Allison Jolley – Senior Director, Stewardship Economy, Policy, & Strategy
Allison joined the Watershed Center in 2016 and has served in a variety of positions throughout her tenure here. Today, she leads the Watershed Center's policy and institutional strategy efforts to advance the stewardship economy. As a member of WRTC’s senior leadership team, Allison works to strengthen forest and fire stewardship systems, organizational capacity across the sector, and workforce and career development through policy innovation, cross-sector partnerships, and capacity building. Before her role as a Senior Director, Allison helped build the California Department of Conservation's Regional Forest and Fire Capacity (RFFC) program, and she continues to manage WRTC's RFFC grant. Allison also manages the Watershed Center's USDA US Forest Service Community Navigator's Initiative.
Allison’s background is in the intersection of natural resources, community organizing, social science, and facilitation. Prior to joining the Watershed Center team, she worked for the Sierra Institute for Community and Environment, focused on facilitation, collaborative forestry and applied social sciences. She has also worked as an interpretive park ranger for the National Park Service. Allison earned her Master of Environmental Management from the Nicholas School at Duke University and has a Bachelor of Arts in Ecology from The University of the South (Sewanee).
Email Allison: allison@thewatershedcenter.com
Forest Schafer – Senior Director, Cooperative Fire
In his role as Senior Director, Cooperative Fire, Forest co-develops frameworks for community-led and cooperative fire management, advancing strategies that embed community-based organizations into the fire governance and implementation system of the federal government and western states. Forest supports the Watershed Center’s Fire Management Team with a focus on systems architecture and coalition alignment.
Forest brings over two decades of experience bridging on-the-ground operations and statewide policy. He spent nine years with the North Lake Tahoe Fire Protection District, starting as a wildland firefighter before becoming the district’s forester. He later directed the Natural Resources Division at the California Tahoe Conservancy, overseeing the agency’s watershed, forestry, climate, and biodiversity programs. He most recently served as the Deputy Director of the California Wildfire & Forest Resilience Task Force, a collaborative initiative launched by Governor Gavin Newsom to align federal, state, local, and tribal efforts in wildfire mitigation, forest health, and community resilience. In this role, he advanced cross-sector strategies for wildfire risk reduction and land management.
Email Forest: forest@thewatershedcenter.com
Martin Twer – Senior Director, Biomass Program
As Senior Director, Biomass Program, Martin works with State and local efforts that encourage forest biomass development, related policy, and economic opportunities. His first exposure to biomass utilization for energy came during a study-abroad year in Finland, and he has made a career out of bringing public awareness to biomass technologies and forest biomass projects. These include sustainable bioenergy, low-value wood products markets, as well as biochar production and utilization.
Martin was born and raised in Germany and graduated with a degree in Landscape Ecology before moving to Montana in 2002. He holds an MS degree in Resource Conservation and Forestry from the University of Montana and has completed course work for an MA in Economics. After 10 years as Bioenergy Associate Specialist with the Cooperative Extension Service in Montana, he now lives, works, and plays in the Sierra Nevada. He enjoys home remodeling, gardening, and explorations in nature.
Email Martin: martin@thewatershedcenter.com