Sad news about Ryan Tompkins

Dear Colleagues,

It is with deep sadness that I share the news that our colleague Ryan Tompkins, forestry and natural resources advisor for Plumas, Sierra and Lassen counties, passed away on May 6, while receiving treatment for cancer. David Lile, Ryan's supervisor, has been in touch with his family, who granted me permission to inform our UC ANR community. Ryan is survived by his wife Michelle and sons Emmett and Sterling.

Ryan was well known for his warmth, kindness and quick humor. Among his colleagues, he was admired for his ability to explain technical information in creative ways that would be interesting and relatable to his audience. Ryan also loved to conduct extension work in settings that people would enjoy – sometimes this was over his BBQ, sometimes at Forestry Camp, but most often while hiking through his beloved forest to demonstrate an important point.

Ryan was a true leader and had active research and extension collaborations throughout ANR, UC Berkeley, the U.S. Forest Service, private timber and many local organizations. On topics ranging from reforestation to forest health to fire resilience, Ryan was highly respected and valued by his peers and the many communities he served. Those of you who didn't work with Ryan directly may remember his excellent town hall presentation in 2022 about making communities more resilient to wildfire.

I especially enjoyed my time with Ryan during our CARET trip to Washington, D.C. in 2023, and I will greatly miss him – as a consummate Cooperative Extension advisor and as a wonderful person. My condolences to all of you across UC ANR who called Ryan a colleague and friend.

Those wishing to send well-wishes to Ryan's family are asked to mail cards to the Plumas-Sierra Cooperative Extension office, care of Samantha Brown, 208 Fairgrounds Road, Quincy, CA, 95971. Plans are coming together for a memorial, and we will provide more details as they become available.

For those seeking support for your own well-being, I encourage you to contact the Academic and Staff Assistance Program (ASAP), which provides cost-free and confidential counseling and referral services to all UC ANR employees.

Glenda Humiston
Vice President

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