Rachel Smith

Rachel Smith has a Ph.D. from UC Berkeley's College of Natural Resources in the Department of Environmental Sciences, Policy, and Management. Her research focused on role of collaborative planning in wildfire risk abatement. A firefighter from the age of 18, Rachel has fought wildfires throughout California and the American west, including time parachuting into remote fires as a U.S. Forest Service Smokejumper. Additionally, she has assisted suppression efforts abroad in countries ranging from Australia to South Africa to Guatemala. In 2011, Rachel joined the Forest Service through the Presidential Management Fellowship program, where she worked in Atlanta, Georgia, working on the implementation of the National Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Plan. Rachel is currently Deputy Forest Supervisor of the Angeles National Forest and San Gabriel Mountains National Monument.