Daniel Collay, Executive Director, grew up in Eugene, Oregon and moved to Ashland in 2012 to attend Southern Oregon University. He graduated with a B.S. in Environmental Studies and a Minor in Outdoor Adventure Leadership. He has spent his life working in the outdoors and has a passion for plants, wildlife, and conservation. He joined the board in 2019 and was the board chair until taking on the role of ED in August of 2024. Previously he was the operations manager of Willow-Witt Ranch located in the expanded monument near Grizzly Peak.

Zaynab Brown, Program Coordinator, joined the Friends in March 2023. She was born in Ashland, Oregon into a family with a deep appreciation for the region’s wild places. After graduating from Whitman College with a degree in Biology – Environmental Studies, she returned to the Rogue Valley where she has continued to develop a passion for community sufficiency while gaining extensive experience in event planning and program management. In her free time, she enjoys social dancing and spending time in the outdoors through gardening and horseback riding. Her email address is: zaynab@cascadesiskiyou.org

Isabel Jalamov, Board Chair and Secretary, is a dedicated advocate for environmental education and community engagement. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Studies from Kent State University and a master’s degree in Environmental Education from Southern Oregon University. With the Friends of Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument, she helps lead initiatives to support biodiversity, foster educational outreach, and strengthen community partnerships.

With a strong background in outdoor education, Isabel is passionate about connecting people to the natural world. Her experience includes guiding K-8 students in garden-based learning as the Rural Schools Learning Coordinator with UCAN AmeriCorps at Ruch Outdoor Community School. She especially enjoys helping young learners explore the critical roles of pollinators and fungi, inspiring a deeper appreciation for the ecosystems that sustain us.

Beyond her work, Isabel finds joy in hiking, camping with her dog Indie, cooking, crafting, and spending time near the water. She brings her expertise in nature journaling, environmental stewardship, and hands-on learning to every endeavor, working to cultivate a stronger connection between people and the landscapes they call home.

Terry Dickey, served as Board chair (2015-2021) and led a re-set of the Friends non-profit in grassroots, membership, programs such as BioBlitz and financial stability to advocate for public support of biodiversity and the Monument. From his career at University of Alaska Museum of the North in Fairbanks, he worked with teams of Alaska Native elders, scientists and educators to develop life-long learning initiatives in museums and communities. He was a VISTA Volunteer in the Alaska villages of Kasigluk and Nikolai. His outdoor hobbies includes hiking, biking, snowshoeing, and downhill skiing.

Mel Gedde, Treasurer, grew up in Sandy, Oregon. His love of wild-places began as his father and grandfather took him around the state to hunt, fish and enjoy the great outdoors. After attending college in Ashland, where he earned his bachelor's degree in business administration, he spent 10 years in Portland before moving back to the area to enjoy our rich natural resources and scenic beauty. He has over 30 years of experience in finance, and is currently the Finance Manager at the Ashland Food Co-op.

Stasie Maxwell, Board Member, has served on the Board of the Friends of CSNM for several years, including as secretary. She grew up in Ashland and has a deep love for this area. Studying Tai Chi in Eugene,OR has deepened her respect and affection for the biodiversity and interconnectedness of this land and its inhabitants. An SOU alumna, she hopes to unite her passion with action by bridging connections between education, health and wellness, herbal medicine, and the wisdom of the indigenous people in relation to the monument.

Scot Loring, Board Member, has been working as a botanist / mycologist throughout Oregon since 1994, conducting various research, inventory, rare species survey, and monitoring projects. He is a consultant for various entities including the Medford District BLM. He led a botanical survey which included the majority of CSNM which resulted in the discovery of many previously unknown rare vascular plant, non-vascular plant, and lichen occurrences, and species previously unknown from the Monument. He has discovered species of fungi, lichens, and plants new to science, including two new genera, some of which are from the Monument. He is a Pacific Northwest native and graduated from The Evergreen State College

Teresa Coker, Board Member, is a Southern Oregon University environmental education faculty member with a deep appreciation for the biodiversity of the Cascade Siskiyou National Monument. She is passionate about exploring new places, putting down deep community roots, and connecting diverse people with the natural world.

Jonathan Brostoff, Board Member, has lived in Ashland for over ten years and is passionate about the outdoors. He has a background in wilderness adventure retail, organizational leadership, and community outreach and marketing. In his free time, he enjoys backpacking, cooking, mountain biking, and cross-country skiing. 

Joe Baures, Student Board Member, was born and raised in Medford, and is currently a student at Southern Oregon University, majoring in Biology. For his senior capstone project, Joe has performed ecological research in the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument, focusing on the biodiversity and physiology of grasshoppers. Joe greatly enjoys the outdoors, and has a specific appreciation for the Monument, as it exemplifies the beauty and uniqueness of the Rogue Valley and areas surrounding it.

Howard Hunter,Howard Hunter graduated with a degree in Forestry and Recreation from Humboldt University in Northern California and started his career with the Bureau of Land Management at the Medford District office in 1978.  A few years later he became a forest planner and in 1988 he accepted a detail as the team lead for the development of the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center in Baker City Oregon.  

Following that he worked in both Salem and Eugene District offices as a planner and supervisor.  In both these positions he supervised a broad spectrum of resource specialists including fisheries, biology, ecology, hydrology, forestry, wetlands, engineering, wildfire, and fuels management.  

Howard also worked an internal facilitator for most of his career and helped manage conflict processes, working in teams, and working with the public.  He intermittently taught at the BLM’s National Training Center.  These were skills he useful for his role as a Public information Officer on Interagency Incident Management Teams. 

Howard was BLM’s lead for the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument for its first 12 years from 2000 to 2012.  He led the writing of the management plan and later the management plan for the Soda Mountain Wilderness. 

Immediately after retiring he was recruited to be a member of the board of directors for Friends of the Monument and held that position for over 10 years.