Plenary Speakers

Ashley Stokes joined UC Davis as dean of the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences in July 2025 from the University of Tennessee, where she was a professor of veterinary large animal clinical sciences and dean of the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture’s UT Extension. Stokes has more than 30 years of experience in higher education, including six years at Colorado State University, where she was associate vice president for engagement and extension, and assistant dean for admissions and student success. While at University of Hawaii at Manoa, Stokes was the sole veterinary extension specialist serving the state and several Western Pacific countries.

She earned a Bachelor’s in physiological psychology from the University of Alabama, a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine and a Ph.D. in cardiovascular physiology and pharmacology from Louisiana State University, and an MBA from Colorado State University. 

Meghan Hertel was sworn in as the Director of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife on February 17, 2026 where she leads the Department’s work managing fish and wildlife populations, restoring habitat, supporting sustainable hunting and fishing opportunities and partnering with rural communities, Tribes, landowners and outdoor recreationists across California. Prior to serving in this role, Meghan served as Deputy Secretary of Biodiversity and Habitat at California Natural Resources Agency. In this role, Meghan led the Agency’s efforts to conserve biodiversity and improve habitat across the state through the implementation of California’s 30x30 strategy and associated efforts including the Cutting Green Tape initiative and supporting the implementation of large-scale habitat projects. Before joining the Agency, Meghan served as North American Director for Land Life, a technology-driven, nature restoration company, and spent over a decade with Audubon California holding several positions including Director of Land and Water Conservation, where she led statewide conservation programs focused on inland water and working lands strategies. Meghan holds a Master of Arts in Environmental Science and Policy from Clark University and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Florida.

Beth Rose Middleton Manning (Afro-Caribbean, Eastern European) is a Professor of Native American Studies at University of California Davis, located in Patwin homelands. She is the author of two books: Trust in the Land: New Directions in Tribal Conservation (2011, UA Press) and Upstream: Trust Lands and Power on the Feather River (2018, UA Press). A collaborative social scientist, Beth Rose works with Tribes and non-profit organizations on environmental health, sustainable rural economic development, the historical and political context of river restoration, the reintroduction of fire for landscape care, rematriation/repatriation of Indigenous lands, Afro-Indigenous relationality, and Indigenous-led stewardship and climate adaptation. Beth Rose received her BA in Nature and Culture from UC Davis, and her Ph.D. in Environmental Science, Policy, and Management from UC Berkeley.

Frankie Myers is a Yurok Tribal member raised in the traditional Village of Oregon, where he was taught that the responsibility of human beings is to help restore balance in the world around them. He currently serves as Principal of Fix The World Consulting, a mission-driven consulting firm he co-founded with his wife, Molli Myers, focused on advancing Indigenous-led conservation, watershed restoration, and community development efforts. 
Frankie currently serves as a Councilmember on the California Truth and Healing Council and as a board member for both the Cultural Fire Management Council and the Ridges to Riffles Indigenous Conservation Group. A founding member of the Klamath Justice Coalition, he has dedicated his life to restoring the Klamath Basin and advocating for Tribal sovereignty and environmental justice. He played a key leadership role in the Undam the Klamath campaign, contributing to the historic removal of four dams on the Klamath River. 

Jeffrey Mount is a senior fellow at the Public Policy Institute of California Water Policy Center and an emeritus professor of earth and planetary sciences at the University of California, Davis. He founded the Center for Watershed Sciences at UC Davis. Specializing in rivers, streams, and wetlands, his work focuses on integrated water resources and flood management, and improving aquatic ecosystems. He has served on state and federal boards concerning Western water resource management and has published extensively, including the book California Rivers and Streams. He holds a PhD and MS in earth sciences from UC Santa Cruz.tional Pacific Salmon Treaty.

Jen Quan began service as the Regional Administrator for NOAA Fisheries West Coast Region in April 2023. With over 30 years of experience on West Coast natural resources issues, she has benefited from diverse perspectives gained during her time with state and federal governments, the U.S. Senate, and Pacific Northwest tribes. Her career includes experience across a broad spectrum of West Coast fisheries issues, from dolphin conservation in the Eastern Tropical Pacific, to research on Blue and Humpback Whales in California, the study of tribal harvest on Gray Whales, Pacific fisheries management, salmon recovery, and Endangered Species Act (ESA) regulations.

Prior to the U.S. Senate, she worked for NOAA’s Fisheries West Coast Region, supervising the south Puget Sound Branch of the Oregon/Washington Coastal Office and innovating ESA consultations for the nearshore marine environment. Before NOAA, she spent 10 years at the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW). As WDFW Lands Division Manager, she led the passage of the state “Discover Pass” legislation, creating over $25 million/year in revenue for conservation and recreation lands. As Salmon Recovery Policy Advisor and Government Affairs Director, Jen secured the $500 million authorization for Puget Sound Nearshore Ecosystem Restoration Project (PSNERP) in the 2017 Water Resources Development Act and supported congressional coordination efforts for a new 10-year International Pacific Salmon Treaty.