2025-26 National SAFE OFFICERS
The officers below lead the student association for fire ecology, with terms from May 1, 2025 to May 1, 2026.
PRESIDENT: Badri Ghimire, texas tech university
Badri is a Ph.D. student in the Landscape Ecology and Fire (LEAF) Lab at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, specializing in fire ecology. His research integrates remote sensing and quantitative wood anatomy to investigate effects of fire severities and intensities in lodgepole pine trees, as well as the effects of fire intensity on seed viability in Arizona cypress. He collaborated with farmers and ranchers to implement fuels reduction through prescribed fires in California and Texas. He has a lifelong passion for working with fire and enjoy sharing his knowledge with students, community members, and land managers. In his free time, he love hiking and collecting pinecones.
VICE PRESIDENT: angie liotta, University of washington
Angie is a third year PhD student at the University of Washington in Brian Harvey’s lab, where she researches how climate–wildfire interactions shape forest recovery across environmental gradients in the interior Pacific Northwest. Broadly, she is interested in how climate and disturbance interactions influence forest resilience and plant functions. Prior to her PhD, she completed her MS at Colorado State University, where she examined how drought exposure drives trade-offs among these functions in ponderosa pine. She earned her B.A. in Geography at the University of Colorado – Boulder. During her time at CU Boulder, her research focused on tree mortality in the subalpine and post-fire regeneration in the lower montane. In her spare time, Angie likes to cook, garden, paddleboard, and will find any excuse to be outdoors.
TRAINING AND EDUCATION OFFICER: leo janczak, University of montana - missoula
Leo Janczak is a third-year undergraduate student at the University of Montana, where he is pursuing a degree in Forestry with a minor in Fire Science and Geographic Information Systems. In addition to his academic work, Leo is a Fire and Fuels Technician at the University of Montana FireCenter during the school year and a Hand Crew Module Member with the U.S. Forest Service during the summer. He is also currently involved in a research project focusing on the development of canopy gap structures following prescribed fires in long-term study areas. Passionate about sharing knowledge, Leo enjoys creating learning opportunities for students and the public alike, helping foster the next generation of land managers and stewards of the outdoors.
SECRETARY/TREASURER: mayowa george, kansas state university
Mayowa George is a PhD student at Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas, where his work focuses on wildfire prevention, fire danger assessment, fire advocacy, and prescribed burning management. His research aims to improve fire danger indices by integrating key environmental variables such as fuel moisture, vegetation condition, temperature, and long-term drought indicators. By developing models to assess fire risk, he aims to enhance prescribed burning strategies and support proactive wildfire management. Mayowa brings practical experience in basic fire suppression and has actively contributed to fire safety advocacy in grassland, forest, and built environments. He is passionate about promoting responsible fire use, raising awareness about wildfire risks, and supporting community-based fire management efforts. His ability to combine technical expertise with real-world application ensures that his research has a meaningful impact on land managers, policymakers, and frontline fire personnel.
