MEET THE TEAM
We are a cross-disciplinary team of foresters, scientists, policy wonks, environmental leaders, and change-makers
Our Staff
The Forest Bridges staff is a passionate group of professionals dedicated to the vision of 21st-century sustainable forest management.
DENISE ANN BARRETT
Executive Director
Denise Ann Barrett is a visionary, strategic, collaborative, and mission-driven executive. She brings more than 25 years of experience developing, leading, and managing more than a dozen complex organizations and programs in the public, private, and non-profit spheres in Africa, the Middle East, South Asia, and the U.S., including at local, regional, and national levels. Her creative efforts have helped strengthen local food and forest system value chains, increased sustainability, enhanced community resilience, and improved conditions for populations under emergency duress and displacement, oppressed by unjust systems and structures, struggling with high-risk environments, or recovering from civil war and natural disasters.
Denise comes to Forest Bridges following a ten-year stint at the City of Portland building and managing the collaborative, consensus-driven Regional Disaster Preparedness Organization (rdpo.net) in the five-county Portland metropolitan region. There, Denise managed a complex, dynamic and inclusive structure and strategic process supporting dozens of local and regional governments, special districts, businesses, and local organizations, to agree on and advance a unified mission, vision, and program of investments to enhance disaster preparedness and resilience for a region of 2.4 million people.
From 2020-2021, Denise was part of the regional multi-agency coordinated response to COVID-19 and the Labor Day wildfires. During that time, she also helped the region’s fire agencies advance their urban-rural interface wildfire mitigation planning work and the RDPO to deepen its equity, inclusion, and diversity efforts, including building partnerships with community-based organizations to improve disaster preparedness and resilience for BIPOC and other COVID-19 disproportionately impacted communities.
Prior to the RDPO, Denise served as executive director of the Southwest Virginia-Northeast Tennessee-based Appalachian Sustainable Development, whose mission focuses on advancing sustainable forestry and local food systems development. She helped the organization through a critical strategic change process to set them on a more solid organizational footing.
Throughout her career, Denise has applied and honed skills as a creative and nimble change leader/process facilitator, systems planner, cross-cultural communicator, and integrator across multi-sectors, including community-driven development, local governance/leadership development, public health, water and sanitation, education, sustainable/regenerative agriculture and agroforestry, disaster resilience/preparedness, emergency management, and humanitarian protection/human rights.
Denise holds a Master’s in International Administration from the School for International Training in Vermont, with an emphasis on community development, and a Bachelor’s in Liberal Arts from the University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, Minnesota. She has also studied healing science/energetic healing at the Barbara Brennan School of Healing in Florida, and water science and healing with water at the Masaru Emoto Organization in Japan. Denise started career in screenwriting in 2021, drafting two full-length movie scripts.
SHARLYN COX
Admin-Finance
Support Specialist
Sharlyn Cox joins Forest Bridges as our new Admin-Finance Support Specialist. Her previous experience has been as a Realtor, HVAC Business Manager, IT Office Manager, and freelance bookkeeper.
She earned her Associates of Science Degree in Agriculture Business while working full time and raising an infant. To say she can multi-task while keeping her eyes on the goal is an understatement!
Originally from Central California, Sharlyn moved to Oregon in 2005 after a family vacation along the Oregon Coast. The natural beauty and multiple opportunities to enjoy the great outdoors led her to relocate to Roseburg where she has put down new roots.
In her spare time, she enjoys creative writing, hiking, camping, and day trips to the Beach. An animal lover and #boymom, she lives in Melrose with her husband, sons, an Arabian mare, and two Gerberian Shepskies who think they are hooman.
ZENA GREENAWALD
Tribal Liaison
Project Assistant
Zena Greenawald joined Forest Bridges on October 1, 2023 to serve as our first Tribal Liaison, assigned to the BLM Pacific Northwest (PNW) Tribal Forest Restoration and Native Seed Pilot Project, managed by the OSU College of Forestry. Link to the project: https://tek.forestry.oregonstate.edu/tek-lab-projects Zena is a member of the Confederated Tribes of the Siletz Indians and will soon graduate from OSU with a B.S. in Natural Resources. She has a strong foundation in sustainable forestry practices and expresses a deep appreciation for Tribal land stewardship and genuine commitment to promoting the integration of Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) into conservation initiatives and active forest management.
Our Board
Our Board has extensive experience in the fields of forest management, watershed conservation, and viable timber economies. We have been meeting since 2015 and have collectively contributed thousands of volunteer hours to our shared mission.
Thomas McGregor
Chair
Thomas McGregor has 14 years of experience in education as a teacher, youth corps crew leader, career and technical education coordinator, and is currently serving as Executive Director at Phoenix School of Roseburg. Thomas earned a Master of Nonprofit Management degree from the University of Oregon in 2018. He is also a graduate of the Ford Family Foundation Leadership Institute and earned his Bachelor of Science from the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences at Northern Arizona University. Prior to moving to Roseburg, Thomas lived for one year in rural Japan teaching in primary and secondary schools after being selected by the Japanese government to serve in the Japan Exchange and Teaching Program as an Assistant Language Teacher.
Thomas McGregor’s views were shaped by growing up in Phoenix, which grew from 300,000 in his childhood to 6.5 million people today. He graduated in the High School Class of 2000. Thomas came to work at Phoenix School to run the Youth Corps crew. The conservation nonprofit Yew Creek Land Alliance bordered on 3 sides by BLM, and where he chairs the board, influences Thomas’ work. Thomas brings a wealth of experience with work crews and monitoring crews.
Thomas currently is the Secretary of the Creating Community Resilience Core Team, a community collective of agencies working to help Douglas County be more trauma informed. He has a strong history of community involvement and volunteerism including serving on the boards of Oregon Youth Corps Trust, Partnership for the Umpqua Rivers, Roseburg Sister Cities, Umpqua Watersheds, and Yew Creek Land Alliance. He also currently serves on Music on the Half Shell Committee and acts as the event’s Master of Ceremonies. Each summer he enjoys a week as a member of the Oregon Country Fair Vaudeville Crew at the WC Fields Memorial Stage volunteering his audio engineering skills. He is also a proud member of the Roseburg Noon Rotary Club.
He enjoys living in downtown Roseburg with his wife, Sarah, and daughter Ginger. They all can often be seen together wandering the Umpqua Valley Farmers’ Market. Thomas finds a good day in the Umpqua is running chainsaw to tend to their small woodlot at their family’s cabin atop the Oregon Coast Range and bordering the tall old growth trees of Roseburg District BLM lands near Dillard, Oregon.
Elin Miller
Secretary
Elin D. Miller is principal of Elin Miller Consulting , LLC and owner of Umpqua Vineyards, LLC in Oregon In 2010, Elin joined the CNFA Board and served as Chair 2017-2022. She was elected to the Board of Fall Creek Farm and Nursery in 2017 and is its Compensation Committee Chair. In 2021, Elin was the
first woman elected Chair of the Oregon State FFA (formerly Future Farmers of America) Foundation Board and now is Past Chair. She served as President of the Oregon Wine Council from 2019 until 2022 and is currently Past President. In 2020, Elin was appointed by the Oregon Governor to serve a four-year
term on the Oregon Board of Agriculture and was elected Chair in 2023. She also serves on Umpqua Bank’s Regional Board.
Previously, Elin served as Vice Chair of the Vestaron Board, a crop protection corporation in Michigan, (2009-2019). She was elected to the Marrone Bio Innovations Corporation Board, a maker of products used in organic farming in 2011 and served as its Chair beginning in 2013 when it went public on
NASDAQ. She chaired National FFA Foundation Board in 2015. Locally, she has chaired the Board of NeighborWorks® Umpqua (2014-2016) an Chaired and served on the Umpqua Community College Board of Education (2011-2015). She and her husband owned and operated UmpquaNut Farm from 2001 to 2022.
Before moving full time to Umpqua, Oregon, Elin served as Regional Administrator for the Environmental Protection Agency, a Presidential Appointment, with jurisdiction over Alaska, Idaho, Washington and Oregon. Previously, Elin served as President and CEO of Arvesta, a spin-off of Chevron. From 1996 to
2004 she held various positions at the Dow Chemical Company including Global Vice President of Public Affairs, VP of Global Pest Management and VP of Asia Pacific.
Millers earlier government service occurred in the 90s as Director of the Department of Conservation (Senate Confirmed) and Chief Deputy Director of the California Department of Pesticide Regulation, CalEPA. Miller's background also includes FFA National Vice President and Executive Director for the Western Agricultural Chemicals Association. While in California, she was honored to receive the Outstanding Regulator and Outstanding Contribution to Agriculture Awards. She has been honored with various state and national awards including the Lea S. Hitchner Award, the highest award given by CropLife America. Miller was also named one of the "50 Most Powerful Women in PR" by PR WEEK. In 2016, she received the VIP Citation, the highest national award given by FFA. She was honored with the University of Arizona Lifetime Achievement Award in 2023.
Elin was a Rhodes scholarship finalist, Outstanding Woman Graduate and Student Body VP and received her bachelor's degree in agronomy and plant protection from the University of Arizona in 1982. She also served as the first woman President of U of A’s College of Agriculture. Later, she graduated from
INSEAD's Advanced Management Program in France in 2000. Elin attended Stanford University Rock Center for Board Governance and completed an 18-month course in Excellence in Board Governance in 2016.
Dana Kjos
Treasurer
Dana Kjos holds a BS in Forest Management from Oregon State University. He was born and raised in western Oregon. He has worked professionally in SW Oregon for over 30 years. Dana started his career as a technician and has held many positions including his current position of Oregon Logging & Contract Timber Manager for Roseburg Forest Products Co. He has been a member of the Southwest Oregon Regional Forest Practices Committee since 2005, and has served as Chair since 2016. He is also on the board of Public Timber Purchasers Group, a Pacific Northwest trade association representing large business operations that generally operate lumber mills and rely on the purchase of timber sales from the US Forest Service and BLM lands.
Dana has a deep passion to modify the current management of BLM lands. He believes that through this collaboration, active management can be enhanced to sustain these lands in a healthy and productive condition consistent with the intent of the O & C Act in perpetuity.
Dana and his wife, Shelly have been married and lived in Douglas County for 24 years. They have three children, the youngest of whom is following his fathers footsteps into the forest industry. Dana’s extended family has lived in the Roseburg area and been in the forest industry for many years.
Dana enjoys hunting and fishing from Alaska to Colorado with his son and friends. He enjoys being in the outdoors and meeting new people.
Rick Sohn
Co-Founder
Rick Sohn holds a BA in Biology, an MS in Tree Physiology, and a PhD in Forest Pathology and Mycorrhizae, with a minor in soils. Rick is a Roseburg native, with a strong passion for the forests of the northwestern United States, and he trained and worked in the fields of reforestation, silviculture and forest biology for over five decades. He retired as CEO of Lone Rock Resources Company in 2008.
He has served and often chaired the boards of various organizations including Oregonians for Food and Shelter, the Watershed Council of the Umpqua Basin, Oregon Forest and Industry Council, Roseburg Area Chamber of Commerce, Western Resources Legal Center and the Douglas County Museum Foundation.
Rick initiated the Forest Bridges concept by inviting the collaborators together in 2015. He envisions that through this process, O&C and other BLM forests can be managed in a more holistic, viable manner, ensuring that they will continue to thrive for generations to come. Rick and his wife Jacky live in Roseburg, raised three children, and now have four grandchildren.
Robin Hartmann
Board Member
Robin Hartmann is a nonprofit leader with decades of experience in conservation and community outreach. She holds a master’s degree in wildland recreation management and a B.S. in forestry. Robin is currently the Executive Director of the Umpqua Valley Habitat for Humanity.
She serves on the Boards of Directors for Habitat for Humanity of Oregon, and also was on the board of Oregon Wave Energy Trust, and the Oregon League of Conservation Voters. In 2011, she was awarded the title of Conservationist of the Year by Umpqua Watersheds. Robin has had a career of consulting for various nonprofit organizations, including the Audubon Society of Portland, the Oregon Shores Conservation Coalition, Pew Charitable Trusts, Umpqua Valley Audubon Society, the Oregon Chapter Sierra Club, The North Umpqua Foundation, the Umpqua Land Exchange Project, The Friendly Kitchen/Meals on Wheels Roseburg and others. Robin was the Executive Director for the Siskiyou Field Institute, a 700-acre adult and youth natural history education organization. She served as the Natural Resources Legislative Assistant for the Office of Congressman Larry LaRocco from 1991-1994.
In 1980, Robin hiked the 2,600-mile Pacific Crest Trail from Mexico to Canada. Her deep love for the Pacific Northwest forests has stayed with her through her decades of environmental outreach,and compelled her to join the Forest Bridges board to help it achieve its mission.
Garrett Kleiner
Board Member
Garrett Kleiner holds a B.S. in Forest Engineering from Oregon State University. He holds a Registered Professional Forester license in California. Chairman of the Oregon chapter Association of Consulting Foresters. Mr. Kleiner also serves on the Board of Coos-Curry chapter Oregon Small Woodlands Association and Coos-Curry Farm Bureau. Garrett Kleiner has worked for Stuntzner Engineering & Forestry out of Coos Bay since 2015.
Ed Shepard
Board Member
Ed Shepard, CF, retired from the Bureau of Land Management in June of 2012 as the State Director for the states of Oregon and Washington after a 38-year career with the BLM. Prior to serving as State Director he served as the Assistant Director for Renewable Resources and Planning in the Headquarters Office in Washington, D.C.; Oregon and Washington BLM Deputy State Director for Resource Planning, Use, and Protection; Deputy Director of the Office of Fire
and Aviation at the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, ID; District Manager, Coos Bay, Oregon District; Chief of the Division of Forestry in the Washington Office; Area Manager in the Roseburg, Oregon District Office; Area Silviculturist in the Medford, Oregon District Office; and Area Forester and
soil scientist in the Rawlins, Wyoming District Office. Throughout much of his career he worked in fire management as a wildland firefighter and fire manager.
He also served two Congressional Fellowships with a Congressman Robert F. Smith of Oregon and Senator Conrad Burns of Montana.
Ed is the principal member of Shepard & Associates, LLC, a natural resources consulting company providing policy and technical advice to clients on land and resource management.
Ed holds a MS in Forest Management from Washington State University with an emphasis in Forest Ecology and Silviculture and a BS in Range and Forest Management from Colorado State University. He also attended the University of Montana and the University of Idaho as part of his MS program. He is a graduate of the Federal Senior Executive Candidate Development Program leading to his appointment as a Senior Executive with BLM in 2003.
Shepard is a Fellow and Certified Forester with the Society of American Foresters and has held several elected and appointed offices and committee assignments with the SAF. He served on the SAF Board of Directors from 2014-2016 and as Treasurer in 2016.
Ed is a life member of the Public Lands Foundation and served as president from 2013-2016 and 2018-2021.
Ed and his wife Terry reside in Newberg, Oregon. They have two daughters and three grandchildren. He enjoys working with his fruit trees and berries and fishing in Alaska.
Coming Soon
New Board Member
COMING SOON
Council of Advisors & Independent Scientific and Ecocultural Reviewers
Forest Bridges relies on a voluntary Council of Advisors, more than a dozen Independent Scientific and Ecocultural Reviewers, and other technical experts to deepen its collaborative process and widen valuable input into the development of its core work products. These vital Forest Bridges contributors are drawn from members of several Native American Tribes, career professionals across notable conservation organizations and, timber industry associations, university scientists, practitioners of law, and retired public officials.
The insights and experience of our advisors and experts strengthen our Principles of Agreement and Forest Policy Papers and inform our strategies for systems transformation in the management of the O&C Lands of western Oregon.
Council of Advisors:
Russ Hoeflich, Retired, 1000 Friends of Oregon, Portland OR
Greg Block, President, Sustainable Northwest, Portland, OR
Travis Joseph, President, American Forest Resource Council, Springfield, OR
Matt Hill, Executive Director, Douglas Timber Operators, Roseburg, OR
George Smith, Native American Natural Resources Management, North Bend, OR
Dan Newton, Silviculturist, Yoncalla, OR
Independent Scientific and Ecocultural Reviewers:
Jerry Franklin, PhD., Professor Emeritus, University of Washington, and Author
Cristina Eisenberg, PhD., Associate Dean for Inclusive Excellence, Maybelle Clark Macdonald Director of Tribal Initiatives in Natural Resources, College of Forestry, Oregon State University, and Author
John Bailey, PhD., Professor of Silviculture and Fire Management, College of Forestry, Oregon State University, and Author
John Garland, PE, Professor Emeritus, College of Forestry, Oregon State University,
and Author
John Marshall, M.S., Wildlife Ecologist and Landscape Photographer
Gail J. Woodside, PhD, Teaching Faculty/Instructor,
Department of Agricultural Education & Agricultural Sciences, Oregon State University
Note: Forest Bridges respects the anonymity of others who participate as either an Advisor or Reviewer.