Plenary Speakers
David Ackerly
David Ackerly is a climate change biologist, professor in the departments of Integrative Biology and Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, and Dean of the Rausser College of Natural Resources at UC Berkeley. Ackerly’s research group studies the impacts of climate change on biodiversity in California, and post-fire forest dynamics in mixed hardwood and oak woodlands. He has focused on the importance of spatial climate heterogeneity at landscape and regional scales to enhance resilience and facilitate range shifts for native plants and animals. Ackerly is a recipient of the UC Berkeley 2011 Distinguished Faculty Mentor Award, a Senior Fellow with the Berkeley Institute of Data Sciences, a Fellow of the California Academy of Sciences, and a Fellow of the Ecological Society of America.
Don Hankins
Don Hankins is a professor at California State University Chico and Big Chico Creek Ecological Reserve field director. His expertise spans pyrogeography, water stewardship, and conservation. His academic and cultural knowledge as a Miwkoʔ traditional cultural practitioner informs applied research and projects involving prescribed and cultural burns, ecocultural restoration, and policy. Don engages in stewardship and conservation with diverse organizations, agencies, and Indigenous entities in North America and Australia. He is internationally recognized for his work on Indigenous fire. He’s in leadership roles with the Indigenous Peoples Burning Network, Indigenous Stewardship Network, and California Wildfire and Forest Resilience Task Force.
Jennifer Norris
Dr. Norris’ career began as a federal scientist delivering innovative conservation projects at scale working for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) in New Mexico and then as the USFWS Sacramento Field Supervisor. Norris then moved to the California Natural Resources Agency (CNRA) where she served as Deputy Secretary for Biodiversity and Habitat since 2020. At CNRA, Norris led California’s 30x30 initiative to conserve 30 percent of California’s lands and coastal waters by 2030 and oversaw the Cutting Green Tape initiative to accelerate the pace and scale of ecological restoration.
In its 76-year history, WCB has had six executive directors, and Dr. Norris becomes the first female to fill the role. Norris holds a bachelor’s degree in resources policy and planning from Cornell University, a master’s degree in conservation biology from the University of Michigan, and a Ph.D. in ecology from the University of New Mexico. A native of New York State, Norris lives in Sacramento with her husband Scott and occasionally sees their grown children Jessica and Daniel.
Additional speaker information to come