Lomakatsi Executive Leadership is shared by two co-directors, Marko Bey and Justin Cullumbine, who collectively provide the variety of necessary skills for operating and managing all aspects of the organization.
Marko Bey, Director
Marko Bey, Director and Lomakatsi’s co-founder, works in a variety of capacities overseeing all aspects of planning, development, and operations for the organization’s programs and projects. Since Lomakatsi’s inception in 1995, Marko’s responsibilities have included program development, grant writing, technical planning, supervision of program personnel and workforce operations, and the management of contracts and cooperative agreements. Having worked in forestry and ecosystem restoration since 1987, Marko brings years of on-the-ground experience, working throughout six western states. He has researched, studied, and developed a wide range of technical expertise in the practices of ecological forestry and watershed restoration.
Marko has been instrumental in the crafting of Lomakatsi’s regional restoration projects and programs and has orchestrated the formation of collaborative partnerships between agencies, organizations and stakeholders. He has designed and developed Lomakatsi’s nine programs that work to “restore ecosystems and the sustainability of communities, cultures and economies”. Marko has led the development of Lomakatsi’s Ecological Restoration Workforce Training Program, which provides training and employment for restoration workers in holistic ecosystem management and stewardship forestry.
As one of the core members for Lomakatsi’s Technical Team, Marko helps design and organize forestry, fuels reduction, and watershed restoration projects, small diameter utilization extraction and logging plans, treatment prescriptions, forest stewardship plans, and ecological assessments.
Justin Cullumbine, Director
Justin Cullumbine, Director and co-founder of Lomakatsi, serves as the organization’s Contract Administrator and Chief Financial Management Officer. His primary administrative duties include supervising administrative staff, managing budgets, finances, banking, accounting, insurance, and all fiscal functions. Prior to Justin’s involvement with Lomakatsi he worked as a laborer and crew boss on federal and private land contracts. He was a member of the mobile workforce for four years, planting and thinning trees, climbing trees for seed collection and working as a timber faller and bucker on logging crews. Justin has been working in ecosystem management and ecological restoration for the past 16 years. He is a key member of Lomakatsi’s planning and program development team, working closely with other staff members to design community based forest and watershed restoration projects and programs. Justin performs and oversees GIS mapping tasks for Lomakatsi’s on the ground projects. Justin manages Lomakatsi’s Restoration Byproduct Utilization Program overseeing product sales of logs, poles, firewood and biomass. Justin is responsible for purchase order agreements with mills and value added forest product utilization facilities.
Nicole Del Pizzo, Education and Outreach Director
Nicole has been part of the Lomakatsi staff since 2005 and serves the organization as the Education and Outreach Director. Like all of Lomakatsi’s staff, Nicole’s responsibilities are multi- tiered. Nicole’s coordinates Lomakatsi’s Full Circle Schools Restoration Ecology Program where her job responsibilities include organizing ‘hands- on’ educational events with teachers from grades K -12. She develops lesson plans and curriculum relevant to the work of Lomakatsi and the field of restoration ecology, working closely with teachers, agency biologists and environmental educators. In addition, she develops interactive projects and serves as a teacher and mentor to students. Mrs. Del Pizzo manages Lomakatsi’s four native plant shade house nurseries. She also performs outreach to the community, promoting and coordinating Lomakatsi’s Ecological Restoration Information Series, held two Saturdays per month from October thru May. During these events, community members and volunteers learn about different ecological restoration topics and participate in hands-on activities, working closely with Lomakatsi’s restoration practitioners and workforce on active sites where projects are being implemented. Mrs. Del Pizzo also coordinates Lomakatsi’s ‘Adopted Site’ and Monitoring Program, where she leads students, community groups and community members in continued riparian restoration activities and maintenance.
Josh Budziak, Contract Operations Director
Josh has worked for Lomakatsi since 1999 and has extensive experience in ecological and technical forestry, botany, restoration silviculture, GIS mapping, fuels reduction, and logging systems layout. Prior to Josh moving into the position of Contract Operations Director, he served Lomakatsi as a crew boss, supervising Lomakatsi’s thinning and controlled burn personnel. Since 2006 Josh has managed daily operations on Lomakatsi’s stewardship projects. He works closely with both contract forestry crews and timber operators to insure that an integrated approach is accomplished that meets the multiple objectives of these complex projects. In additions to Josh’s oversight of the Lomakatsi workforce, Josh currently manages contract operations working with 8 different subcontract crews during restoration projects.
Aaron Nauth, Workforce Operations Director
Aaron has worked for Lomakatsi since 1999 and currently manages Lomakatsi’s daily workforce operations. Prior to Aaron’s current position, he served Lomakatsi as a crew boss for thinning and piling operations, and as a burn boss during prescribed fire applications. From 2002-2005, Aaron managed and assisted in the development of Lomakatsi’s native plant shade house nurseries. Aaron has extensive experience for managing the implementation of complex silvicultural prescriptions for fuels reduction, forest health and wildlife habitat enhancement projects and serves as an agency liaison and project inspector during contracts. Aaron also serves Lomakatsi as an assigned Forest Farm Labor Contractor Representative and is Lomakatsi’s Chief Workforce Safety Officer.
