Podcasts

June 6, 2018

S4|E20: Ken Pimlott – You Can’t be Afraid to Act

By Tom Davidson

Chief Ken Pimlott is the Director of CAL FIRE and State Forester of California. Ken began his career as a reserve firefighter with the Contra Costa Fire Protection District and has served in many capacities on his way to becoming Director. For example, prior to his current role, Ken was Deputy Director of Fire Protection […]

May 30, 2018

S4|E19: Scott Phillips – Work Hard at Work Worth Doing

By Tom Davidson

Scott Phillips is the State Forester for the South Carolina Forestry Commission where he brings expertise in forestry, wildlife, and business management. As agency head, Scott provides oversight for all functions of the agency and works with a nine-member board to set agency policy and direction. After earning his BS in forest resources from the […]

May 23, 2018

S4|E18: Brian Cottam – “The work we do is ego-system management, not eco-system management”

By Tom Davidson

Brian Cottam is the Utah State Forester and Director of the Utah Division of Forestry, Fire, and State Lands. He is also responsible for wildfire management on state and private lands and oversees Utah’s sovereign lands. Brian brings a diverse background and wide experience to the role, including government relations, state and local planning, economic […]

May 16, 2018

S4|E17: Tom Boggus – “I don’t believe in leadership by title; I believe in leadership by influence”

By Tom Davidson

Tom Boggus is the State Forester of Texas and the Director of Texas A&M Forest Service. He has worked for the State of Texas since 1980, becoming Interim Director in 2008 and being officially appointed State Forester in 2010. One of the events during this time was when Tom led the response team during the […]

May 9, 2018

S4|E16: Larry Kotchman – “Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other”

By Tom Davidson

Larry Kotchman has been the State Forester of North Dakota for the last 31 years; he is currently the longest active serving State Forester. In this role, Larry is responsible for the administration of the North Dakota Forest Service, managing the agency’s $15 million budget, and directing statewide forestry services through three leadership teams. On […]