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Meet our team of real-life badasses.
With more than 25 years of experience in integrated wildland fire management, nonprofit leadership, and strategic communications, Bethany Hannah is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Wildfire International, a global organization advancing professional wildfire capacity through international training, leadership development, and cross-border knowledge exchange. She began her career on the fireline as a Hotshot firefighter with the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management, bringing operational credibility to executive-level strategy. She previously served as Deputy Director of Operations and Interim Executive Director at the Climate and Wildfire Institute, where she led organizational operations, external affairs, and institutional growth.
Susie Douglas brings 9 years of wildland firefighting experience as a rappeller, hotshot, and crew member, combined with strategic business leadership skills, to her role as Chief Operations Officer. Her perspective is strengthened by a BS in Fire Ecology & Management and 7 years of logistical expertise managing fuel operations across 3 US Antarctic Research Stations, where she mastered complex systems under extremely remote conditions. As a proven business development strategist, Susie has guided numerous organizations from inception to implementation while previously serving as the Executive Director of Grassroots Wildland Firefighters and the US Hotshots Association, where she championed wildland firefighter voices across multiple organizations. When not advocating for firefighters, she's riding a mountain bike with her furry canine companion in tow.
Lauren Ketchum is a Texas native who brings over ten years of experience in nonprofit management, educational programming, and international development. She most recently served on USAID’s Disaster Assistance Support Program team, a partnership between USAID’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance and the US Forest Service. During her time at USAID, she led and facilitated emergency response training programs, preparing USAID staff to activate and deploy to emergency crises around the world. An avid learner, Lauren enjoys developing engaging training programs for both domestic and international audiences. Outside of work you will likely find her dancing salsa, studying languages, or traveling and exploring somewhere new.
Luke Mayfield is a wildland fire professional with more than two decades of experience spanning fire management, emergency response, fuels mitigation, conservation, workforce development, and wildfire advocacy. He currently serves as Chief Learning Officer for Wildfire International and previously served as Head of Operations for BurnBot. Prior to BurnBot, Luke spent six years as Fire Program Manager for Mystery Ranch, working closely with the wildland fire community to improve firefighter equipment and operational support systems. He also brings 18 years of federal wildland firefighting experience across suppression, leadership, and incident response.Luke is co-founder and board member of Grassroots Wildland Firefighters, advancing workforce advocacy and firefighter wellbeing. Through Wildfire International, he focuses on training, leadership development, and operational readiness to support safer, more resilient communities in an increasingly complex global wildfire environment.
