Staff Bios

Laurie A. Wayburn is the President and co-founder of Pacific Forest Trust. Her passion is creating, facilitating, and implementing a new vision for valuing, conserving, and managing forests as forests in all their varied, complex splendor—the whole system—transforming our reliance on timber products to pay the bills to one where we value and pay for all their essential gifts to us: water, climate, wildlife and renewal. When not up to good trouble, she loves to hike (with family, friends, and dog!) garden (especially for tomatoes), read, ski, and cook. And pun. A graduate of Harvard College, she worked with the United Nations Environment Program, as well as the Ecological Sciences Division of UNESCO (Man and Biosphere Program) in sustainable development for over a decade.

Connie Best is co-founder of PFT and is currently serving as Senior Strategic Advisor. Prior to PFT, Connie transformed what we drink by creating and marketing America’s first all-natural soda, leading to an explosion in healthy beverage choices. That same entrepreneurial vision and grit has helped PFT make major impacts for forests by marrying conservation and commerce to bring added value for stewardship for climate, biodiversity and water security. When she isn’t working with forest owners and rural communities, she’s “forest bathing” in the old growth red fir stands of Mt. Shasta with her vizsla and family.

Shay Brown is a Stewardship Associate at PFT and is passionate about the intersection of responsible natural resource management and community development. Shay has a diverse professional background in environmental stewardship, having worked for the U.S. Forest Service and several non-profit land conservation organizations, including an agricultural land trust. Additionally, Shay holds an MA in Natural Resources and Sustainable Development, and an MA in International Environmental Policy. When not in the woods for work, Shay is usually in the woods for fun, and likes to spend most weekends backpacking, camping, and hiking in the Sierras and around the Bay Area.

Kevin Connelly is Development Director and works in PFT’s San Francisco office. Originally from Pittsburgh, PA, Kevin has BS degrees in Industrial Management and Economics from Carnegie-Mellon. Initially, he worked for an international strategy planning management consultancy in the steel industry. Since 1989, Kevin aligned his career with his deep personal core values of protection of our environment and compassion for animals. He has a wide range of experience in development, marketing, and non-profit management with Bay Area-based national and international environmental and animal advocacy organizations. Enjoying live music and hiking the many great Bay Area parks are among his passions.

Arian Dehnow is a Policy Associate at Pacific Forest Trust. After graduating with a B.A. in Creative Writing and Environmental Studies, he hiked the Pacific Crest Trail southbound from Canada to Mexico. He spent the next several years making music, teaching high school math, and freelancing in Los Angeles, where he began a fruitful consulting role with the Environmental Defense Fund. His work there inspired him to pursue a MSc in Environmental Policy and Regulation from the London School of Economics, during which he discovered a passion for data analysis and econometrics. When he isn’t working, Arian is making music, cooking stews, and exploring the Bay Area wilderness.

David Emerson is PFT’s Senior Accountant. David graduated from San Diego State University with a degree in Business Administration and Accounting and has a decade of experience accounting for small-to-midsize businesses and nonprofits. He is passionate about sustainability and conservation, and when he’s not pouring over ledgers or Accounting Standards Updates, he can often be found hiking and camping and otherwise enjoying the spectacular natural beauty of California.

Brian Lawson is PFT’s Director of Conservation and Stewardship, based in Portland. He holds an MBA in Management & Leadership from George Fox University and has 15 years of experience working in field of real estate, including 10+ years with a timberland investment management organization (TIMO) as an Asset Manager and Portfolio Manager. A long time Oregonian, Brian has a passion for the outdoors and is eager to leverage his experience to help conserve, protect and sustain the beautiful landscapes he often enjoys. Brian’s other passions include playing music and competitive sports, and spending time with his wife, Callie, and their two dogs, Hank and Beeks.

Paul Mason is Vice President for Policy and Incentives at Pacific Forest Trust. With 20 years of forest policy and legislative experience in Sacramento, he is a regular fixture in the State Capitol and state agencies. Driven by the urgency to restore and conserve forest structure and function at landscape scale, Paul is thrilled to be putting his Resource Policy degree to good use. A lover of rural California and wild places, when away from Sacramento Paul often visits the spectacular north coast and Klamath mountain region.

Mollie Moscony is PFT’s Engagement Associate, based in Portland. She holds an MA in Museum Studies from George Washington University, and her background includes experience in communications and public engagement at the National Aquarium in Baltimore and the National Geographic Society in Washington, D.C. Mollie enjoys exploring the outdoors and brings a passion for conservation education. As a new Oregon resident, she looks forward to hiking, trail running, and kayaking her way across the Pacific Northwest.

Grant Pattison is PFT’s Executive Coordinator, based in San Francisco.  Grant joined PFT in 2019, after serving in the Peace Corps (Ghana). He holds a degree in biology and brings over a decade of management and administrative experience to PFT. In his free time, Grant enjoys seeing live music, playing disc golf in Golden Gate Park with his dog, and rocking out with his San Francisco-based band.

Todd Pond works in the accounting and administration department in the San Francisco office where he ensures PFT has rock-solid accounting records and the staff has the tools needed to do their good work. Todd has associate degrees in accounting, Spanish and liberal arts from Berkeley City College, and he’s fluent in Spanish. His family introduced him to the outdoors when he was young, and he spends his free time fly fishing, hiking, and exploring the mountains. Todd appreciates working for an organization where everyone shares the same personal and professional values.

Michael Reilly is PFT’s Director of Finance and Administration. He earned his MBA from Sonoma State University and brings with him over twenty years of finance and operations experience. As a native Midwesterner, Michael is grateful every day that he made the pilgrimage to Northern California, and he is thrilled to be part of an organization that works to conserve and protect private forest lands in the region. Michael is passionate about sustainability and is a self-proclaimed geek when it comes sustainable transportation. In his free time Michael enjoys travel, gardening, spending time with his family, and hanging out with his dogs Ernie and Honey.

Jack Singer is a Stewardship Associate at Pacific Forest Trust. He is deeply passionate about the human communities and the forests that he works to conserve and restore. In a given week at PFT, he could be designing a habitat enhancement plan, working with landowners to permanently protect forested landscapes in the Klamath Cascade, and/or developing high-quality silvicultural treatments on PFT’s demonstration forests. When indoors, he enjoys cooking with his partner, Nina, learning jazz standards on his acoustic guitar, and spending quality time with his cat, Luna.

Emma Hager is Content and Communications Manager at Pacific Forest Trust. After graduating from U.C. Berkeley with a degree in English literature and Creative Writing, she worked in book publishing for four years, and still writes freelance on a range of topics, including water issues in the American West. Emma is passionate about synthesizing information on complex issues for popular audiences. If it were up to her, Emma would spend all her days reading on the warm boulders that line the Yuba River.

Michael Comstock is a Conservation Transaction Manager at PFT.  He has deep experience leading outreach to recruit landowners and managing land acquisitions to develop conservation projects and ecological credits. He is passionate about protecting the West Coast’s beautiful natural resources and developing win-win solutions with landowners. When he isn’t working business development in the indoors or outdoors, you can find Michael surfing, playing music with band, or going on international adventures with his family.

Emily Bowes is the Stewardship and Outreach Associate at Pacific Forest Trust. She is passionate about connecting communities with their local forests and is committed to promoting sustainable forest management through education. Emily studied biology at Humboldt State University and has spent her career advocating for clean water and healthy forests in southern Oregon and Northern California. She now promotes stewardship and outreach opportunities for the Mt. Ashland Demonstration Forest in her home town of Ashland, Oregon. Emily is excited to contribute her passion and expertise to the conservation efforts at Pacific Forest Trust, working alongside like-minded individuals to protect and preserve our valuable natural resources. In her free time, Emily enjoys rafting, skiing, and going on adventures with her dog, Cider.