Profile

I am a Ph.D. Candidate in the Sociology Department at the University of Oregon. In 2013, I received my B.A. in Sociology at Humboldt State University and in 2018, I received my M.S. in Sociology at the University of Oregon. My research explores the social and institutional dynamics that shape federal land management decision-making. I have taught classes such as Community, Environment, & Society as well as Research Methods.

My dissertation titled, “The Wild Horse and Burro Program: A Social-Ecological Trap from Settler Colonial Logics in Modern State Operations”, is an institutional ethnography that explores how settler colonialism functions as a ruling relation that guides federal land management decision-making through the case of range equine management. I demonstrate how this program presents a puzzle for federal land management decision-makers about how to maintain the material history and cultural logics of the settled American West while simultaneously restricting the undesired outcomes that stem from that settlement. 

My article, “Is Public Participation Public Inclusion? The Role of Comments in US Forest Service Decision-Making”, published in Environmental Management examines the role public comments play in Environmental Impact Assessments as well as the institutional barriers that agency employees face for comment incorporation. Since publishing, I led discussions with the Willamette National Forest and BLM's Oregon West-side about how they incorporate and think about public participation and comments.

• De’Arman, Kindra Jesse. 2020. “Is Public Participation Public Inclusion? The Role of Comments in US Forest Service Decision-Making”. Environmental Management 66(1):91-104. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-020-01278-5

My article, ""Society-Ready" and "Fire-Ready" Forestry Education in the United States: Interdisciplinary Discussion in Forestry Course Textbooks", published in the Journal of Forestry identifies that predominant forestry course textbooks are neglecting topics related to fire and socio-economic factors, which are pressing concerns for contemporary forest management. This is especially true as it relates to the topic of Indigenous prescribed burning and collaboration. This suggests that recent graduates may not be prepared to handle changing fire regimes as climate change advances nor be prepared to properly engage in collaborative forest management with Indigenous Nations when they graduate.

• ""Society-Ready" and "Fire-Ready" Forestry Education in the United States: Interdisciplinary Discussion in Forestry Course Textbooks". Journal of Forestry 119(3):236-250. https://doi.org/10.1093/jofore/fvaa062

Outside of research and teaching, I was also the Student Representative for the International Association for Society and Natural Resources (IASNR). Serving on IASNR Council as the Student Representative, I created the International Student Travel Award (for a conference typically held in the U.S.), re-vamped the mentorship program, started and chaired the Student Affairs Committee, created new communication platforms for IASNR student members, co-organized student events at the IASNR Conference, and have generally served as a student member advocate across IASNR programming. 

Above all, I enjoy spending as much time outside as possible, including hiking, gardening, and meditating.