My wife Hazel and I have been together 35 years. We raised three children (Daniel, our oldest, succumbed to cancer two years ago), and have four grandchildren. We have lived in three Northern California communities all these years: Berkeley, where we met and went to college (I received BS and MS degrees from the University of California-Berkeley); Mendocino, on California's beautiful North Coast; and for these past 20 years, in Calistoga at the top of the Napa Valley.

Since "retiring" in 2005 after a 26 year career as a forester and fire chief with California's state fire department, I have been working nearly full time as a consultant. I specialize in land and environmental management issues, as well as disaster preparedness and response. That may seem an odd combination, but the state fire department I worked for is the lead agency for most major disasters in California, and I had many opportunities over the years to manage responses to large fires, floods, earthquakes, etc. Turns out some of the best training I had for that kind of work was my student council experience at Rich East! There's surprisingly little difference between coordinating the planning, logistics, and operations for a big fire or for the Big Dance--in either case, the degree of success is always about teamwork. There is nothing I have found more professionally rewarding than working with teams.

When not working, my wife and I try to take one or two international trips per year. These usually include the UK, as Hazel is from Manchester, England. We are both active in our little town, and I serve on the local school board. Life is good, and I look forward to enriching it further by seeing many of you in June!