Author: Robyn Broyles
The BIA, Branch of Wildland Fire Management has selected Juliette Jeanne to be the Deputy Director for BIA’s Post Wildfire Recovery Program, referred to as Burned Area Emergency Response or BAER.
The Deputy Director for Post Wildfire Recovery provides ground support to BIA Agencies and Tribes to address fire recovery needs. In her new position, Juliette will assist the National BAER Director, Darryl Martinez, with evaluating and developing interagency program policy and management alternatives, implementation monitoring, national reporting, and identification of program successes and opportunities.
Juliette came to the Branch from Fort Apache Agency in Arizona where she began her career with the Bureau of Indian Affairs serving as the Environmental Protection Specialist. After just a few months working in the position, the Wallow Wildfire ignited on May 29, 2011. That wildfire, Arizona’s largest in history, measured over 733 square miles and required all hands to assess. During the five-week event, the National Interagency Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) Team absorbed Juliette’s knowledge, and in the process, introduced her to the Post Wildfire Recovery Program.
Wildfires can cause complex problems, from severe loss of vegetation and soil erosion, to a decrease in water quality and possible flash flooding. The Burned Area Emergency Response Program addresses stabilization and rehabilitation of these and other post wildfire problems in order to protect public safety, prevent further degradation of the landscape and to mitigate post-fire damages to cultural resources.
Since the Wallow Fire, Juliette has experienced numerous assignments across the country and served in various roles on Interagency BAER Teams including environmental compliance specialist, documentation and most recently as team leader. She has also guided implementation activities for emergency stabilization and rehabilitation projects at Fort Apache and assisted the fire management division with serving as an agency representative and as a resource advisor.
Prior to federal service, Juliette worked for Tribal environmental programs in Nevada and California. After graduation from college she was employed by the Reno-Sparks Indian Colony where she helped the Tribe establish its air quality monitoring program. From there she briefly served as Director of Development and Special Projects for the High Sierra Energy Foundation in Mammoth Lakes, California before committing herself full-time as a water quality specialist for the Bishop Paiute Tribe. She helped the Tribe attain Treatment as a State Status and assert their sovereignty through creation of their own water quality standards for their trust lands.
After several years in California, Juliette decided to further her dedication to serving Tribes and accepted the environmental protection specialist position with Fort Apache Agency.
Relocating to Fort Apache offered her a new experience in the Tribal environmental field and an opportunity to return to Arizona and be closer to home. She is very excited about her new position and looks forward to serving Indian Country on a national scale.
Juliette is Hopi from the village of Hotevilla and an alumni of Stanford University where she received a B.S. and M.S. in Earth Systems. She is mom to elementary school-age son and daughter who teach her discipline, humility and patience.
For Immediate Release: March 1, 2019
