EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Jay has been working with communities and natural resource issues since 1995, including stints as a forester with the Bureau of Indian Affairs, forestry consultant, the Peace Corps in Panama and as a high school teacher in Glenwood. Jay has a master degree in forestry from the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, a bachelor degree from Whitman College, and is the founding director of MARS.

jay@mtadamsstewards.org

FIRE & FUELS PROGRAM MANAGER

Lucas oversees our Fire and Fuels program, including the seasonal Stewardship Crew, prescribed fire program, and fuels management program. He joined MARS after several years with Washington DNR as a wildland fire and forest health specialist, as well as a firefighter. Lucas grew up in Trout Lake with Mt. Adams and the surrounding forests as a playground. He is also an artisan cheesemaker!

lucas@mtadamsstewards.org

GRANTS & COMMUNICATIONS COORDINATOR

Sarah joined MARS in 2022 after a stint as a AmeriCorps member in the Willamette Valley working on wildfire recovery in the wake of the devastating 2020 fire season. At MARS, she supports our Fire Adapted Communities program, manages our array of grants and agreements, and recently took on a communications role to help tell MARS’s story to the local community. Sarah grew up in northeast Ohio and holds a B.A. in biology from Carleton College. Outside of work, she can be found running trails with her dog, Jack.

sarah@mtadamsstewards.org

PRESCRIBED FIRE COORDINATOR

Emery supports MARS’s prescribed fire program, working to build local and regional prescribed fire capacity. Emery started her career as a newspaper reporter, writing about natural resources issues in Colorado and Arizona. After getting her master’s degree in environmental science and policy, she moved into the world of nonprofits, working with the Rural Voices for Conservation Coalition and then the Fire Adapted Communities Learning Network. Emery is passionate about all-lands stewardship and community wildfire resilience - topics she’s excited to work on more directly in her role at MARS.  

emery@mtadamsstewards.org

MONITORING COORDINATOR

Dave leads efforts to measure and monitor the impacts of forest restoration, stewardship and management associated with community-based forestry activities at MARS. Dave comes with extensive forestry experience, having worked for the US Forest Service, WA DNR, The Nature Conservancy, and the Quinault Indian Nation. He holds a B.A. in Classics from the University of AZ, a B.S. in Forestry from the University of MT, and an M.N.R.S. (Ecological Restoration) from Colorado State University. Dave enjoys photography, travel, camping, and spending time with his trusty sidekick, Hektor.

dave@mtadamsstewards.org

FUELS PROJECT MANAGER

Dalton joined MARS in 2024 as Fuels Project Manager to help manage and administer the Community Wildfire Defense Grant. He comes from a background in forestry and arboriculture within the Columbia River Gorge and brings with him experience across multiple aspects of forest management. Following the devastating 2020 wildfire season, Dalton assisted in conducting hazard tree assessments across the state. He has a bachelor's from Humboldt State in Environmental Management and Protection. When not working he can be found on the river, climbing rocks, or looking at trees.

dalton@mtadamsstewards.org

PRESCRIBED FIRE OPERATIONS SPECIALIST

Kylie joined MARS in 2025 to support prescribed fire operations. She works with local landowners, MARS staff, fire agencies, and partners to conduct prescribed fire activities, monitoring, and training in the area. Kylie began her fire journey in her home country of South Africa, where she worked as both a volunteer and professional wildland firefighter for several years before moving to the US fulltime in 2023. She is excited to be working with MARS to get more good fire on the landscape and work with the local communities. Outside of work, Kylie and her wife, Lacey, can be found adventuring with their dog, Lily, and enjoying the wonders of the Pacific Northwest.

kylie@mtadamsstewards.org

BULLFROG REMOVAL ACTION TEAM (BRAT) PROGRAM LEAD - CONBOY

Adam joined MARS in 2022 as a field technician on the BRAT project. Since then, he has grown increasingly passionate about the project and its impacts on the ecology of the Glenwood valley, starting new research on the valley’s rapidly recovering population of state endangered Oregon spotted frogs. He works closely with the US Fish and Wildlife Service in overseeing the BRAT project and its seasonal field crew. Adam has a background in herpetology research with a B.S. in Ecology, Evolution, and Natural Resources from Rutgers University. Outside of work he can be found looking for salamanders and other native herptiles whenever the weather conditions are right.

adam@mtadamsstewards.org

BULLFROG REMOVAL ACTION TEAM (BRAT) PROGRAM LEAD - GORGE

Jack joined MARS in 2023, helping count Oregon spotted frog numbers at Conboy Lake NWR, then becoming a technician for the Conboy BRAT project. Since then, he has managed the BRAT project in the Columbia Gorge, working to alleviate predation pressure on endangered Western pond turtles. He has become passionate about herptile conservation across the varied ecosystems of the Columbia Gorge. Jack has a background in amphibian conservation at Paul Smith's College, where he earned a B.S. in Fisheries and Wildlife Management. Outside of work, Jack may be found wandering the Gorge, either on two feet or two wheels.

jack@mtadamsstewards.org

BUSINESS OPERATIONS & FINANCE MANAGER

Sarah joined MARS in 2025. She brings a strong background as a paralegal and emergency first responder, along with experience in finance, operations, and administration. Sarah enjoys supporting mission-driven work and helping create the systems that keep an organization running smoothly. Outside of work, she serves as a local volunteer Fire Chief.

admin@mtadamsstewards.org