Thanks to generous donors and the shifting cultural fire attitude around fire, the FUSEE crew is growing! We have recently welcomed more torchbearers for the new fire paradigm - an Administrative Director and two summer interns. 

Helena Virga (she/her) is the new Administrative Director, wearing a wide many hats to help sustain and grow FUSEE's internal capacity. Hailing from Southern California, she is currently a double Masters student in Nonprofit Management and Environmental Studies at the University of Oregon (UO). Her UO education is what brought her to FUSEE, having taken many classes with Tim which sparked her interest in climate activism and fire. She views fire as art, from the beauty of the varying colors of the flames, to the way smoke paints the sky, how it regenerates the land and the wide range of emotions it inspires in humans from inspiration to exhilaration, and respect to fear. Outside of work and school, you can find Helena spinning fire, kayaking, rock climbing, and doing yoga. 

Copeland Burchenal (he/him) is the new Social and Digital Media Intern, strategizing and creating the hot content all over FUSEE’s social media pages. Coming to us from rural Montana, he is an Environmental Studies student at Lewis & Clark College. He was drawn to FUSEE because of the bold stances FUSEE takes on important issues regarding forest fires. Passionate about rhetoric, he hopes to use his skills to include typically-ignored rural communities into fire conversations moving forward. His favorite thing about fire is how it acts as a form of nutrient recycling and helps to store carbon in the earth. In his free time, he enjoys biking and drawing. 

Braden Ravenscraft (he/him) is the new Nonprofit Management Intern, assisting FUSEE in all things fundraising, marketing and media. Raised in small-town Arizona, he is a student at UO studying Planning, Public Policy and Nonprofit Management. With the career goal of making a difference for the environment, he found his way to FUSEE via an interest in environmental nonprofits while recognizing the lack of good fire advocacy in our culture. He appreciates how connected humans are to fire, being a part of many cultures for years and still today helping to bring people together. His hobbies include playing and watching sports, hiking, and camping. 

Please join us in welcoming the new crew members to the team, and watch as FUSEE continues to grow in size and impact.