2023 National SAFE OFFICERS
PRESIDENT: MICHAEL WINFIELD, OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY
Michael Winfield is a Ph.D candidate in Sustainable Forest Management at Oregon State University. His research involves the overlap of disturbance ecology and remote sensing. He is also the vice president of the OSU chapter of ASPRS (American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing). Wildfires and drones are a few of his favorite things.
VICE PRESIDENT: CADE BRAGA, UNIVERSITY OF IDAHO
I currently attend University of Idaho and I am majoring in Forestry with a minor in fire ecology management, I am also the vice president at the University of Idaho S.A.F.E. chapter. I plan on applying everything I learned from my college experience to help promote better forest management practices. I was born in California and raised in the central valley, so fires were always around my family. Growing up watching the thousand-acre fires burn for years and having our tent cabin threatened for 4 years in a row made me want to act on the mismanagement of the forests to help show others how these "megafires" could be avoided or at least be better prepared for when they strike. I am eager to see what other have in mind and ways we can all connect to achieve this goal.
TRAINING AND EDUCATION OFFICER: MADELINE FRANZ, Washington State University
Madeline is a PhD candidate at Washington State University (WSU), where she studies the post-fire regeneration of forests in the Inland Northwest. Raised among remnant patches of tallgrass prairie and oak savanna in central Minnesota, she developed an early appreciation of fire's role in shaping ecosystems. Since moving west, she has learned more about fire ecology and management through formal education and work, and she enjoys connecting other students with similar experiences. She is one of the founding members of the SAFE chapter at WSU, and she looks forward to meeting and working with SAFE members nationwide.
SECRETARY/TREASURER: KATE MCCREDIE, OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY
Kate McCredie is a graduate student at Oregon State University (OSU), studying the effects of wildfire on water quality and soil properties in headwater catchments. Born and raised in Oregon, she is grateful to be working at the intersection of water, wildfire, and forest management in the places she loves. She is the current vice president of the OSU SAFE chapter (the “Pyromaniacs”) and is excited to continue learning about fire ecology by connecting with other students across the country!
