About
The Role of the Committee
The role of the Advisory Committee is to provide current knowledge, critical thinking, analysis, and perspectives that inform the implementation of the Oregon Global Warming Commission's Natural and Working Lands Emissions Reduction and Sequestration Goal Proposal.
The Oregon Global Warming Commission selected the following individuals, who requested to become a member of the Advisory Committee via an application process, to serve on the Advisory Committee. The full list of committee members is in the table at the bottom of this page. Members are currently submitting photos and short biographies - stay tuned for more!
Meet the Committee Members
Joseph Vaile
Climate Program Director
Klamath-Siskiyou Wildlands Center
Joseph Vaile has worked in natural resources policy and conservation for 25 years. Most recently he founded a climate program for the conservation group KS Wild working at the intersection of forest management, wildfire, and climate change in Southwest Oregon. Oregon.
Mike McCarthy
Owner
McCarthy Family Farm
Mike is the owner of McCarthy Family Farm, and is the President of Parkdale Valley Land Trust. He also serves on the Oregon Farm Bureau State Board.
Ellizabeth Ruther
Science and Policy Analyst
The Pew Charitable Trusts
Elizabeth Ruther analyzes science and policy at The Pew Charitable Trusts. An Oregonian, Liz’s portfolio focuses on conservation of coastal and nearshore habitats on the West Coast, including advancing policy and management efforts to help sustain coastal watersheds and the services they provide for people, coastal economies, and nature in a changing climate. She has worked in for-profit, non-profit, and government sectors including the Department of Land Conservation Development and the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Josh Robinson
Co-Owner
Robinson Nursery
I have grown up on our family farmed and been involved full time since 2008. Due to my upbringing, I have a passion for trees and the benefits they provide our climate, Forest/woodlands, communities, and economy.
Jocelyn Bridson
Environment & Community Impact Dir.
Tillamook County Creamery Assn.
Jocelyn Bridson has worked on environmental issues for over 20 years and has served as the Director of Environment & Community Impact at Tillamook County Creamery Association since 2020. She collaborates to identify resource reduction strategies across TCCA’s facilities and farms and oversees the cooperative’s investments in the community. Prior to TCCA, she worked at a 6,000-acre vegetable farm in the Salinas Valley, using agronomy and data-driven decisions to reduce water and fertilizer use, implemented on-farm technology, and installed a 1MW solar array. While in California she also served as the Chair for the Science Advisory Panel for CDFA, advising the state agency on how to best deliver their Climate-Smart Agriculture programs. Jocelyn is a Certified Crop Advisor, has a Master’s degree in Environmental Science & Management and a B.S. in Conservation Biology.
John Hillock
Wallowa County Commissioner
John M. Hillock has been a resident of Enterprise, Oregon since high school and lives there today with his wife, three children, and 5 grandchildren. He followed in the footsteps of his father and took on the family business as an electrician. He has been installing solar projects in Eastern Oregon since the 1990’s and today his specialty is installing residential solar systems as well as systems for affordable housing. Since 2018, he has represented Eastern Oregon as a Wallowa County Commissioner and has served on Governor Brown’s Equity in Recovery Board for Eastern Oregon, Enterprise Education Foundation, Wallowa Co Health Care Foundation, Center for Wellness Board, Northeast Oregon Economic Development District, and Chief Joseph Days Rodeo.
Megan Kemple
Co-Director, Director of Policy Advocacy
Oregon Climate and Agriculture Network
Megan advocates for policies and programs at the state and federal levels to advance climate resilience on Oregon's farms and ranches. She sets OrCAN’s policy priorities based on input from farmers and ranchers and others in OrCAN’s network; engages farmers and ranchers in advocating for these policy priorities; coordinates with partner organizations on advocacy efforts; and provides input to state agencies and commissions.
Dan Probert
Director
Country Natural Beef
Dan Probert, Director of Country Natural Beef, is leading their cooperative of ranchers along with Sustainable Northwest and Northway Ranch Services to build and implement their Grazewell regenerative ranching program that will quantify sustainable practices and document the continued success of regenerative ranching practices implemented on their lands over time.
Laura Tabor
Climate Action Director
The Nature Conservancy
Laura leads The Nature Conservancy’s Oregon climate portfolio, working primarily on climate policy engagement and natural climate solutions. She also supports staff leading TNC’s sustainable water and urban tree canopy work and coordinates with conservation colleagues across Oregon. Laura brings over 10 years of experience in climate and energy policy, ranging from coordinating the New Mexico Climate Change Task Force to clean energy consulting.
Jan Lee
Executive Director
Oregon Association of Conservation Districts
Jan Lee is the Executive Director of the Oregon Association of Conservation Districts. The state’s 45 conservation districts located in every county provide technical services for rural and urban projects, including agriculture and forestry, parks and other facilities. Her headquarters are in the foothills of Mt. Hood and she has been a board member of the Clackamas Soil and Water Conservation District for 15 years and currently serves as a member of the Oregon Water Resources Commission. OACD advocates for conservation, water policy and agriculture policies with the legislature and in agency rulemaking.
Greg Holmes
Working Lands Program Director
1000 Friends of Oregon
Greg Holmes is the Working Lands Program Director for 1000 Friends of Oregon. He has worked within Oregon's land use planning program for over 20 years in areas as diverse as housing, transportation, farm and forest land preservation, and preventing sprawl, both inside and outside of urban growth boundaries.
Craig Cornu
Coordinator
PNW Blue Carbon Working Group
Craig is coordinator and co-founder of the Pacific Northwest Blue Carbon Working Group, a collaborative group of scientists, policy makers, land managers and others committed to quantifying the carbon storage and sequestration benefits of coastal wetlands in the Pacific Northwest, sharing blue carbon data, and developing tools to contribute to the region’s efforts to mitigate the effects of climate change.
Amanda Sullivan-Astor
Forest Policy Manager
Associated Oregon Loggers
Amanda Sullivan-Astor is the Forest Policy Manager for Associated Oregon Loggers and a Society of American Foresters Certified Forester. She serves as a subject matter expert for policymaking, government affairs and public relations. She also works with partners to promote sustainable forest management across the state that enhances the forest contracting workforce and forest sector infrastructure as a whole. Amanda consistently advocates for legally sound and science-based management practices that acknowledge environmental and economic tradeoffs.
Teryn Yazdani
Staff Attorney, Climate Policy Manager
Beyond Toxics
Teryn Yazdani is the Staff Attorney and Climate Policy Manager at Beyond Toxics, a Eugene-based environmental justice, community-focused nonprofit. She holds a JD from Lewis & Clark Law School with a certificate in Environmental and Natural Resource Law. In her role at Beyond Toxics, Teryn is one of Oregon’s few environmental justice attorneys and is a fierce advocate for climate resilience for Oregon’s forests. She firmly believes that all policy decisions should be viewed through an intersectional lens and must first prioritize the needs of frontline and historically marginalized communities for the betterment of all Oregonians. Teryn works on a variety of climate justice issues that span many subject areas including natural and working lands, air toxics, pesticide reform, and clean energy.
Debora Landforce
Partner
2 Fox Farm
Debora Landforce is the owner/manager of 2 Fox Farm in Rickreall, Oregon. She is the 4th generation on the family farm, which grows grain, grass, legumes, and hay. She and her partner, Donna, also have a small greenhouse business and farmstand specializing in tomato starts. The farm is in the process of transitioning from conventional to regenerative farming, restoring an oak woodland and increasing habitat. In addition to farming, she is an experienced counselor and psychotherapist and works with farm succession, and the emotional impacts of climate change.
Dylan Kruse
Vice President
Sustainable Northwest
Dylan Kruse is the Vice President at Sustainable Northwest, where he manages the organization's government affairs activities and broad programmatic and policy priorities.
Greg Green
Director of Conservation Programs, PNW
Ducks Unlimited
Greg Green is Ducks Unlimited’s Director of Conservation Programs for the Pacific Northwest, where he provides guidance and staff supervision to the delivery of on-the-ground projects. With more than 20 years of experience as a practitioner, Greg has led projects on private and public working lands, and has a project-type portfolio that includes tidal marsh restorations, vernal pool and native grassland reestablishments, farm infrastructure and water delivery improvements, fish passage corrections, and conservation easements.
Gary Clarida
Retired - Forestry Technician, sawyer, and equipment maintenance supervisor
For over thirty years I worked in the forested landscapes of Southern Oregon, utilizing ecological based methods with a goal of developing or maintaining healthy forests. Upon retirement I became a member of SOCAN (Southern Oregon Climate Action Now); in order to aid in the effort to address the complex issues associated with climate change. I am grateful for the opportunity to leverage this experience to help the OGWC fulfil its mission.
Mimi Casteel
Owner, Winegrower, and Winemaker
Hope Well Wine
Mimi Casteel is the owner, winegrower and winemaker for Hope Well Wine in Sheridan, Oregon. Mimi also works with other farmers and landowners to adopt ecological frameworks for managing agricultural lands, including regenerating soil health and incorporating habitat.
Katie Voelke
Biologist and Executive Director
North Coast Land Conservancy
Katie Voelke is a Biologist and Executive Director of the North Coast Land Conservancy. She lives in Nehalem with her husband and 3 sons.