers. In his free time, you can catch him snowboarding, mountain biking, or hiking with his dog.  

Ph.D., M. Sc. University of Castilla La Mancha, Toledo, Spain; M. Sc. University Complutense of Madrid, Madrid, Spain. Associate Professor of Forestry.

Doug Cram is an Assistant Professor and Extension Fire Specialist at New Mexico State University. His research and Extension efforts focus on management of forests, rangelands, and riparian areas with a particular concentration on the interaction of fire within these systems. He received a BS in Wildlife Science (New Mexico State University), a MS in Forest Science (Oklahoma State University) and a PhD in Range Science (New Mexico State University).

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.

llis Margolis is a research ecologist at the USGS New Mexico Landscapes Field Station, based in Santa Fe, NM. Ellis received a Ph.D. in Watershed Management from the Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research at the University of Arizona in Tucson. His research focuses on the interactions between fire, forests, human land use, and climate in the southwestern U.S., which informs management of forested watersheds and fire. His experience with prescribed fire while working for The Nature Conservancy in the Pine Barrens of New York and the longleaf pine forests of Florida inspired his research in fire ecology.

Dr. Zander Evans is the Executive Director at the Forest Stewards Guild. The Guild is a national non-profit focused on practicing and promoting stewardship to sustain the integrity of forests and the people who depend on them. Zander focuses on building partnerships, promoting good forest policy, and supporting staff and members in their on-the-ground efforts implementation of ecological forestry. His research has focused on managed wildfire, forest biomass utilization, and invasive insects. Living in Santa Fe, New Mexico keeps fire ecology on his mind when hiking or fishing in the mountains.

Pete's research interests include Measuring the extent and characteristics of ecological degradation, including changes in forest structure, plant communities, fire behavior, and habitat components. Studying relict sites where recent anthropogenic degradation is minimal, such as remote plateaus in Grand Canyon National Park and isolated sites in northern Mexico. Experimentation in alternative methods of restoring natural structure, function, and process to western long-needled pine forests. Modeling of vegetation change and fire behavior and effects across stands and landscapes. He received his B.A. from Vassar college, and both M.S. and Ph.D. from Northern Arizona University's School of Forestry.

Pepe's research interests are in understanding how fire impacts forested ecosystems across temporal and spatial scales. Working at large spatial scales is facilitated by also expanding the temporal scale. He uses dendrochronological techniques to re-construct fire history and age structure patterns both in stands and across landscapes. The information gleamed from historical data is then applied to contemporary landscapes to restore both forest structure and natural fires. Pepe received a B.S. and M.S. in Forestry from Northern Arizona University and a Ph.D. in Natural Resources from University of Arizona.

Rachel’s research interests include fire impacts on arid and semi-arid plant communities, quantifying how plant functional traits contribute to flammability of living and dead plants, and integrated control of fire promoting invasive species. Recently, she has begun focusing on understanding fuel loading and fire risk in urban and ex-urban areas. She has studied the impacts of fire in long-leaf pine forest understories, the understories of ponderosa pine forests in Northern Arizona, and the semi-arid grasslands of northern and southern Arizona. In her spare time, she enjoys gardening with native and climate resilient species, collecting orchids, and spending time with her human and canine family.

Will Cannon is currently a Ph.D. student in The School of Forestry at Northern Arizona University. His current work in wildfire social science explores how socially diverse communities interpret and respond to fire in evacuation and recovery contexts. Using a qualitative interview approach, he investigates the diverse perspectives, knowledge, and experiences of communities affected by wildfires, aiming to identify effective strategies and approaches that can facilitate a more inclusive and informed decision-making process. In his free time, Will takes photos, hikes, and road cycles.

Ethan is a plant ecologist and PhD student in Natural Resources at the University of Arizona. His research focuses on how plant communities recover from historically atypical fires under current and projected climate change conditions, in hopes of supporting resilient land management. Outside of his research, Ethan is passionate about teaching the next generation of natural resource professionals and is the instructor of record for the University of Arizona’s Introduction to Wildland Fire course. He holds a B.A. in Environment and Sustainability from Western Colorado University, and an M.S. in Environmental Science and Policy from Northern Arizona University.

Anna Vaughn is a Ph.D student and research assistant for the Earth Science & Environmental Sustainability department at Northern Arizona University after receiving her Master’s in Geography. Her research interests include climate change, fire adaptation, natural resource management, and environmental policy. Her current work focuses on building cultural and ecological resilience in Emory oak ecosystems of Arizona, with an emphasis on tribal collaboration and co-production of knowledge. In her free time, she enjoys hiking in our public lands, reading, and photography.

A native to the Southwest, Bell grew up in Roswell, NM and attended college at New Mexico State University in Las Cruces, NM and majored in Wildlife Science. He never pursued a career as a wildlife biologist and instead found a passion for fire fighting. He has been able to tie the two disciplines of wildlife and wildfire together as he does his best to tailor the design of fuels projects toward improving habitat, always thinking of what is best for both the wildlife and the landscape. Bell has spent most of his career working for the BLM and is currently the Fire Management Specialist for the Pecos District in southeast New Mexico at the Roswell Field Office. He also has a background in fire operations and serves on a couple of incident management teams in the Southwest as an alternate in the role of Division/Group Supervisor. In his off time Bell likes to explore the mountain and desert communities of New Mexico with his five year old daughter.

Lindsey Quam is a native New Mexican and of the Zuni Pueblo. He currently resides on Santa Clara Pueblo where he is married to an exceptional woman, Mauricia. He holds a BS in Forestry from Northern Arizona University and a Masters from NM Highlands University. Quam has occupied numerous positions throughout his 22-year career. He first worked as a Project Manager at Los Alamos National Laboratory before moving to the NM Forestry Division where he worked as a forester and moved on to become the Assistant State Fire Management Officer. He established and managed the veteran oriented Returning Heroes Program where he helped train veterans to be wildland fire fighters. Quam then shifted to work with Tribal governments and became the Santa Clara Pueblo Forestry Director. Recently, he is back with the NM state government as the Deputy State Forester and Tribal Liaison. Quam’s career goals are to integrate Indigenous traditional ecological knowledge, practical ecosystem restoration knowledge and western science to influence future forest resilience and ecosystem services through a changing climate.