Summary
Overview
Work History
Education
Skills
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Cynthia "Chris" Harmon

Sonora,CA

Summary

I have spent my life trying to make things better for others, with a majority interest in serving the public thru proper forest management from the field. Even when my jobs have been more customer service related- I did them in a National Park and spent my off time recreating in the wilderness. Running a chain saw to maintain my property, helping friends maintain theirs for most adult life. Cross country hiking, mostly solo, thru varied terrain and weather conditions is a large part of current job responsibilities. Driving safely, on and offroad is another large part. They are also things I do in my spare time. Working alone, even when overall part of a team, keeping on task and with safety always in mind while communicating with customers and the client as needed have always been high professional priorities. Physical labor to produce results is very satisfying. I was a scholarship athlete in college- heptathlon- physical work is something I have always been very familiar with and capable and competent at completing. Detail oriented data collection is something I am known for. I went back to school at Columbia to acquire more education and knowledge to find professional roles that can help me serve the public by helping create and maintain a fire safe forest and community. There was a fire in my home as a child and it had a large impact on how I approach the world, and what I want my legacy to be. Working more directly with the forest as a whole and not with a corporation is a direction I wish to head with my career.


Overview

32
32
years of professional experience

Work History

Vegetation Management Inspector

ACRT Pacific
03.2020 - Current
  • Perform visual inspections of vegetation near the electrical facilities and electrical equipment and utilize non-destructive tests where appropriate to keep the vegetation compliance required by CA utility codes.
  • Knowledge about tree species and growth rates, anticipating seasonal growth patterns and post tree work regrowth patterns.
  • Knowledge about tree diseases/ insect issues and failure rates, able to recognize early symptoms and anticipate future problems that create safety issues for the general public and reliability issues for contracted company.
  • Able to have difficult conversations with customers, addressing their concerns while still completing needed tree work.
  • Managing work flow while maintaining personal safety regarding animal interactions- cattle, dogs, wild pigs, mountain lions, bears.
  • Communicate with fellow contractors and management at PG&E about workflow issues.
  • Collaborate with tree crews to establish and meet quality and environmental standards, required by state and federal (ex CEQA/NEPA) laws and internal regulations from contracted company (PG&E BMPs).
  • Report repeated issues with quality and impediments to safety and workflow to supervisors and other departments, collaborating to identify issue roots and rectify problems.
  • Evaluating customer complaints and determining if resolution requires further tree work, then communicating this to customer and contracted company.
  • Participate in weekly team safety meetings to discuss issues and brain storming ideas and suggestions for improvement.
  • Participate in multiple group professional training sessions that may involve other contracted companies.
  • Identify and document quality discrepancies in tree work for tree crews to return to complete to contracted specifications.
  • Complete precise measurements using specialized forestry tools including DBH tape, laser rangefinder.
  • Communicate with homeowners about the need for the patrol and required (CPUC-CA Public Utility Code) tree work.
  • Operate a four wheel drive truck both on and off road on a safe and efficient manner.
  • Maintain and utilize all required PPE.
  • Maintain an up to date knowledge of the scope of work required by both the state and the contractor(PG&E), and the Best Management Practices (BMPs) required to keep environmental compliance. This is done on a constantly changing database via multiple methods of electronic field entry (internally provided proprietary system tablet (GETAC), smartphone-iOS device with multiple apps utilized to maintain database and workflow).
  • Helping implement and create (by suggesting needed fixes) a new database system and apps and maintaining a calm and efficient manner of work even when system failure is a daily occurrence.
  • Educate and train both the public and new coworkers as to the purpose and method of our work.
  • Working independently in the field to solve problems like accessing properties, resolving customer complaints, route finding for both vehicle and foot and maintaining personal safety.

Lead

SJCOE-San Joaquin County Office Of Education-GVCC
05.2018 - 02.2020
  • Provide guidance and knowledge for a variety of tools, tasks and life skills to young people age 18-25; Greater Valley Conservation Corps-a small local conservation corps similar to the CA Conservation Corps (CCC) run by SJCOE- main corps in Stockton with a smaller branch in Sonora.
  • Coached team members in techniques necessary to complete job tasks, like how to change the string on a weed eater or how to clean a chain saw, how to properly sort recycling into appropriate designations.
  • Worked different tasks daily to provide optimal coverage and meet production goals. Some days would drive a box truck and collect recycling from various businesses, other tasks included creating improvements in the watershed for the USFS by doing tree removals in a requested area in a specified manner, or creating a shaded fuel break for the 108 Fire Safe Council.
  • Trained new team members by relaying information on company policies, procedures and safety requirements. Communication with team members about abilities, and then testing and checking skills to adjust training and tasks as needed.
  • Specific tasks included maintaining and running various small engine machines like brush cutters, weed eaters, and chain saws in various sizes, configurations and models/brands. Hand tools such as Pulaski, MacLeod, rakes, utilized and maintained and stored. Logs of maintenance and time spent on various tools and jobs.
  • Created a system to log task appropriate safety JSAs- done and logged daily for several different crews, and a training system to help keep track of team member ability on saw, similar to A, B, C designations made for sawyers in the past to demonstrate proficiency.
  • Sent to week long training by my employer to test out my own proficiency with a chain saw, got certified as a Sawyer 2, able to fell hazard trees within my ability.
  • Ran several Shaded Fuel Breaks in the Sonora area to help improve fire safety for the community. Removed small trees and brush within a designated area, utilizing a remote controlled diesel track chipper that I operated and did basic maintenance on to manage debris created by the projects.
  • Responsible for both production of work in a reasonable output by training corps members and keeping safety while doing work in the field during heat of summer and snow in winter on varying terrain.
  • Evaluated employee skills and knowledge regularly, training, and mentoring individuals with lagging skills. Teaching life skills to young people who may have had a disadvantaged start to life- like promptness, putting personal cell away while on the clock, appropriate hygiene and clothing for work, counseling corps members having personal difficulties- life challenges- helping them find and utilize available resources.
  • Drove various vehicles including a Six pack dually stakeside long bed 4x4 that I took off road for a USFS job, box truck used to transport recycling, golf cart in Pinecrest Recreational Area used to collect trash and recycling and bring it back for disposal/sorting. Operated a remote controlled diesel track chipper on various sorts of terrain in the Sierra Nevada foothills, and towed a chipper used for jobs in Tuolumne County- we chipped debris left behind by the CA OES (Office of Emergency Services) tree work done for public safety after the beetle infestation in 2015-2016.
  • I taught chain saw safety, operation and maintenance to 18-25 year old young people, while completing various jobs contracted to our conservation corps. I also taught work ethics by working hard alongside my team, doing my own production while managing safety and work output of up to 10 people regularly, occasionally more.
  • Communicated with immediate supervisor, co-leads, team members, upper management, community members, and job partners- in person, via phone or text, and email.

Campus Work Experience

Yosemite Community College District
08.2017 - 12.2019
  • Maintained the equipment and storage of the small engine machines used by the Forestry and Natural Resources (FNR) Department at Columbia College.
  • Helped Tom Hofstra, professor of FNR run saw clinics, do controlled burns and pile burns, ran a tractor to assist in logging hazard trees on campus (also ran a saw and removed R2-R4 hazard trees (mainly beetle killed ponderosa pines) on campus to help protect public safety on campus).
  • Drove 8 person passenger vans to various locations around CA in support of the FNR dept wide reaching field trips (Humboldt to Big Sur to Bristlecone Pines in White Mountains). I still do this in a volunteer capacity, this fall I am the driver for Tallest, Oldest, Largest field trip, for which I am taking a total of four days off from work to help support my alma mater.

Various, Customer Service

Delaware North YNP
08.1996 - 03.2016


  • Offered advice and assistance to customers, paying attention to special needs or wants- by answering questions or offering facts and personal knowledge about the Park to guests to improve their experience.
  • Actively listened to customers, handled concerns quickly and escalated major issues to supervisor, of which sometimes I was the Lead and handled most issues myself.
  • Handled customer inquiries and suggestions courteously and professionally. We had guests from around the world, from all sorts of backgrounds, getting different experiences from their different types of interactions with the Park (guest at Ahwahnee Hotel where I was both a cook- 1999-2001, and a server- 2015-2016 will have a different experience than someone thru hiking the Jon Muir Trail to someone that came in on a bus tour and has limited opportunity to have a personal experience with nature during their short time in the Park) and all have similar and yet different questions/needs.
  • Most jobs were restaurant/retail customer service front facing jobs, including over 13 years as the Lead Bartender at The Wawona Hotel (2001-2014) where I created an entirely new updated drink menu from scratch; and Lead Apparel Attendant at The Village Store in Yosemite Valley where I was responsible for stock for the entire Park retail, and stock and staff levels in my store dependent upon the very seasonal nature of work due to business levels within the Park.
  • Did a season as a Teamster- Maintenance crew doing set up for the High Sierra Tent Camps and White Wolf and Tuolumne Lodges, restaurant and store. Hiked or rode mules to each location where we removed the 2-4 person canvas tents or tent pieces for the large buildings from storage and put them up on metal frames we constructed. End of season we returned and reversed the process. I worked at May Lake High Sierra Camp that summer (1997) as a camp helper, living in a tent at 9,000'+. Also worked as a Lead in the Tuolumne Meadows Store summer 1999.
  • Worked at Badger Pass Ski Area two seasons-as a lift operator (1997-8) and in the Sport Shop (1998-99). Shoveled snow- (A LOT of snow as it was an El Nino year), answered questions, learned to snowshoe which I use in my current job as a VMI for PG&E.
  • Had multiple bear interactions, both at work and in my housing within the Park.

Forestry Technician

USFS
05.1991 - 10.1991
  • Main job was as a wildland fire fighter- part of a ten person hand crew for the Eldorado National Forest. I ran a MacLeod.
  • When not on a fire we completed needed tasks on the forest including maintaining property boundaries, cleaning up after logging sales (using our chain saws to remove damaged trees left behind), using Pulaskis to dig up manzanita stumps after we cut several acres down in an effort to improve forest health decades after an old burn was stagnating in brush mode.
  • Working together closely as a team to stay safe and productive even in extreme conditions like 8 days in a spike camp in Little Yosemite Valley with nightly visits from a bear trying to raid our food supplies.
  • Maintaining our tools and physical fitness daily to stay ready for whatever we were called to do.

Education

No Degree - Undergrad

Stanford University
Stanford, CA

Associate of Arts -

Shasta College
Redding, CA

Business Management

Idaho State University
Pocatello, ID

Certificates - Forestry, Natural Resources, Fire Ecology

Columbia College
Sonora, CA
04.2024

Skills

  • Inspection of vegetation for hazards and growth potential, using industry standard tools like laser range finder, DBH tape, sounding axe
  • Sawyer 2, certified 2019
  • Recording data in the field in several methods of record, maintaining a database that has potential to held up in a court of law
  • Mentorship and Training of coworkers
  • Excellent customer service skills, defusing upset people and solving problems
  • Extensive knowledge of our continually expanding and changing scope of work and legal requirements, including environmental needs in a variety of locales around the state (I identified two great blue heron rookeries while assisting in Stockton district- Delta in Lodi to be precise, and made all of the necessary reports to get biologist review of the site before much needed tree work could happen)
  • Map reading and route finding, off road driving and cross country hiking
  • Maintain and use many small engine machines and hand tools
  • Teaching, communicating in a manner which leads to education on a subject
  • Managing- leading and/or communicating with many different sorts of people, all ages and skill levels and backgrounds
  • Knowledge of local forest plants and environment, and up to date knowledge on current best practices, with an inherent love of learning and lifetime of interest in the natural world (hiking and camping with my family in Northern CA- Mt Lassen and Mt Shasta mostly- since age 2 when we moved cross country to CA)

Hobbies

  • Camping, earlier in life enjoyed backpacking as well, not as much time now
  • Trail running
  • Hiking
  • Swimming
  • Driving- to explore my community both on and off road.
  • Reading, both personal and professional development
  • Pets- dog- rescue Malinois and cat- rescue as well
  • Saw work- personal and in recent past have traveled to Nevada County, CA where I was working with a group of women to help them learn to safely operate chain saws and do clearing work for them at a greatly reduced rate.
  • Gaming- part of an alliance with members around the world who cooperate to help each other within the game to be successful as a team (base crew have more than 2 years together) ( top 5 in the world).

Timeline

Vegetation Management Inspector

ACRT Pacific
03.2020 - Current

Lead

SJCOE-San Joaquin County Office Of Education-GVCC
05.2018 - 02.2020

Campus Work Experience

Yosemite Community College District
08.2017 - 12.2019

Various, Customer Service

Delaware North YNP
08.1996 - 03.2016

Forestry Technician

USFS
05.1991 - 10.1991

No Degree - Undergrad

Stanford University

Associate of Arts -

Shasta College

Business Management

Idaho State University

Certificates - Forestry, Natural Resources, Fire Ecology

Columbia College

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Cynthia "Chris" Harmon