Jaron Brandon is the District 5 Supervisor for Tuolumne County, California. Raised in the county, he has a deep connection to the community, graduating from Sonora Union High School and later earning a degree in Political Science from UC Merced. He was elected in 2020 and re-elected in 2024.

At 32, Jaron is one of the State’s youngest county elected leaders and focuses primarily on the issues of affordable housing, economic development, and citizen accessibility to government – three areas that prevent people from living healthy, productive lives in his area. He’s additionally led major efforts to improve local public safety, library service, behavioral health, homelessness, and forest management.

I completed my PhD in Environmental and Forest Sciences from the University of Washington, specializing in wood products processing, utilization, and marketing. I worked and lived in all three states in the west coast over the past 20 years and am familiar with the natural environment in the western U.S. My work covers topics such as environmental assessment, woody biomass-based products, the end-of-life treatment of wood products, and mass timber production optimization. As the Woody Biomass and Forest Products Advisor at UCANR, my work focuses on exploring innovative ways to better utilize California’s forest resources and biomass, promoting forest fuel reduction strategies, developing biomass processing programs that are appropriate for the region, and contributing to local economic development.

Elizabeth spent her education studying the science of watershed management, and then has applied that in the better part of her more than two decades of work on policy and planning used to many of California’s resource challenges. Working with stakeholders as varied as Tribes, businesses, local governments, and advocacy groups, Elizabeth has integrated a passion for cross-sector innovation and science-based discovery with natural pragmatism and a proclivity for community-based solutions to chart a path forward in challenging resource decisions. Wicked solutions require innovation and partnerships. Elizabeth's work in this space has resulted in a diverse and dedicated network of co-conspirators to move California resource policy to reflect better the reality of our interconnected world and the holistic perspective that climate adaptation demands.

Elizabeth's day job is with the Department of Conservation, and she has previously served in local, state, and federal government, as well as private and non-profit entities. She has an MS in Watershed Science (Colorado State University) and a BS in Environmental Biology and Management (UC Davis). To stay busy, she owns a small farm with her husband, dog, four cats, and chickens in Shasta County, where they operate educational programs for underserved youth.

Donna enjoys and is involved in many projects of community service.in West Point and Rail Road Flat. She has been an active CHIPS Board Mamber since 2016. Prior to that, she has had a 50+ yr professional life as a teacher.

She sees that the neessity of organizations like CHIPS to help rid the forests of excess fuels and turn this biomass into products inclluding electricty. These organizations offer jobs and career paths for local folks and college students with emphasis on Native Americans.

Personally, she enjoys traveling,hiking, biking and skiing with her two sons and two grandsons.

John Heywood has a background in finance, real estate, and business management. Over the past decade, after moving to the Sierra Nevada mountains, John has become involved in activities related to natural resources management.

Engaging in forest and agricultural systems, John has been focused on biomass utilization activities and the development of nature-based solutions for protecting our forests, watersheds and rural communities.