Sara Brown

Sara is a classically trained ecologist, with an emphasis in fire ecology. Most recently, she was the Acting Director of the Human Performance and Innovation and Organizational Learning, Research, Development and Applications (HP&IOL RD&A) in the Rocky Mountain Research Station (RMRS). Prior to working for the RD&A, she spent four years as a professor of fire science at New Mexico Highlands University. She was fortunate to spend a 2-year post-doctoral period during her professorship (2011-2013) learning about, and experimenting with, adult pedagogy after earning her Ph.D. in ecology from the University of Wyoming. Sara holds a MS in environmental science and regional planning from Washington State University, and a BS in environmental science from Willamette University. From 1996-2007, she worked for a variety of federal land management agencies in fire suppression and fire management. She spent time working on a type-2 fire crew, a helicopter crew, a hotshot crew, and as a smokejumper. During her time working in fire suppression she became aware of the importance of integrating both natural and social science into land management and leadership decisions.