Stephen Graydon

Stephen Graydon began their career in 2001 as a Hotshot Sawyer for the U.S. Forest Service's Mendocino Hotshots, where they worked with highly skilled professionals to manage and suppress wildfires, fell trees, remove invasive species, and other land management tasks and objectives. Stephen then moved to the Helitack Sawyer role, deploying via helicopter and ground transport for the suppression of wildfires. In this role, they worked as a sawyer and swamper, lead crewmember, and aerial delivered firefighter. In 2007, Graydon returned to the U.S. Forest Service as a Smokejumper, parachuting into remote areas for the suppression of wildfire and other land management objectives. Stephen was trained up to CRWB and worked as an initial attack IC on incidents in Regions 5 and 6.

In 2016, Graydon became the Executive Director of the TERRA FUEGO RESOURCE FOUNDATION, where they raised funds and managed administration and operations for prescribed fire projects on federal lands, state managed lands, and tribe owned lands. Stephen also managed worker training and development in concurrent workforce improvement programs related to forestry and wildfire mitigation.

In 2018, Graydon began teaching as an Adjunct Instructor at Butte College in the Communication Studies Department, where they instructed CMST-2, Public Speaking and Speech Fundamentals.

In 2020, Graydon started Open Canopy LLC to work with nonprofits and local communities with prescribed fire and wildland fire mitigation. Stephen helps organizations and private individuals with the technical and strategic use of fire to improve biodiversity, wildlife habitat, and to reduce the impacts of fire on people and their communities.

Finally, in 2022, Graydon took on the role of Lead Trainer and Community Engagement at Simtable LLC.

Stephen Graydon obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Organizational Communication, General from California State University, Chico in 2014. Stephen then went on to obtain a Master of Arts in Communication and the Environment from the same institution in 2016. In 2020, they obtained a Certified Wildfire Mitigation Specialist (CWMS) certification from the NFPA.