Steering Team bios
Scott Rumsey
Scott Rumsey is the acting regional administrator for NOAA Fisheries West Coast Region. Scott has served as the deputy regional administrator since 2017. Scott has previously served as the Portland (Oregon) branch chief for the Protected Resources Division, overseeing regional salmon recovery efforts. For the last ten years he has also served as the program manager for the Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund. Prior to joining NOAA Fisheries in 2001, Scott was a lecturer at the University of San Diego, and a postdoctoral researcher at Oregon State University. Scott earned his doctorate in biological oceanography from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in 1999, and his bachelor’s degree in marine biology from UCLA in 1993.
ACTING REGIONAL ADMINISTRATOR,
NOAA FISHERIES WEST COAST REGION
Chris Jordan
Chris Jordan, Ph.D., is a research fish biologist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration/National Marine Fisheries’ Northwest Fisheries Science Center, and Program Manager for the Mathematical Biology and Systems Monitoring Program. Trained as a quantitative scientist, Dr. Jordan has worked on a wide range of biological topics, all with an emphasis on the development or application of modeling or analytical methods. For the last two decades his work has focused on the design and implementation of large-scale monitoring programs to assess freshwater habitat and population status as well as the watershed-scale effect of management actions for anadromous salmonids. Some current projects include the development of life-cycle simulation models to integrate knowledge on physical and biological processes into a management decision support framework, and the development of methods for stream restoration focusing on beaver and process-based thinking. Dr. Jordan earned his doctorate in biomechanics from the Department of Zoology at the University of Washington.
STEERING TEAM CO-CHAIR
FISHERIES BIOLOGIST
Irma Lagomarsino
Irma has more than 30 years of experience in natural resource management and policy for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries. Since earning her bachelor’s from the University of California, Berkeley and master’s at the State University of New York at Stony Brook in 1990, she has been inspired by the power of partnerships to build comprehensive solutions to resolve wicked natural resource challenges. Early in her career, Irma served on a diverse public-private collaborative team that successfully identified and implemented approaches to reduce whale mortality in a California fishery as required under the Marine Mammal Protection Act. With over a dozen years helping to forge historic agreements with diverse coalitions and regulate water use in the upper Klamath Basin, she received the Bureau of Reclamation's 2014 John W. Keys, III Award for Building Partnerships and Strengthening Relationships. Today, Irma provides strategic advice and support to advance recovery of listed salmon in western Oregon using her deep experience with the Endangered Species Act and expertise in working with communities to craft innovative solutions to help fish and people. Currently, she is particularly focused on collaborating with partners on the recovery of threatened Oregon Coast Coho salmon. Irma enthusiastically supports the 2023 Restoring Riverscapes Workshop because of the urgency to pick up the pace and scale of process-based habitat restoration to conserve salmon in the face of a changing climate. Now based in Portland, Oregon, when not working, Irma enjoys hiking, camping, cross-country skiing and yoga—she also cultivates kindness and connection by growing and giving away flowers as a Growing Kindness Ambassador.
STEERING TEAM CO-CHAIR
SENIOR POLICY ADVISOR
Brian Cluer
Idaho native Brian Cluer, Ph.D., grew up farming with his family on the Camas Prairie, between Boise and Sun Valley. Following a drought his family sold the farm and Brian pivoted to college where he discovered geology, then hydrology, and finally geomorphology, which has been his path ever since. Dr. Cluer is a senior scientist for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS)–West Coast Region. He is a fluvial geomorphologist with 32 years of federal service in river resource management. Before joining the NMFS in 2000, his focus areas with the United States National Park Service included reregulating major dams in the Colorado River Basin to improve ecosystem functions, and planning the removal of the Elwha River dams. Since joining the NMFS his focus has been in planning and implementing several dam removal projects, and improving river restoration science and practice to support the recovery of threatened and endangered salmonids, notably advancing the scientific support for floodplain restoration. Dr. Cluer holds a doctorate in earth resources from Colorado State University, a master’s degree in geophysics and groundwater from Northern Arizona University, and a bachelor’s degree in geology from Idaho State University.
STEERING TEAM
FLUVIAL GEOMORPHOLOGIST
Charlotte Ambrose
Charlotte Ambrose has been with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) for 23 years. She has served as the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) liaison to the California Board of Forestry, and an NMFS recovery coordinator leading and authoring the central California coast salmon and steelhead recovery plans. She is currently the California programs coordinator and oversees statewide initiatives to include facilitating coordination and collaboration internally (between NOAA divisions such as the NOAA Restoration Center) and externally (with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife). She received her bachelor of science in wildlife management and forestry from the University of Georgia. When not working, you can find Charlotte in her Jeep on a dirt road in remote Nevada looking for a long lost ghost town, or serving as a Nevada Site Steward for archaeology sites.
STEERING TEAM,
CALIFORNIA PROGRAMS COORDINATOR
Forbes Darby
Forbes Darby is a communications manager with NOAA Fisheries. Forbes' work focuses on bringing people together to share stories. He has 15 years of professional experience in strategic communications, stakeholder outreach, and internal communications. He advises agency leadership and has successfully pulled together geographically dispersed teams. Forbes believes strategic communication is vital to any successful organization. He's "...on a mission to learn about people, how they communicate and work together to do great things." Forbes holds a bachelor's in zoology from Connecticut College and a master's in marine policy from the University of Delaware. He has worked for the American Sportfishing Association—the recreational fishing industry’s trade group. He joined NOAA in 2005. A recovering scientist and policy wonk, he now helps make technical language accessible to all.
STEERING TEAM,
COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER
Patty Dornbusch
Patty Dornbusch has worked for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) for 30 years: for 7 years, with the National Ocean Service, on coastal resource management, and, since 1998, with the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS)–West Coast Region. In the West Coast Region, her work has included helping to develop the region's approach to recovery planning for salmon and steelhead, and serving as the NOAA lead on recovery plans for Lower Columbia, Upper Willamette, and Snake River salmon and steelhead. She also represents NOAA Fisheries on the Tributary Habitat Steering Committee that oversees a Columbia River Basin-wide tributary habitat improvement program funded by the Bonneville Power Administration and Bureau of Reclamation, as mitigation for the Columbia River hydropower system. In addition, she served on the NOAA Fisheries project team for the Columbia Basin Partnership, a multi-stakeholder effort that agreed on long-term recovery goals for Columbia Basin salmon and steelhead, and is providing support to the Columbia Basin Collaborative—an effort led by the four Northwest states to identify actions needed to achieve the goals of the Columbia Basin Partnership. She has a master's degree in regional and city planning, with a focus on the intersection of science and public policy and how human land uses affect aquatic habitat. Outside of work, she likes to travel and do anything outdoors.
STEERING TEAM,
NATURAL RESOURCE SPECIALIST
Jennie Franks
Jennie Franks coordinates the Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund (PCSRF), a grant program that provides funding to states and tribes to protect, conserve, and restore pacific salmon and steelhead populations and their habitats. Prior to her current position, Jennie was an Endangered Species Act Section 7 consultation biologist for the Oregon and Washington Coastal Area Office within the West Coast Region. She started her public service with the United States Peace Corps Service, where she served in Jamaica working for the Rural Agricultural Development Authority, a Jamaican government extension agency that promotes sustainable agricultural practices and climate change adaptation. Franks also has experience working with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, and Trout Unlimited as a field biologist. She received a Bachelor of Science in biology from the University of Wisconsin–Platteville, a Master of Science in Wildlife and Fisheries Resources from West Virginia University and holds a River Restoration Certification from Portland State University. When not working, you can find Jennie on a hiking trail, exploring the Pacific Northwest, or spending time with friends.
STEERING TEAM,
NATURAL RESOURCE SPECIALIST
Laurel Jennings
Laurel began working for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Restoration Center in the summer of 2007. Her work focuses on bringing back healthy habitat for threatened and endangered species. Solving ecological problems while also getting a chance to help people resonates with Laurel. She appreciates that habitat restoration is good for human communities too as this work creates jobs, enhances recreation opportunities, and protects coastal communities from storm damages. Career highlights for her include living and working in Alaska as a NOAA corps officer aboard a NOAA hydrographic research ship, working to restore the Gulf of Mexico after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, mentoring veterans and conservation corps members interested in this field of study, and making connections with NOAA staff, project partners, and the public who are all connected to coastal habitats.
STEERING TEAM,
MARINE HABITAT RESOURCE SPECIALIST
Veronica Navarro
Veronica Navarro is an incoming Ray Conservation Fellow with National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) Fisheries in Portland, Oregon. She grew up traveling along the southern region of the United States until her family settled in Los Angeles, California. She became interested in environmental justice, policy, conservation, and science communication because of noticeable differences in climate, air quality, wildlife preservation, and various other dissimilarities within the states she lived in. Veronica recently graduated from the University of California, Irvine (UC Irvine), with a bachelor’s degree in environmental science and policy. While at UC Irvine, she spent her time studying hydrology, environmental policy and planning, agricultural systems, environmental data analysis, conservation, sustainability, natural resource management, forest ecology, and more. In addition to her studies, Veronica worked in two research labs. One lab focused on researching the ecological effects of FEMA disaster declarations easing environmental regulations to assist emergency response efforts by conducting literature reviews and data analysis. Her research in the other lab focused on fire distribution (size), FRP, fire intensity, biodiversity, land cover effects, and frequency of fires for the Pantanal in Brazil. She also researched the cause patterns and severity of fires, and their effects on communities in indigenous regions such as the Xingu in Brazil. Veronica enjoys reading, hiking, kayaking, swimming, softball, and spending some quality time with her kittens in her free time.
STEERING TEAM,
RAY CONSERVATION FELLOW
David White
David White is Supervisor of the California National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Restoration Center. David has worked for the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) since 2002, combining backgrounds in engineering and biology to restore habitat, improve fish passage, and remove dams. In his early years with NMFS, he participated in the relicensing or decommissioning of conventional hydroelectric projects, including the Klamath dams. He is very excited about their impending removal. David has done independent study on the movement and behavior of salmonids, including their behavior in the dark and their leaping abilities. Prior to joining NMFS, David managed a captive broodstock program for California’s first endangered salmon at the California Academy of Sciences, one of his favorite places. In his early days, he raised rainbow trout commercially in Idaho and oysters in Tomales Bay, two more of his favorite places. Outside of work, David tries to keep up with twin boys and a wife that works at NASA. Fishing, camping, mushroom collecting, skiing, and parkour are their passions. David's solo passion is distance running.
STEERING TEAM,
MARINE HABITAT RESOURCE SPECIALIST
Tommy Williams
Tommy Williams has been a research biologist at the National Marine Fisheries Service’s (NMFS) Southwest Fisheries Science Center (SWFSC) for the past 24 years, and has been a research associate in the Institute of Marine Sciences, University of California, Santa Cruz since June 2001. His experience includes research that informs conservation and management decisions throughout coastal basins of California. He conducts various research throughout the state as well as serving as the Southwest Science Center’s liaison with the NMFS’s West Coast Region and California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) for coastal basins of California. Tommy coordinates the SWFSC’s 5-year viability assessments that inform status reviews. He has been working closely with CDFW since 1998 on developing and implementing monitoring programs, starting with the Steelhead Research and Monitoring Program through the current Coastal/California Monitoring Plan. His current activities include serving as a member of Federal Coordination Group and Basin-wide Technical Working Group for the Klamath Basin Integrated Fisheries Restoration and Monitoring Plan, and serving as the lead for the SWFSC on issues related to planning, and science issues related to the removal of four dams on the Klamath River.
STEERING TEAM,
RESEARCH BIOLOGIST
Production Team bios
Sarah Koenigsberg
Sarah is an award-winning filmmaker, photographer, and educator whose work centers on stories of art, environment, and community in the American West. Her films and teaching cross disciplines, illuminating the power of storytelling as a medium through which to explore complex social, science, and policy issues. Since earning her BA in in Environmental Studies and Politics at Whitman College in 2002, she has been inspired by the successes of place-based collaboratives, determined to facilitate that type of problem solving in public land use, watershed health, and climate issues. Sarah's film work has screened in Festivals worldwide and for venues such as the National Climate Adaptation Forum and the North American Congress of Conservation Biology, while her photography has been featured in publications such as Science, High Country News, and the National Climate Assessment. Her feature documentary The Beaver Believers has been honored with the Green Spark Award from the American Conservation Film Festival, it has won multiple audience choice awards, and it was a finalist in the Banff Mountain Film Festival, London Eco Film Festival, and the Vancouver International Mountain Film Festival, among many others. In 2020 she was invited to become a member of the Her Wild Vision Initiative, the world's first comprehensive directory of female and female-identifying conservation filmmakers and photographers. Sarah regularly presents on science communication and storytelling for universities, land management agencies, and restoration practitioners, and she has developed multiple project curriculum and workshops in audio and video production for college and university students. Sarah is based in Walla Walla, Washington, where she runs Tensegrity Productions with the help of her canine Creative Director, Willow.
WORKSHOP PRODUCER,
DOCUMENTARY FILMMAKER
Tristan Rupert
Tristan’s work of more than 15 years operates on the principle that everything in the world is contingent on some kind of flow—a transfer—be it energy or matter. Understanding that flow guides Tristan as he designs, installs, and supports classroom and live event technology including projection, controllers, installed/live sound, computer hardware, video capture/streaming, and hybrid/online class experiences. Tristan studied biology and music performance at Whitman College and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in studio art. His art focuses on sculpture composed of recycled materials with an ethos of reducing the environmental impact of art. His spare time is spent rebuilding and expanding his early 20th century farmhouse. Throughout his endeavors—personal, professional, and academic—Tristan strives to be gentle on our planet and hopes for a time when it is easier for everyone to lead lives that are kinder to our little blue dot.
TECHNICAL DIRECTOR
Brian Griffith
Brian takes a liberal arts approach to his work in information technology (IT) and cybersecurity. “It’s as much (sometimes more) about the people and processes/systems as about the technology,” he says. With a bachelor’s in economics, his IT career winds through higher education, the private sector, and federal cybersecurity work. For fun, Brian plays the drums and serves as an assistant coach for Whitman College’s women’s basketball program.
TECHNICAL ADVISOR
Gracie Mills
Gracie is a passionate angler and outdoorswoman who divides much of her time between steelhead fishing in her home river—the mighty Rogue—and walk and wade fishing many of the west coast’s premiere trout fisheries. She really found her footing in the female fly fishing community and is closely connected with lady anglers from all over the country. She’s also a keen potter, making pottery that reflects her values in female representation and admiration for the natural world. Gracie has helped brands like Google as well as local farmers and nonprofit organizations amplify their message by way of photos, video, graphics, and social media strategy. Her wheelhouse is using Instagram Reels to educate and engage with audiences across the world. She is thrilled to bring her skill set to the world of riverscapes and amplify the people working so hard to protect our freshwater ecosystems.
COMMUNICATIONS COORDINATOR
Sally Shafer
Sally is a freelance copy editor and word worker, and a musician. She holds a bachelor’s in communication arts from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. A Kentucky native, Sally is happy to call the Pacific Northwest home for most of her adult life. For fun she plays music with family and friends, and the occasional audience. Her favorite venue is the living room, full of other players.
COPY EDITOR
Casey Davis
A visual communicator and cultural questioner, Casey believes in the power of design in service of a more equitable world where humanity and the natural world can thrive together. Casey filters the projects that come her way and prioritizes efforts that weave social and environmental justice and healing. The people and projects that fill her cup are compelled to ask challenging questions, foster ‘power with’ relationships and heal broken relationships within humanity and the more than human world. She is often tasked to filter complex technical data into a visual story used to guide understanding of restoration and reparation efforts. Through her gifts, she hopes to contribute to creating a future world that works for all beings.
GRAPHIC DESIGNER
Katie Falkenberg
Katie is a documentary filmmaker and photographer based in southern Oregon. She is a Pulitzer Prize finalist in feature photography for her work, “Motherhood in the Time of Zika,” and a recipient of the Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award for Domestic Photography, for her work following three families after the Great Recession. She has been named Multimedia Photographer of the Year by both Pictures of the Year International (POYi), and the National Press Photographers’ Association (NPPA), and two of her short films have been named official honorees in the Webby Awards. When not working, she can be found surfing, fly fishing, or trail running with her pup, Mabel.
DOCUMENTARY FILMMAKER
Mimi Schiffman
Mimi has worked as a filmmaker, producer, and editor for more than a decade. She has created content for a variety of outlets including The New York Times, Great Big Story, CNN, PBS Digital Studios (PBSDS), and The Atlantic. The common denominator for all of Mimi's work is curiosity and connection. Mimi currently works on KQED and PBS Digital's show Deep Look where she focuses on telling research-backed stories about small creatures or phenomenon. Mimi holds a master’s degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where she was a Roy H. Park Fellow. She has held a Carnegie Knight News 21 fellowship as well as a Magnum Foundation fellowship. Mimi first learned about The Beaver Coalition when she produced a story for PBSDS in 2021 about the incredible beaver. She fell deeply, madly in love with the crepuscular creatures and the amazing humans who are working to restore their landscapes. When she's not working, Mimi likes to explore her city of San Francisco and or the natural world with her kid Sierra and her dog Henry.
DOCUMENTARY FILMMAKER
Chris Cresci
Chris is a filmmaker based in Portland, Oregon. An experienced shooter and editor, he works to bring a cinematic aesthetic to the nonfiction form - telling stories of real people that stick with audiences, and honor their subjects. He has worked with brands like Airbnb and The Home Depot, and his work has been featured on Vimeo Staff Picks, Short of the Week, The Atlantic, and at film festivals around the world. He is a semi-professional finger drummer, font enthusiast, and not a huge fan of pickles.
DOCUMENTARY FILMMAKER
Matt Whitfield
Matt is a freelance web designer, video editor, writer, and actor living in the Pacific Northwest. As an actor, he’s traveled throughout the country, with favorite stops in New York City, Louisville, KY, Bozeman, MT, and Clarksville, TN. As a web developer, writer, and video editor, Matt aims to create products that engage, entertain, and make a positive impact on people. He’s a big fan of running outdoors, experimental beer, and mystery science fiction, but his one true love is time spent with his incredible wife, Brittany Brook.
PRODUCTION ASSOCIATE, EDITOR
Michelle Janning
Michelle Janning, Ph.D., is a social research consultant for organizations dedicated to understanding the social impacts of their work in communities. She is professor of sociology and The Raymond and Elsie Gipson DeBurgh Chair of Social Science at Whitman College. In her research and teaching, she asks how social inequalities and relationships intersect with spaces, places, and objects. Janning has consulted with organizations dedicated to child and family well-being, student learning, the impact of design and place on people's roles and relationships, and improving access to resources for underserved communities during COVID-19. Her current research focuses on how family and community relationships and roles connect with home and neighborhood design, and the social meaning of vacation homes and investment properties in the sharing economy. She offers talks and writes books, articles, and essays for both academic and general interest audiences, and is a frequent contributor to news stories about contemporary social issues (featured, for example, in NBC News, BBC, NPR, PBS). As a person who grew up in southwest Minnesota and who currently lives in eastern Washington, Michelle is dedicated to ensuring that rural voices are included in all stories concerned with our understanding of our social roles, our relationships, and our environment. Michelle earned her doctorate in sociology from the University of Notre Dame.