Program Staff
Clay Trauernicht
PFX Principal Investigator, Fire and Ecosystems Specialist, University of Hawai‘i, College of Tropical and Human Resources
Elizabeth Pickett
Executive Co-Director, Hawai‘i Wildfire Management Organization
Melissa Chimera
PFX Coordinator, Hawai‘i Wildfire Management Organization
Nani Barretto
Executive Co-Director, Hawai‘i Wildfire Management Organization
Steering Committee
The PFX Steering Committee is the governing body of the consortium. The Steering Committee operates with the single goal of representing end-user needs. The consortium of fire practitioners represented by the PFX spans a large geographic area, with a wide diversity of wildfire issues and approaches to management. The Steering Committee members will reflect the diverse fire community in the Pacific Island Region and ensure compliance with the Joint Fire Science Program's guiding principles and PFX objectives.
Christine Fejeran
Forestery Division Chief, Guam Department of Agriculture
Creighton Litton
Professor of Forest Ecology and Management, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Management
Darwin Okinaka
Assistant Fire Chief of Operations, Hawai‘i County Fire Department
David Kurohara
Business and Community Consultant, Hawaiian Electric
Greg Funderburk
Fire Management Officer, Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park
James B. Friday
Extension Forester, University of Hawai‘i Cooperative Extension Service
Kim Burnett
Economist, University of Hawaiʻi Economic Research Organization
Lisa Gollin
Adjunct Faculty, University of Hawaiʻi, Anthropology Department
Michael Walker
Fire Protection Forester, Department of Land and Natural Resources, Division of Forestry and Wildlife
Susan Cordell
Director, Institute of Pacific Island Forestry, U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service
Willie Rice
Operations Manager, Kealakekua Mountain Reserve, dōTERRA
Founding Partners
Hawaii Wildfire Management Organization
The Hawaii Wildfire Management Organization works with communities across Hawaii on wildfire prevention, mitigation, and planning activities in the Hawaii-Pacific region through proactive, collaborative, and forward-thinking projects.
University of Hawai’i at Mānoa
The University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa's College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources creates and delivers knowledge that supports and strengthens families, agricultural and food systems, and the natural environment. We educate and serve the people of Hawaii and those from around the world with integrity and excellence.
USDA Forest Service Institute of Pacific Islands Forestry
The U.S. Department of Agriculture's IPIF is dedicated to Pacific Island research, education, and demonstration. IPIF provides scientific and technical information needed to restore, conserve, and sustain tropical forests and wetlands of the Pacific.