Our team of experts

Patty Hernandez is co-founder and Executive Director of Headwaters Economics. Patty has 18 years of experience in researching economic development, building partnerships, and developing technology solutions to help communities plan and adapt to a changing world.

Kelly is Associate Director of Headwaters Economics. With more than a decade of experience in nonprofit leadership, she oversees operations and quality control, tracks national policies, coordinates communications, and manages programs to meet organizational goals.

Kimi is the wildfire research and policy analyst at Headwaters Economics. She works with communities on-the-ground to inform national wildfire policy, academic collaborations, and scientific outreach.

Dan oversees Headwaters Economics’ finances and contracts and contributes to research on community development, land management, and outdoor recreation. Environmental stewardship and livable communities have been common themes in his two decades of professional experience.

Janet supports the entire team at Headwaters Economics with experience in program management, public policy, grant writing, and editing.

Bill is Headwaters Economics’ lead software developer and programmer. With creative vision and skill, he designs, builds, and maintains the team’s data tools and data visualizations.

Doug manages Headwaters Economics’ Community Assistance for Wildfire program. With more than two decades of professional experience in fire departments and as a land use planner, Doug brings practical insights to communities working to reduce risks from wildfires.

Ryan is a wildfire and land use planning expert. Her experience as an urban planner and former journalist brings invaluable insights to communities that must prepare for increasing wildfire risks.

Nate leads communications and media relations at Headwaters Economics. With more than two decades of experience in nonprofit, government, and corporate environments he is helping bring Headwaters’ research and expertise to those that need it most.

Megan leads Headwaters Economics’ research in outdoor recreation, economic development, and demographics. She has more than 20 years’ experience as a quantitative economist analyzing policies and trends for communities, governments, and nonprofit organizations.

Bridget leads flood mitigation technical assistance at Headwaters Economics’ FloodWise Community Assistance program. She is a professional engineer with more than 20 years of experience working with communities to provide permitting, design, planning, and construction services.

Brent leads Headwaters Economics’ web and media development. Blending technical skills with creativity, he supports the team with website management, photography, videography, and graphic design.

Tara collects, updates, and helps analyze the data that feed all of Headwaters Economics’ online socioeconomic tools and products. An insightful data engineer, she knows that good stories can be found in data.

Kristin “Kris” Smith, Ph.D., is the Lead Researcher for Headwaters Economics’ FloodWise Community Assistance program. Her research on hazards, natural resources, and rural economic development is informed by her on-the-ground work with local governments and technical experts helping communities reduce flood risk.

Scott is the team’s lead GIS analyst, database manager, and data engineer. He coordinates and updates the data behind all Headwaters Economics’ tools and data visualizations. He holds a Master’s degree in Biology from Montana State University.