After the Flames
IN-PERSON CONFERENCE & WORKSHOP
CO-HOSTED WITH THE WASHINGTON DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES
April 6-9, 2026
Suncadia| Cle Elum, Washington
Speakers
KEYNOTE | PHIL RIGDON
Phil Rigdon is the Vice-President of the Intertribal Timber Council and represents Yakama Nation on the executive board. Phil has been the Superintendent of Yakama Nation’s Natural Resources Department since May 2005 and has worked for the Tribe since June 1996.
He represents the Yakama Nation on the Tapash Sustainable Forest Collaborative, the Yakima River Basin Watershed Enhancement Project Workgroup & Conservation Advisory Group, the Washington State’s Columbia River Policy Advisory Group, and the Hanford Natural Resource Trustee Council. Phil obtained a BS in Forest Management from the University of Washington and a Masters of Forestry from Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies.
JAMES CALABAZA
James Calabaza (Santo Domingo Pueblo) is Director of the Indigenous Lands Program at Trees, Water & People. He engages and works with Tribal Nations on efforts centered around Tribal-led stewardship projects that cultivate partnership opportunities leading to landscape-scale restoration efforts. James provides insight on best practices to work with Tribal governments that uphold traditional ethics of governance, leadership values and Traditional Ecological Knowledge.
SERRA J. HOAGLAND
Serra J. Hoagland is an American forest scientist and wildlife biologist. She is a tribal relations officer and researcher at the United States Forest Service, working at the Rocky Mountain Research Station. She also works as a Forest Service liaison with Salish Kootenai College in Pablo, Montana.
COLLIN HAFFEY
Collin Haffey started in February 2023 as the new post-fire recovery program manager for the WA Department of Natural Resources. Prior to joining the DNR he worked for over ten years on fire ecology, and post-fire recovery in the Southwestern US. He leads Washington State’s post-fire recovery program, supporting local governments, tribes, NGOs and landowners in navigating recovery and scaling resources statewide. Previously, he served as Deputy State Coordinating Officer in New Mexico, developing recovery strategies and securing support for underserved communities. Collin’s work spans the full fire cycle, and he currently helps lead a statewide effort to strengthen funding for forest health, fire response, and community resilience.
MELISSA NAPOLI
Melissa Napoli is the Wildfire Coordinator for Wasco County, Oregon, where she leads countywide wildfire mitigation initiatives through strategic collaborative planning, project implementation, and comprehensive financial and grant management. She oversees the county’s $5.9 million Community Wildfire Defense Grant, awarded in Round 2, and authored an exceptionally competitive Round 3 proposal that scored 91.33—ranking 8th among Oregon’s 51 submissions.
Melissa is recognized for her ability to coordinate across agencies, disciplines, and jurisdictions. Her leadership has strengthened partnerships among local fire districts, county departments, state agencies, federal land managers, and community organizations—resulting in strengthened alignment around wildfire resilience. Tools and systems she developed have been adopted by major mitigation programs across Oregon. She is currently supporting Wasco County communities in developing long-term resiliency in both pre- and post-fire scenarios.
GREGORY NELSON
Gregory Nelson is the director of the National Center for Public Lands Counties, where he leads the center’s operations and oversees activities focused on advancing the policy and practice related to America’s public lands counties. His work enhances the long-term research, capacity building and knowledge exchange between elected and appointed leaders from public lands counties, federal and state policymakers, key influencers and the public.
Gregory holds a doctorate in Science and Technology and Society from Virginia Tech. He has a rich background in county government, having spent seven years in Coconino County, Ariz., where he gained experience across multiple departments, working on federal land management issues, forest restoration, economic development initiatives in coal-impacted communities, land-use planning and policy around sensitive military facilities and disaster response and recovery. His knowledge of county government, particularly in navigating the complex relationship between local communities and public lands managers, informs his leadership at the National Center for Public Lands Counties to advance practical and impactful research for counties across the United States.
TUCKER TEUTSCH III
Tucker Teutsch is the founder and Executive Director of Firebrand Resiliency Collective (FRC), where he leads a fantastic team working to advance community-driven solutions for wildfire resilience across Southern Oregon. Before founding FRC in the aftermath of the 2020 Almeda Fire, he directed builds and logistics for major music and art festivals across five countries and contributed to disaster relief efforts in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina. His professional background also includes a decade as a journalist covering politics, culture, and travel in the U.S. and Caribbean.
Tucker is frequently found speaking about strategies to empower communities to scale wildfire preparedness and advance equitable recovery. He serves on several statewide advisory bodies, including the Oregon State Fire Marshal’s Community Wildfire Risk Reduction Grant Evaluation Committee and the Oregon Insurance Advisory Committee of the Division of Financial Regulation. For Tucker, this work in wildfire is the culmination of many chapters—equal parts challenging, fascinating, and rewarding. True to form as a forward-thinking pragmatist, he is known to say: “The only prediction I feel safe making is this: It will never be boring.”