Bill Tripp

Speaker Biographies

Bill Tripp - Director of Natural Resources and Environmental Policy, Karuk Tribe Department of Natural Resources

Bill Tripp is the Director of Natural Resources and Environmental Policy for the Karuk Tribe, Department of Natural Resources (KDNR). Bill started burning with his tribal elders when he was 4 years old. The lessons learned in that time inspired him to dedicate his life’s work to helping bring fire back to the people.  In addition to leading the KDNR, Bill is Co-Lead of the Western Klamath Restoration Partnership, Advisor to the Indigenous Peoples Burning Network, Co-Chair of the Western Region Strategy Committee, Speaker of the Board for the Indigenous Stewardship Network, Steering Committee member for the Northern California Prescribed Fire Council, Chair of the Intertribal Timber Council’s (ITC) Fire Subcommittee, ITC Principle on the Wildland Fire Leadership Council, and served as Commission Member representing tribal interests on the Wildland Fire Mitigation and Management Commission. As a Cultural Fire Practitioner Bill works to diligently to revitalize indigenous fire cultures.

Tania Munz - President and CEO, Forest History Society

As president and CEO, Tania oversees all FHS programs and operations of the Forest History Society. Before joining FHS in 2023, Tania served as the Chief Program Officer for the American Academy of Arts & Sciences in Cambridge, MA. There, she led the independent research center, which conducts work in areas spanning science, humanities, international affairs, and education. Previously, Tania served as Vice President for Scholarly Programs at the National Humanities Center and as Vice President for Research and Scholarship at the Linda Hall Library, where she oversaw the collections, public services, and scholarly programs. She has taught history of science and environmental history at Princeton University, Sarah Lawrence College, the University of Chicago, and Northwestern University and was a Research Scholar at the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science in Berlin, Germany. Tania holds a PhD in the history of science from Princeton University, a master's degree in the history of science and technology from the University of Minnesota, and a BA from the University of Chicago in the history of science and medicine. She authored the award-winning book The Dancing Bees: Karl von Frisch and the Discovery of the Honeybee Dance Language (University of Chicago Press, 2016).