Matt Pontes, Shasta County executive officer, to join timber giant Sierra Pacific Industries
Shasta County CEO Matt Pontes will become Sierra Pacific Industries' first director of wildfire and fuels management.
Pontes announced last month that he was resigning as county executive officer. His last Board of Supervisors meeting was Tuesday and his last official day is Saturday.
His first day at Sierra Pacific Industries is Monday.
“We are excited to have Matt’s strategic leadership in this newly created position developed to protect our timberlands, ecosystems and rural communities,” SPI CEO Mark Emmerson said in a news release. “Matt will guide our company’s work in wildfire suppression and resiliency efforts, leveraging his experience in public and private organizations combined with his strong understanding of wildfire and natural resources management."
With land holdings of 2.3 million acres, Sierra Pacific Industries' Emmerson family are the largest private landowner in the country.
Pontes previously told the Record Searchlight Shasta County is the place he calls home and where he wants to retire.
“I am extraordinarily grateful for the opportunity to join the leadership team, family culture and crew at SPI,” Pontes said in the news release. “This new role aligns with my passion in wildfire, forestry and natural resources. With SPI’s proven track record of success in healthy forest management and sustainability, I look forward to partnering with agencies, land owners and communities to strategize on wildfire resiliency."
Pontes has more than 30 years of experience in forest and wildfire management, fire response and recovery, Sierra Pacific Industries said. He has a bachelor's degree in forestry and national resources management from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo.
He participated in his final Board of Supervisors meeting Tuesday as Shasta County executive officer. At the same meeting, the board unanimously approved outgoing Public Works Director Patrick Minturn as acting county executive officer.
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Pontes, 48, was hired in January 2020 after serving four years as assistant CEO in Santa Barbara County.
Pontes’ time as county executive officer was marked by the pandemic that turned supervisors meetings into a focal point for audience anger over state and federal health restrictions.
His decision to resign came about a month after he told the Record Searchlight he planned to stay in his job despite one county supervisor's efforts to "blackmail" him and destroy his career with information about a 28-year-old felony conviction.
The political battle between Supervisor Patrick Jones and Pontes played out in an April 19 closed-door job evaluation of Pontes. Supervisors spent two hours in closed session at the time before giving Pontes a 4-1 vote of confidence. Jones cast the lone dissenting vote.
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On Tuesday, Jones congratulated Pontes and wished him well.
David Benda covers business, development and anything else that comes up for the USA TODAY Network in Redding. He also writes the weekly "Buzz on the Street" column. He’s part of a team of dedicated reporters that investigate wrongdoing, cover breaking news and tell other stories about your community. Reach him on Twitter @DavidBenda_RS or by phone at 1-530-338-8323. To support and sustain this work, please subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Redding Record Searchlight: Shasta County's Matt Pontes to join Sierra Pacific Industries
