Officers
RANDY SKELTON
Randy Skelton was appointed as the Assistant Fire Director of Operations to the US Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Region, Fire & Aviation Management at Operations Southern California on May 17, 2015. Skelton has proudly served the US Forest Service and the public across 5 Geographic Regions (R1, R2, R4, R5, and R6) and 6 National Forests for 33 years. Skelton served 10 years on Interagency Hotshot Crews, performing in every position and ending his Hotshot career as Superintendent of the Boise Interagency Hotshot Crew. After leaving the crew life, he has held the ranks of Battalion Chief (AFMO) in Fuels, Zone Division Chief (ZFMO), Chief 2 (FAFMO) and promoted to Assistant Fire Director of Operations where he continues to serve with pride as a second-generation US Forest Service, Fire & Aviation Management employee.
Skelton served on the NWCG Fire Leadership Subcommittee from 2004 to 2017 serving as an interim USFS representative, the L-380 Curriculum Manager for 6 years, and an active member in the development of National and local Staff Rides. Skelton was also selected to be a participant in the Wildland Fire, Marine Corps exchange program in 2002, Quantico, VA at the Marine Corps University, where they crossed trained on the concepts of the development of Tactical Decision Games, Sand Table Exercises and Staff Rides. He also served on the USFS National Fire Diversity Committee as a representative from Region 2 for two years.
JIMMIE ROCHA
Jimmie retired after 36 years in the fire service. He started my career in the Sequoia National Forest and retired as Wildland Operations Superintendent with the Kern County Fire Department.
During that time, he served 20 years as a hotshot on the Rio Bravo Hotshot Crew; 5 years as a Foreman, and 15 years as the Superintendent of the crew
Currently he serves as the Vice President of the U.S Hotshot Assocation.
He joined the Board of Directors of the U.S. Hotshot Association as a way of honoring his friend Stan Stewart our past president and helping fulfill his wishes- of paying it forward to the hotshot community and wildland community in a whole.
DAN KLEINMAN
Dan retired in 2015 after 40 years of wildland fire and all-hazard incident management experience. He was a member of the Fulton Hotshots for 13 years with 8 years as Superintendent. Prior to his retirement he was involved with the NWCG Leadership program and chair of the L-580 committee and actively participated in the implementation of events such as the Gettysburg Staff Ride.
He has been an active member of the US Hotshot Association (USHA) since 2016 and on the Board of Directors since 2019. He coordinated the 2019 USHA Sporting Clay Fundraiser for the purpose of supporting the association’s mission to support Hotshots and their families.
He and his wife Karen (including critters) reside in Glennville California which in a small cattle ranching community in the foothills of the Southern Sierras. He is a supporter and member of the Greenhorn Mountain Veterans Association.
He still acts as a SME, coach, and instructor supporting leadership curriculum including Staff Rides. Dan is shooting enthusiast with shot gunning, tactical pistol drills, reducing the population of invasive critters and game hunting.
BIO PENDING
Board Members
BRIAN TAI
Brian started in wildland fire with the Forest Service in 1998, working for the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area. First, fire was a way to pay for college, but quickly became much more. In 2003 he landed a spot on the Los Padres Hotshots, where he worked for the much-missed Stan Stewart, one of the founding members of the US Hotshots Association. The current Treasurer, Brian has been active with the USHA since official inception in 2016, becoming a Board Member in 2019.
In 2008, he went to work for Mystery Ranch Backpacks for nearly ten years, primarily as Fire Program Manager, though he held a few different titles during a dynamic period with a rapidly growing company.
Today, Brian continues to work in fire, filling overhead/leadership roles with Incident Management Teams from May-November and helping as cadre for fire classes and Staff rides in the offseason.
Brian’s background has given him experience in leadership, program management, communication, R&D, marketing, sales, and financial analysis, accountability, and budget-building. He holds a B.A. from Dartmouth College, and an MFA from Warren Wilson College MFA Program for Writers.
SARA SWEENEY
This is Sara’s first year serving with the US Hotshots Association Board of Directors, and she is excited to join the ongoing effort to advocate for the IHC community in many ways. She is currently assisting with the rewrite and custodianship of the National Hotshot History document, as well as serving on the planning committee for the 2023 USHA Annual Conference.
During her 25-year fire career, Sara has worked in five different regions on six different hotshot crews, for both the Forest Service and the BLM. In addition to being a longtime EMT and county SAR member, she brings previous program innovation and board experience, and a drive for effecting impactful change for the boots on the ground.
She is currently the Superintendent of the Mormon Lake Hotshots, based in Flagstaff, AZ, where she continues to be passionate about learning, fitness, and passing on the fundamentals of fire and leadership to the next generation. In her “spare” time, she can be found skiing, biking, playing roller derby, and training for and competing in ultramarathons, as well as seeking out travel adventures with her husband, cooking healthy food, and trying to coax vegetables from the recalcitrant northern Arizona soil.
BETHANY HANNAH
Bethany has been on the US Hotshots Association board since 2022. Although she spent six seasons as a hotshot with the US Forest Service (Zigzag IHC) and Bureau of Land Management (Craig IHC), a majority of her career has been in the small business and nonprofit sectors. She currently works as the Deputy Director for Operations and External Affairs for the Climate and Wildfire Institute, a nonprofit organization working between the boundaries of research, policy, and practice. She also founded and works as the Executive Director of the American Wildfire Experience, a non-profit organization aimed at supporting wildland firefighters and the communities they serve.
Bethany brings with her a broad set of nonprofit leadership skills and experience, along with a lifelong dedication to caring for the wildland fire community. Bethany has a particular passion for wildland fire history and is the founder of The Smokey Generation, a wildland fire oral history and digital storytelling initiative. She is excited to help the USHA fulfill its mission to preserve the past and pay it forward.
Bethany holds a Bachelor of Arts in Literature and Political Ecology (of wildland fire), a Masters of Arts in Environmental Studies with a concentration in Wildland Fire Management and Communications and spent a stint as a PhD researcher with PyroLife, a European research consortium/ITN researching how best to engage vulnerable communities at risk to wildfire.
COREY CORREA
Corey has been a Hotshot nearly his entire 19-year fire career. He started with the Bureau of Land Management on the Kern Valley Hotshots in 2004 before joining the Forest Service with Breckenridge in 2006, the year they earned IHC status. He went to Horseshoe Meadow and received the apprenticeship before returning to Breckenridge as a senior firefighter. He worked his way up through the ranks as a Squad Boss, Captain, and now serves as the Superintendent of Breckenridge.
Outside of chasing fire, Corey enjoys spending time with his wife Lynn, also a career Forest Service firefighter, on the river and trails of the Sequoia NF fishing, hiking, riding mountain bikes, and running their 2 dogs.
A Lifetime Member of the U.S. Hotshots Association, Corey joined the Board of Directors in 2022 to help continue the ethos of “Preserving the Past, Paying It Forward.”
KYLE CLENDENEN
Kyle has been a Hotshot nearly his entire 21-year fire career. He started with CCC’s in 2002. Then in 2003 he came to the Bureau of Land Management on the Kern Valley Hotshots. He when through the apprenticeship and did time on a helicopter and engine before going back to the crew. He worked his way up through the ranks crewmember, senior, lead, Squad Boss, Captain, and now serves as the Superintendent of Kern Valley Hotshots. Outside of fire, Kyle enjoys spending time with the family, and doing wood projects when he can. A Lifetime Member of the U.S. Hotshots Association, Kyle joined the Board of Directors in 2022.
COREY CORREA
Corey has been a Hotshot nearly his entire 19-year fire career. He started with the Bureau of Land Management on the Kern Valley Hotshots in 2004 before joining the Forest Service with Breckenridge in 2006, the year they earned IHC status. He went to Horseshoe Meadow and received the apprenticeship before returning to Breckenridge as a senior firefighter. He worked his way up through the ranks as a Squad Boss, Captain, and now serves as the Superintendent of Breckenridge.
Outside of chasing fire, Corey enjoys spending time with his wife Lynn, also a career Forest Service firefighter, on the river and trails of the Sequoia NF fishing, hiking, riding mountain bikes, and running their 2 dogs.
A Lifetime Member of the U.S. Hotshots Association, Corey joined the Board of Directors in 2022 to help continue the ethos of “Preserving the Past, Paying It Forward.”
KYLE CLENDENEN
Kyle has been a Hotshot nearly his entire 21-year fire career. He started with CCC’s in 2002. Then in 2003 he came to the Bureau of Land Management on the Kern Valley Hotshots. He when through the apprenticeship and did time on a helicopter and engine before going back to the crew. He worked his way up through the ranks crewmember, senior, lead, Squad Boss, Captain, and now serves as the Superintendent of Kern Valley Hotshots. Outside of fire, Kyle enjoys spending time with the family, and doing wood projects when he can. A Lifetime Member of the U.S. Hotshots Association, Kyle joined the Board of Directors in 2022.