About

Committee Chair: Alison Lancaster has been a consulting arborist in Southern California since 2016. She has an AS in Wildland Resources and Forestry from Citrus College and a BA in Political Science from UC Irvine. Alison started as an intern at the City of Pasadena Urban Forestry Department before being hired as a consulting arborist, and now has her own consulting business and is working towards obtaining her RCA (Registered Consulting Arborist). Alison is currently Chair of the WCISA WIA Committee, Chair of the WCISA TREE Fund Committee, and 2019 recipient of the WCISA Young Professional Award. Alison’s personal interests include tree and rock climbing, native plants, fishing (freshwater, catch-and-release only), plant identification, and bird and wildlife watching.

Past Committee Chair: Julia Gowin is a Regional Urban Forester for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE). She holds a Doctorate and Master’s degree, both from Virginia Tech and focusing on Urban Forestry, as well as a Diploma from the University of Hannover, Germany, in Horticulture. Prior to her current position, she worked as a Postdoctoral Scholar followed by a Consulting Utility and Urban Forester.
She is an ISA certified Arborist, holds a TRAQ certification, and is a California Registered Professional Forester. She has been the chair of the Women in Arboriculture (WIA) Committee since 2015 and is a Representative for the Sacramento Chapter California Urban Forests Council.
She is originally from Germany, loves traveling, and owns chickens and bees with her husband. She thoroughly enjoys working on the WIA committee to help women advance in the tree care industry.

Board Liaison: Tracey Takeuchi received her BS in Agricultural Biology (93) and MS (2015) in Plant Science from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. She is a Licensed Pest Control Advisor and Qualified Applicator. Owner/operator of Integrated Solutions Arboriculture Consulting since 1997. She specializes in evaluation of landscapes with an emphasis on pathology, entomology, soil health and fertility. Currently, she is engaged as a full-time Lecturer at the Huntley College of Agriculture Calpoly, Pomona, teaching a variety of plant related courses. Serving the Western Chapter as a Certified Arborist and member of both ISA and WCISA, Tracey currently serves as a Western Chapter Board Director.  

Epicenter Liaison: Heather Crippen is the Epicenter Representative for the WIA committee. She has been part of the Epicenter management team for 15 years.

WIA Photographer: Sara Toney is a Northern Californian photographer.  She has a passion for documenting the arboriculture industry with a goal to accurately and more easily visualize and represent the women working in the field. She has photographed the Western Chapter ISA’s Women’s Tree Climbing Workshop since the first workshop in 2016. saratoneyphotography.com 

Member: Allegra Mautner is an ISA Certified Arborist and has over a decade of experience in the field of forestry. She graduated with a BS in Professional Forestry and Natural Resources at UC Berkeley and has worked in utility forestry, non-profit forestry, and now commercial forestry. She runs Prune Buggy and teaches several courses as a part of the Merritt College Landscape Horticulture Arboriculture Program. She lives in San Francisco with her partner, their dog, their gecko, and a grey cat.

Member: Jessika Mitchell is a Project Coordinator for Davey Resource Group’s Geospatial and Software Support Services Team. She is a Certified Arborist and Tree Risk Assessment Qualified (TRAQ) through the International Society of Arboriculture.  She is also an active member of the Women in Arboriculture Committee (WIA) and an assistant instructor at the annual WIA Tree Climbing Workshops.

Jessika has contributed within the nonprofit, commercial, and research sectors of urban forestry since 2014.  Through this work, she has come to understand that the secret to building a profitable team is identifying and harnessing individual strengths and allowing each team member to instinctively put their best foot forward.  She is committed to fostering a culture of respect and dignity within the tree care industry.

Member: Madeleine Rauhe is a TRAQ Arborist with a lifelong interest and college education focused on the enjoyment, study, and protection of forests and associated ecosystems. A proud Cal Poly SLO alumni, Rauhe works as a Tree Assessment Technician at the Disneyland Resort performing annual tree risk inspections. Rauhe is currently a proud member of the WCISA Women in Arboriculture Committee, as well as the Chairperson of the WCISA Student Committee. Rauhe is pursuing a Masters in Organizational Leadership as well as Tree Care Safety Professional certification. In her free time, she wood-burns art projects for her friends, hangs out with her bearded dragon, and looses arrows at her local archery range.

Member: Erika Teach currently works with the Davey Tree Expert Company supporting the development of the i-Tree software and working with community members that are conducting i-Tree projects. She also supports scientists that are conducting urban forest research for the USDA Forest Service. Prior to working for Davey and the Forest Service, she directed the Urban Ecology Department for the Sacramento Tree Foundation, administering diverse projects and services related to land enhancement and tree mitigation.  Erika began her career in Natural Resource Conservation in 2006 with Teichert Aggregates as a Restoration Field Worker in their Land Restoration Department conducting site maintenance, monitoring sites, and propagating native plants. She earned her Master’s Degree in Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation from California State University Sacramento where she also holds a Bachelor’s in Theatre Arts. And she is a certified arborist and municipal specialist.