Who We Are


	Darilyn Parry Brown, Executive Director Darilyn returned to HCPC after five years as Executive Director of the domestic violence shelter in La Grande. Darilyn served as HCPC’s Development Coordinator from 2002 to 2005. As a fourth-generation eastern Oregonian, she knows the people, the mountains, the rivers, and the forests of the region. She has a deep and passionate appreciation for the place and its history. darilyn@hellscanyon.org

	Brian Kelly, Restoration Coordinator Brian received a B.S. from Cornell University where he studied Plant Sciences and Forestry. He was the Urban Forestry Consultant for the City of La Grande from 1996 to 2005. During that time Brian was the liaison to the Landscape and Forestry Commission, found volunteers for urban forestry activities, spoke extensively about urban forestry, and was responsible for planting over one thousand new landscape trees. Brian established close relationships with people in the city of La Grande and developed a positive approach to resolving problems in this closely knit community. He has won awards for his work from the National Arbor Day Foundation, Oregon Community Trees and Oregon Department of Forestry. Brian is a Certified Arborist. brian@hellscanyon.org

	Jennifer Schwartz, Staff Attorney . Jennifer has been committed to protecting public lands and wildlife for the past twelve years. Her commitment stems from growing up exploring the desert and mountains of southern Arizona. She received a B.A. in Politics from the University of California at Santa Cruz and a J.D. from Lewis and Clark Law School, with a certificate in Environmental and Natural Resources Law. She is a member of both the Oregon and Washington Bar Associations. Although, Jennifer enjoyed her four years spent in Portland and getting to know the Cascades, she is thrilled to make drier NE Oregon her new home and to continue recreating in this region's amazing wildlands. jennifer@hellscanyon.org



	Danae Yurgel, Office Administrator and Development Assistant Northeast Oregon is Danae's home. She now lives part time on the breaks between the Grande Ronde and Minam/Wallowa canyons, and part time on a 2.5 acre heirloom orchard in La Grande. Her life is creating partnerships between the land and the people here. She is seriously thrilled to be part of HCPC after decades of working with various non-profits and cooperatives. danae@hellscanyon.org

	David Mildrexler, Ecosystem Protection Coordinator. After completing a M.S. in Forest Science at the University of Montana's College of Forestry and Conservation and exploring the Northern Rockies, David was thrilled to settle in the Wallowa Mountains of northeast Oregon. David is equally thrilled to now be working with the Hells Canyon Preservation Council, the only organization working towards a protective and restorative management approach that is worthy of the incredible Hells Canyon - Wallowa and Blue Mountains Ecosystems. David's interest in public lands advocacy stems from his childhood explorations of Oregon's National and State Forests. He has strived to ensure that sound, science-based practices are incorporated into public lands management across the Pacific Northwest and beyond for over a decade and is excited to focus on the incredible wildlands and ecosystems that HCPC monitors. david@hellscanyon.org