Laurel Harkness, Coalition Director
Laurel has a diverse background in outdoor recreation, place-based natural resources, community development, and working landscapes. Prior to joining RVCC, she served in the California Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development working to support resilient, equitable, and sustainable economies in rural communities. Laurel has many years of experience working collaboratively in rural communities, advancing equity in the outdoors, growing stewardship economies, and supporting wildfire recovery and forest resilience. Laurel has played key roles in large landscape conservation efforts across the west and has gained a specific focus on centering Indigenous futures in the advancement of place-based solutions. Laurel is based in Mt. Shasta, CA. She is a graduate of U.C. Davis (B.S. Soil & Water Science / Viticulture) and is currently a graduate student in Rural Policy at Oregon State University.
Contact Laurel at: Laurel@ruralvoicescoalition.org
COLE JENSON, Program ANALYST
Cole earned his M.S. in Environmental Policy and Management at the University of California, Davis, with a focus on sustainable agriculture and wood utilization for wildfire resilience and rural community vitality. Before moving to California, Cole’s wide ranging path included studies in neuroscience and music at Duke University and a couple of years of rural public health work in Nome, Alaska. This all led him to work at the intersection of the wellbeing of our communities and our environments.
RVCC came to know Cole through his recent work as part of a team of UC Davis graduate students who worked to identify and assess former sawmill sites in California that could be redeveloped into wood processing facilities to support sustainable forest management, rural economies, and climate resiliency. Learn more about the project here.
Contact Cole at: Cole@ruralvoicescoalition.org
Leslie Neu, Program manager
After earning a foresty degree from the University of Montana, Leslie Neu spent six years working as a federal wildland firefighter. Between fire seasons, she gained valuable experience as a policy intern for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Washington, DC and the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, Idaho. These experiences inspired her to study natural resource policy at the University of Oregon School of Law. As a law student, Leslie concentrated her work experience and scholarship on issues affecting natural resources management, especially the laws and policies of wildland and prescribed fire. She served as a law clerk for the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) Office of the Solicitor and the Matanuska-Susitna Borough in Palmer, Alaska. Leslie joins RVCC after working for the Oregon State Fire Marshal, supporting statewide wildfire preparedness regulations and initiatives. She lives and plays in the landscapes of Oregon with her fiancé and dog.
Contact Leslie at: Leslie@ruralvoicescoalition.org