Find an Expert

The Sonoma State University faculty and staff listed below have fire-related expertise, research interests, and/or projects. Contact them via email.

Center for Community Engagement:

Melissa Garvin, Assistant Professor, Psychology
Contact: missy.garvin@sonoma.edu
Project: As CCE Faculty Fellow, Missy is coordinating the development of a campus clearinghouse for fire-related projects.

Center for Environmental Inquiry:

Claudia Luke, Director, Center for Environmental Inquiry
Contact: lukec@sonoma.edu
Expertise: Development of environmental projects and programs

Suzanne DeCoursey, Education & Reservations Manager
Contact: decourse@sonoma.edu

Expertise: Fairfield Osborn Preserve

School of Arts and Humanities:

Justine Law, Assistant Professor, Hutchins School of Liberal Studies
Contact: lawj@sonoma.edu
Research and project: Human-environment geography, ecological management practices; human performance in post-fire landscapes

Alexis Mcnab, Assistant Professor, Theatre Arts and Dance
Contact: macnab@sonoma.edu
Expertise and project: Directing, acting, multidisciplinary performance; human performance in post-fire landscapes

Gregory Roberts, Professor, Studio Arts
Contact: gregory.roberts@sonoma.edu
Expertise and project: Ceramics and clay sculpture; creating the Sonoma Ash Project, a collection of ceramic objects offering a physical remembrance for those who lost homes in the fires

School of Business and Economics:

Honore Comfort, Executive in Residence, Wine Business Institute
Contact: comfort@sonoma.edu
Research and project: Impacts of the wildfires on the North Coast wine industry

Judith Ford, LecturerContact: fordju@sonoma.edu
Research and project: Director of Bio-Regional Development for Sustainable North Bay, working on North Bay Forward Initiative, a place-based community development plan

School of Education:

Kristina De Korsak, Assistant Professor, Early Childhood Studies
Contact: dekorsak@sonoma.edu
Research and project: Developing a database of resources for children and families in times of trauma

Elizabeth Ducy, Lecturer, Special Education
Contact: ducy@sonoma.edu
Research and project: Disaster preparedness for students with disabilities; impacts of the wildfires on children with developmental disabilities and their families

School of Science and Technology:

Lisa Bently
Contact: lisa.bentley@sonoma.edu
Expertise and research: Genetic & phenotypic diversity of oak seedlings for post-fire re-planting; sudden oak death, fire intensity and post-fire vegetation recovery

Farid Farahmand, Associate Professor, Engineering Science
Contact: farid.farahmand@sonoma.edu
Expertise and research: Optical networks, sensors, and communications; developing fire sensors with power harvesting capability

Derek Girman, Professor, Biology
Contact: girman@sonoma.edu
Expertise and research: Conservation biology and genetics; fire impact on wildlife

Melina Kozanitas, Lecturer, Biology
Contact:kozanita@sonoma.edu
Expertise and research: Plant biology; phytopathology; sudden oak death.

Nathan Rank, Professor, Biology
Contact:rank@sonoma.edu
Expertise and research: Evolutionary ecology; fire impact on sudden oak death

Martha Shott, Assistant Professor, Mathematics and Statistics
Contact: shott@sonoma.edu
Expertise and research: Applied mathematics; interdisciplinary research; First Year Experience; supervising freshmen on fire studies

School of Social Sciences:

Maureen Buckley, Professor, Counseling
Contact: maureen.buckley@sonoma.edu
Expertise and research: School counseling, emotional competency; post-fire survey of area school counselors

Matthew Clark, Professor, Geography
Contact:matthew.clark@sonoma.edu
Expertise and research: Director of Center for Interdisciplinary Geospatial Analysis; GIS, remote sensing, and biogeography.

Michelle Goman, Associate Professor, Geography Contact: goman@sonoma.edu Expertise and research: detection of historic fires using dendochronology and soil analysis

Jacquelyn Guilford, Lecturer, Geography, Environment, & Planning Contact: guilforj@sonoma.edu
Expertise and research: Molecular mechanisms of toxicity; monitoring creek sediment downstream of fires in Mark West Creek, Piner Creek, Paulin Creek, and Brush Creek for hazardous levels of nitrogen, phosphorus, and metals.

Margaret Purser, Professor, Anthropology
Contact: margaret.purser@sonoma.edu
Expertise and research: GIS applications in cultural landscapes; Santa Rosa neighborhood heritage mapping project 2018 post-fire

Thomas Whitley, Associate Professor, Anthropology Contact: whitley@sonoma.edu Expertise: Director of Anthropological Studies Center; archaeological applications of GIS and spatial analysis, interpreting cognitive landscapes, remote sensing, human ecology, complex socio-economic simulations, and predictive modeling

Library:

Mary Wegmann, Collection Development Librarian
Contact: mary.wegmann@sonoma.edu
Project: Coordinating the North Bay Fires Anniversary exhibit in the University Library Galleries

Other Departments:

Becky Cale, Board Relations Coordinator, Green Music Center
Contact: becky.cale@sonoma.edu
Project: Working with the Community Healing Task Force of the GMC Board of Advisors to produce a large benefit concert and storytelling event at the GMC in summer 2018, proceeds to charity

Christopher Dinno, Chief Planning Officer
Contact: christopher.dinno@sonoma.edu
Project: Developing post-fire options and opportunities for on- and off-campus student housing and off-campus faculty and staff housing in Sonoma County