Meet the Staff
Plumas Corporation has served as the fiscal agent for the Plumas County Fire Safe Council (PCFSC) since 2002. All project contracting and staff support for PCFSC work is provided through Plumas Corporation.
Staff
Hannah Hepner, Plumas County Fire Safe Council Program Manager
Hannah was hired by the Plumas County Fire Safe Council via Plumas Corp in July 2016. She received her Bachelors of Science in Forestry and Natural Resources from UC Berkeley (2006), where she focused her Honors research on Fire Ecology. Subsequently Hannah gained experience with fuels assessment and prescribed burning with the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization of Australia. She then turned her focus to sustainable agriculture and food security, acquiring a Certificate in Landscape Design and completing the Sierra Intensive Farmer Training program. Currently Hannah coordinates the activities of the Fire Safe Council, including grant writing and administration, outreach, and project development.
email Hannah
Matthew West, Project Manager
Matt was hired by the Plumas County Fire Safe Council in April of 2019. Matt received his Bachelors of Science in Biology with a concentration in ecology from San Francisco State University. Prior to the Fire Safe Council, he worked for the Forest Service for 5 seasons as a Wildlife Biological Technician where he has helped oversee hazardous fuels reductions in over 1800 acres of our forest (including within wildlife Protected Activity Centers, a feat that had rarely been done before). He is also a Captain on Quincy Volunteer Fire Department and has been on several OES calls providing structure protection during wildland fire events. Currently, Matt oversees the preparation, implementation, and inspections of Fire Safe Council hazardous fuels reduction projects on federal lands throughout Plumas County. He also coordinates the Plumas Underburn Cooperative (Plumas County's Prescribed Burn Association).
email Matt
Rachel Wehrman, Hazardous Fuels Reduction Project Manager
Rachel joined the Plumas Fire Safe Council in June 2022. She has a background in timber management and has become increasingly interested in hazardous fuels reduction after witnessing several wildfires occur in the county she grew up in. Rachel received her Bachelors of Science from California Polytechnic State University with a double major in Forestry & Natural Resources and Agricultural & Environmental Plant science. Since graduating, Rachel has worked as a staff forester for Sierra Pacific Industries based out of Westwood, CA. With SPI she wrote timber harvest plans, conducted layout, coordinated with contractors, and expanded her overall knowledge of forestry. After roughly a year and a half with SPI, Rachel chose to explore a career with Great Basin Institute in Susanville, CA. Here she was able to learn more about grant writing and the NEPA process. Rachel has since focused her energy on getting back to her roots and has recently moved back to her hometown of Portola, CA. She is grateful to be with PCFSC and is excited to help lead the effort in hazardous fuels reduction in Plumas county.
email Rachel
Tommy Brenzovich, Mitigation Assistance Program Manager
Tommy joined the Plumas County Fire Safe Council in July 2022. He received a Bachelors of Science degree in Safety and Risk Administration from Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond Virginia. Tommy spent twenty years working for the United States Forest Service as a wildland firefighter, the last ten of those years were spent as an Engine Captain on the Plumas National Forest. During this time Tommy was able to see firsthand how the accomplishments of local Fire Safe Councils improved firefighter safety and the survivability of communities while they were threatened by wild fires. He hopes to utilize his experience to continue to enhance the fire safety of the communities in Plumas county by helping to provide education and mitigation assistance to those who want it. This career change allows Tommy more time in the summer to enjoy all the great summertime recreation opportunities Plumas County and the surrounding areas have to offer.
email Tommy
Bethany Rouse, Community Outreach Coordinator
Bethany joined Plumas Corporation in the Fall of 2020. She grew up in Quincy, CA and has a strong connection to the Sierra Nevada mountains as a home, source of inspiration, and endless opportunities for recreation. She enjoys connecting with the public to gain a better understanding of natural resource management from a landowner and stakeholder’s perspective. Bethany holds a Bachelors of Science in Environmental Science and Management from Cal Poly Humboldt. In her free time she enjoys reading and going on walks with her dog.
530-927-5294
email Bethany
Liam Galleher, County Coordinator
Liam is happy to be here, and was hired by the Plumas County Fire Safe Council in January 2022. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Ecosystem Management and Forestry from UC Berkeley, which he mostly hopes to utilize to understand how mountain living evolves in the 21st century. Liam has personal experience working with landowners from Monterey to Southern Oregon via forest genetics projects, and hopes to continue that landowner collaboration throughout every facet of his career. Liam grew up in Chula Vista, CA, and his free time is often dedicated to his sweet dog or making folk music.
530-927-5339
email Liam
Gary Parque, Community Chipping Program Coordinator
Gary has managed the PC FSC chipping program since 2017. He has been involved with forestry, firefighting, fuels, and been a wrangler and cook for outfitters, and an artist since 1972.
email Gary
Sarah Nasif
Sarah joined the Plumas Fire Safe Council as a Sierra Corps Fellow in August 2022. After two summer camp seasons with Massachusetts Audubon Society during college, she grew a passion for community outreach and habitat protection. Sarah received a Bachelor’s of Science degree from the University of Massachusetts Amherst in December 2021, majoring in Environmental Science with a minor in Natural Resources Management and concentration in wildlife habitat management. In between graduation and the Fire Safe Council, Sarah worked as a conservation intern for Native Plant Trust. In this role, Sarah furthered her literacy in landowner/stakeholder relations and grant writing in the context of environmental conservation. Additionally, she expanded her scientific knowledge in native ecology, grant writing, and plant population resistance to climate change. With the Fire Safe Council, Sarah hopes to learn more about forest ecology and economically-sustainable conservation planning as she prepares to pursue her master’s degree in forest pathology and mycology.
email Sarah
Jim Wilcox, Executive Director & Geomorphic Restoration Specialist
Jim Wilcox has 24 years of direct experience in all phases of watershed analysis and geomorphic restoration. He is currently a watershed restoration specialist with Plumas Corporation where he serves as senior geomorphic restoration project manager. Jim is responsible for design specifications and construction supervision. He has been responsible for the implementation and effectiveness monitoring of over 45 restoration projects in the Feather River as well as other Sierra Nevada and Cascade watersheds encompassing more than 51 miles of stream channel and 4,500+ acres of associated riparian areas in a wide variety of channel types and settings. He has been a guest lecturer at numerous short course seminars and co-instructor of the ‘Geomorphic Restoration and Watershed Assessment’ course through San Francisco State University as well as presentations at numerous fisheries, ecological and restoration society conferences. In 2010, Jim received the National Wetlands Award for Conservation and Restoration.
Scott Corey, Administrative Assistant and Grant Administrator
email Scott
Staff
Hannah Hepner, Plumas County Fire Safe Council Program Manager
Hannah was hired by the Plumas County Fire Safe Council via Plumas Corp in July 2016. She received her Bachelors of Science in Forestry and Natural Resources from UC Berkeley (2006), where she focused her Honors research on Fire Ecology. Subsequently Hannah gained experience with fuels assessment and prescribed burning with the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization of Australia. She then turned her focus to sustainable agriculture and food security, acquiring a Certificate in Landscape Design and completing the Sierra Intensive Farmer Training program. Currently Hannah coordinates the activities of the Fire Safe Council, including grant writing and administration, outreach, and project development.
email Hannah
Matthew West, Project Manager
Matt was hired by the Plumas County Fire Safe Council in April of 2019. Matt received his Bachelors of Science in Biology with a concentration in ecology from San Francisco State University. Prior to the Fire Safe Council, he worked for the Forest Service for 5 seasons as a Wildlife Biological Technician where he has helped oversee hazardous fuels reductions in over 1800 acres of our forest (including within wildlife Protected Activity Centers, a feat that had rarely been done before). He is also a Captain on Quincy Volunteer Fire Department and has been on several OES calls providing structure protection during wildland fire events. Currently, Matt oversees the preparation, implementation, and inspections of Fire Safe Council hazardous fuels reduction projects on federal lands throughout Plumas County. He also coordinates the Plumas Underburn Cooperative (Plumas County's Prescribed Burn Association).
email Matt
Rachel Wehrman, Hazardous Fuels Reduction Project Manager
Rachel joined the Plumas Fire Safe Council in June 2022. She has a background in timber management and has become increasingly interested in hazardous fuels reduction after witnessing several wildfires occur in the county she grew up in. Rachel received her Bachelors of Science from California Polytechnic State University with a double major in Forestry & Natural Resources and Agricultural & Environmental Plant science. Since graduating, Rachel has worked as a staff forester for Sierra Pacific Industries based out of Westwood, CA. With SPI she wrote timber harvest plans, conducted layout, coordinated with contractors, and expanded her overall knowledge of forestry. After roughly a year and a half with SPI, Rachel chose to explore a career with Great Basin Institute in Susanville, CA. Here she was able to learn more about grant writing and the NEPA process. Rachel has since focused her energy on getting back to her roots and has recently moved back to her hometown of Portola, CA. She is grateful to be with PCFSC and is excited to help lead the effort in hazardous fuels reduction in Plumas county.
email Rachel
Tommy Brenzovich, Mitigation Assistance Program Manager
Tommy joined the Plumas County Fire Safe Council in July 2022. He received a Bachelors of Science degree in Safety and Risk Administration from Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond Virginia. Tommy spent twenty years working for the United States Forest Service as a wildland firefighter, the last ten of those years were spent as an Engine Captain on the Plumas National Forest. During this time Tommy was able to see firsthand how the accomplishments of local Fire Safe Councils improved firefighter safety and the survivability of communities while they were threatened by wild fires. He hopes to utilize his experience to continue to enhance the fire safety of the communities in Plumas county by helping to provide education and mitigation assistance to those who want it. This career change allows Tommy more time in the summer to enjoy all the great summertime recreation opportunities Plumas County and the surrounding areas have to offer.
email Tommy
Bethany Rouse, Community Outreach Coordinator
Bethany joined Plumas Corporation in the Fall of 2020. She grew up in Quincy, CA and has a strong connection to the Sierra Nevada mountains as a home, source of inspiration, and endless opportunities for recreation. She enjoys connecting with the public to gain a better understanding of natural resource management from a landowner and stakeholder’s perspective. Bethany holds a Bachelors of Science in Environmental Science and Management from Cal Poly Humboldt. In her free time she enjoys reading and going on walks with her dog.
530-927-5294
email Bethany
Liam Galleher, County Coordinator
Liam is happy to be here, and was hired by the Plumas County Fire Safe Council in January 2022. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Ecosystem Management and Forestry from UC Berkeley, which he mostly hopes to utilize to understand how mountain living evolves in the 21st century. Liam has personal experience working with landowners from Monterey to Southern Oregon via forest genetics projects, and hopes to continue that landowner collaboration throughout every facet of his career. Liam grew up in Chula Vista, CA, and his free time is often dedicated to his sweet dog or making folk music.
530-927-5339
email Liam
Gary Parque, Community Chipping Program Coordinator
Gary has managed the PC FSC chipping program since 2017. He has been involved with forestry, firefighting, fuels, and been a wrangler and cook for outfitters, and an artist since 1972.
email Gary
Sarah Nasif
Sarah joined the Plumas Fire Safe Council as a Sierra Corps Fellow in August 2022. After two summer camp seasons with Massachusetts Audubon Society during college, she grew a passion for community outreach and habitat protection. Sarah received a Bachelor’s of Science degree from the University of Massachusetts Amherst in December 2021, majoring in Environmental Science with a minor in Natural Resources Management and concentration in wildlife habitat management. In between graduation and the Fire Safe Council, Sarah worked as a conservation intern for Native Plant Trust. In this role, Sarah furthered her literacy in landowner/stakeholder relations and grant writing in the context of environmental conservation. Additionally, she expanded her scientific knowledge in native ecology, grant writing, and plant population resistance to climate change. With the Fire Safe Council, Sarah hopes to learn more about forest ecology and economically-sustainable conservation planning as she prepares to pursue her master’s degree in forest pathology and mycology.
email Sarah
Jim Wilcox, Executive Director & Geomorphic Restoration Specialist
Jim Wilcox has 24 years of direct experience in all phases of watershed analysis and geomorphic restoration. He is currently a watershed restoration specialist with Plumas Corporation where he serves as senior geomorphic restoration project manager. Jim is responsible for design specifications and construction supervision. He has been responsible for the implementation and effectiveness monitoring of over 45 restoration projects in the Feather River as well as other Sierra Nevada and Cascade watersheds encompassing more than 51 miles of stream channel and 4,500+ acres of associated riparian areas in a wide variety of channel types and settings. He has been a guest lecturer at numerous short course seminars and co-instructor of the ‘Geomorphic Restoration and Watershed Assessment’ course through San Francisco State University as well as presentations at numerous fisheries, ecological and restoration society conferences. In 2010, Jim received the National Wetlands Award for Conservation and Restoration.
Scott Corey, Administrative Assistant and Grant Administrator
email Scott