Contact Us:
We invite you to ask a specific question about OFRI or its educational programs by emailing us at [email protected].
Oregon Forest Resources Institute
9755 SW Barnes Rd., Suite 210
Portland, OR 97225
Phone: 971-673-2944
Fax: 971-673-2946
Staff
Jim Paul began his public service career with the state of Oregon in 1996. He has served in a diverse range of forestry and natural resources leadership roles in Oregon, including as an agency hydrologist and chief of both the Private Forest and State Forest divisions within the Department of Forestry. He was also the agency director of the Department of State Lands. Jim has a bachelor’s degree in political science from Whitman College, and a master’s degree in forest hydrology from the University of Washington.
Inka Bajandas is responsible for developing a variety of communication products that support OFRI’s forestry education programs for the general public, forest landowners, and K-12 teachers and students. This includes contributing to special reports, publications, videos, websites, blogs and social media outreach. She is a former journalist who earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Oregon. Before joining OFRI in 2015, Inka worked as a reporter covering architecture and engineering for the Daily Journal of Commerce in Portland and as the natural resources reporter for The News-Review in Roseburg. A California native who grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area, Inka has been captivated by Oregon’s natural beauty ever since moving to Eugene as a college freshman. She enjoys camping, hiking, swimming and biking.
Jordan Benner came to OFRI from the marketing and communications world, where he wrote and designed for many well-known local, regional and national organizations and businesses. Jordan oversees OFRI’s educational media and websites, as well as all photography and video production. Jordan grew up in the forests of this state and when he’s not in the office, he’s in the forest for both work and play. A seasoned fly fisherman and woodworker, there’s hardly a corner of Jordan’s life not touched by Oregon’s forests. Jordan is a graduate of the University of Oregon School of Journalism.
Norie Dimeo-Ediger has worked in education for more than 20 years and is a licensed teacher in Oregon. As director of K-12 education programs, Norie leads and coordinates K-12 teacher professional development for OFRI. Her accomplishments include working with natural resource institutions such as the Oregon Zoo and Jackson Bottom Wetlands Preserve, where she provided professional development to teachers in science education. She has master’s degrees in both science education and adult education. In 2011, she was recognized nationally for her work with Project Learning Tree, a program of the American Forest Foundation and the Council for Environmental Education. Also in 2011, she received the Oregon State Forester’s award for excellence in forestry education. Her favorite outdoor activity is walking in the woods.
Rikki Heath’s responsibilities include leading field trips for schools and other organizations to the Rediscovery Forest at The Oregon Garden. The field trips cover topics such as tree biology, wildlife habitat and sustainable forest management. Before joining OFRI, Heath worked for the U.S. Forest Service for 11 summers, including positions in botany, firefighting, timber harvesting and leading Oregon Youth Conservation Corps crews. She also taught physical education at Seven Peaks School in Bend and Peterson Elementary School in Klamath Falls. She holds a master’s degree in education from Concordia University with a focus on environmental education and a bachelor’s degree from Lewis-Clark State College in kinesiology, sixth-to-12th-grade health education and K-12 physical education. Rikki grew up in Central Oregon, so being outdoors is what gives her the most joy. Her favorite outdoor activities are running and rafting with her family.
Kathy Storm is responsible for OFRI’s day-to-day operations including financial management, human resources and procurement. Her efforts have earned OFRI the state’s Gold Star Certificate for accurate and timely fiscal information every year since she was hired in 2003. Before joining OFRI, she worked for the Oregon Department of Forestry. Kathy and her husband are small woodland owners, so keeping Oregon’s forests healthy is important to her. When not planting trees or caring for the family woodlands, Kathy enjoys running, camping and hiking, as well as attending Duck football games and track meets.
As the Director of Forestry, Julie oversees OFRI's landowner education program and serves as the lead forester. She also serves as a liaison with the forestry and forest science communities. Julie has been professionally engaged in Oregon's forest sector for over 25 years, including teaching and communicating to a variety of public, landowner and forest sector audiences. Julie holds a bachelor’s degree in forest management and business administration, and a master’s degree in natural resources education and extension, both from Oregon State University. She was awarded "Forester of the Year" in 2009 from the Oregon Society of American Foresters. Julie is a native Oregonian, and spends her free time exploring the far corners of Oregon with her family.
Board of Directors (Effective January 1, 2022)
OFRI is governed by a board of directors made up of 11 voting members appointed by the state forester, plus two non-voting members.
Voting board members include nine representatives of timber producer classes, with three each from small (Class 1), medium (Class 2) and large (Class 3) producers; one member representing small woodland owners; and one representative for forest industry employees.
Non-voting members required by statute include the dean of the Oregon State University College of Forestry and a public member appointed jointly by the president of the Oregon Senate and the speaker of the Oregon House of Representatives.
An Oregon Department of Forestry liaison assists the board.
Board members appointed by the state forester serve three-year terms and represent the following timber producer classes:
- Class 1: producers of 20 million board feet per year or less
- Class 2: producers of at least 20 million per year, but less than 100 million board feet
- Class 3: producers of 100 million board feet per year or more
- Small woodland owners: forest landowners who own between 100 and 2,000 acres of forestland and who have no direct financial interest in any forest products processing activity
Dr. Thomas DeLuca
Cheryl Ramberg-Ford and Allyn C. Ford Dean, Oregon State University College of Forestry
