HWMO President, Fundraising Committee Chair

Natural Resource Manager

HWMO Interim Treasurer, Executive Committee Chair

University of Hawaii Cooperative Extension
Range and Grazing Specialist

Dr. Mark Thorne grew up in northern Wyoming learning to live and play in the wild lands that existed between towns. He spent many summers on his Grandfatherʻs ranch learning to appreciate what the land could and could’t provide and how our management of its resources determined its sustainability. After high school, Mark spent several years as a cowboy for ranches across the western states that further developed his appreciation for the conservation and management of our wild lands. Between 1988 and 1996, he honorably served in the United States Marine Corps and was a combat veteran of the first Gulf War.

In 2002, Mark earned his Ph.D. in Rangeland Ecophysiology from Colorado State University. Since then, he has worked as a range and livestock extension specialist for Colorado State University (2002-2003) and the University of Hawaii (2003 to present). His career goals have been driven by his love for the wild spaces between towns and tempered by his experience with the destructive toll of war on life, lives, and living. While he is convinced that the conservation of agriculture in our wild lands is the key to peace and prosperity within and among nations, he acknowledges that we have much to learn about sustainable management of our wild land resources.

To this end Dr. Thorne’s research over the past 20 years has focused on improving livestock management practices across the nation’s range and pasturelands. He strives to pass on what he has learned to his stakeholders through a variety of educational programs and outreach efforts. Mark particularly enjoys his agricultural outreach projects to underserved island communities across the Pacific Basin. He is honored to have had the opportunity to serve as member of the Board of Directors for the Hawaii Wildfire Management Organization since 2003. On his personal time, Mark enjoys weight training and many outdoor activities including hunting, fishing, hiking, and diving. Most of all, he enjoys being with his wife (Jean Marie) and children (Tyler and Brandon).

HWMO Co-Secretary, Finance Committee Chair

MCS International
President

Malama Kai Foundation
President

Carolyn Stewart is a Founder and Principal Consultant with Marine and Coastal Solutions (MCS) International, Inc., a Hawaii-based environmental resources management planning firm. She has over 20 years of experience working in coastal and marine resources management, with an emphasis on polluted runoff control and watershed management. Prior to founding MCS International, Carolyn was a planner and a planning and policy analyst for the Hawai‘i Coastal Zone Management (CZM) Program from August 1991 to March 1999. She has an undergraduate degree from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service and a Master’s degree from the University of Washington School of Marine Affairs.

Carolyn has been involved with Hawaii Wildfire Management Organization since its inception. It was a natural fit, given her work on developing watershed plans for fire-prone areas of Hawaii Island. HWMO’s philosophy of being proactive and working with government personnel and affected stakeholders is an approach Carolyn has used effectively throughout her career in watershed management.

Communications Director, Department of Land & Natural Resources

Dan Dennison is the Senior Communications Manager at the Hawaii Dept. of Land and Natural Resources, a position he has held since 2014. Dan enjoyed a 40 year-long career as a broadcast journalist, serving as a television reporter and photographer in his home state of Colorado for 25-years, followed by a 16-year long stint as news director at six different stations in four states, including at KHON-TV and KHNL-TV in Hawaii.

His involvement in wildfire dates back to 1971, when he covered his first wildfire, as a radio reporter at his hometown radio station in Gunnison, CO. Subsequently as a television reporter he provided extensive coverage of the Yellowstone Complex fires in the late 1980's and the Storm King Mountain fire in Glenwood Springs, where he operated a news bureau for KUSA-TV in Denver. 14 firefighters were killed in that incident, when a fire storm overran them. For the next 12 months, Dan covered this fire and its aftermath, nearly on a daily basis.

As a news director he led coverage of wildland fires in newsrooms in Colorado, Hawaii, California, and Virginia. In his current role at the DLNR he serves as the State Fire Information Officer for the DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife and he is trained in basic wildland firefighting, though his tools are a video and still camera, to document the work of Hawai'i wildland firefighters, who deal the real hard work.

Dan's initial exposure to HWMO was conceiving and kicking off the annual wildfire (and drought as appropriate) awareness campaign: WildfireLookout! He is thrilled to be able to contribute to the wildfire community across the Pacific via the Hawai'i Wildfire Management Organization and to work with the dedicated and passionate staff and board of directors.

Wildland Fire Manager & Consultant

A federal career involved 10 seasons as a wildland firefighter and 20 more as a regional/national wildland fire manager. Now a private wildland fire consultant focused on the science of structure ignition, wildfire loss mitigation, planning and training. Thankful to be out of the cubicle and working with folks, communities and dedicated teams like HWMO who are making the difference where it counts, on the ground!

Incident Commander, Hawaii Fire Department

Associate Professor & Fire Science Program Coordinator, Hawaii Community College

I graduated with a Bachelor of Science Degree from Northern Arizona University.

I have 35 years experience with wildland fire suppression with the United States Forest Service and the National Park Service (NPS). In 1988 I moved to Hawaii to serve as the Pacific Island Fire Management Officer out of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. I was responsible for managing all fires on NPS lands in the State of Hawaii and Pacific Area to include Guam and American Samoa. I retired in 2004.

In 2005 I started teaching and developing the Fire Science program at Hawaii Community College.. I am currently an Associate Professor and the Fire Science Program Coordinator at the College. The college offers an Associate of Science Degree in Fire Science, and we have an Articulation Agreement with Eastern Oregon University that allows students to obtain a Bachelor of Science Degree in Fire Administration via distance learning.