Dave Thomas, now retired from the Forest Service after 33 years, currently works as a private consultant in the areas of high reliability organizing, dialogue, staff rides, organizational learning and disaster analysis.

He retired after serving in various fire management positions, from firefighter to regional fire manager in the western United States. In 1999-2000 he was a member of President Clinton's EIS team to prepare an "Inventoried Roadless Area" environmental impact statement for the U.S.

• Deepening conversations: Facilitating "dialogue" sessions based on work of William Isaacs (see his book Dialogue and the Art of Thinking Together).

• Adult learning and development: Facilitating commitment exercises based on the work of Robert Kegan/Lisa Lahey at Harvard Graduate School of Education (see the book How the Way We Talk Can Change the Way We Work. Led a commitment exercise for The Nature Conservancy and other work groups.

• High reliability organizing: 12-year association with Dr. Karl Weick at University of Michigan concerning high reliability organizing, decision making under stress and human factors in fire fighting. Led effort in organizing the first HRO workshops for interagency fire personnel.

• Training: Developed the Army training method of "staff rides" for interagency fire organizations.

• Knowledge management: Currently working on a joint project with Dr. Dorothy Leonard, Harvard Business School, on capturing the "deep smarts" of our retired fire management employees with high expertise in the fields of fire behavior, prescribed fire and wildland fire use.

Thomas holds a bachelor's degree in cultural geography from the University of Montana, Missoula, with emphasis in literature. He also did graduate work in environmental studies.