Laura Dyberg
President, Mountain Rim Fire Safe Council

As a resident of the San Bernardino Mountains for 18 years, Laura Dyberg is dedicated to the special people and communities in this rural area. Her professional background for many years focused on administration and mortgage banking, including teaching extended education classes at California State University, San Bernardino on customer service and quality communication. Since 1995, Laura has served the mountain area as the Recreation Supervisor and Office Administrator for the Rim of the World Recreation and Park District. In this capacity she has been able to work with the youth and adult population from Crestline to Snow Valley. Highlights each year include coordinating three long distance running events with participants from all over Southern California and directing several youth and adult sports leagues.

Working on the mountain allowed Laura to get more involved in community issues. Some of the ways she has been able to participate include: five years as officer and president of a women¹s softball league; six-year Board Member (now serving second term as Board President) of the Arrowbear Park County Water District; seven years as a crisis hotline volunteer for a domestic violence program; a founding member of Arrowbear Beautification and Clean-Up Committee; a founding member and past-president of Partnership of Concerned Citizens; founding member and president of Front Country Alliance, and a founding member and president of the Mountain Rim Fire Safe Council.

Before the Front Country Alliance and Fire Safe Council consolidated in April 1999, Laura led the group in coordinating 600 volunteers in the planting of almost 3,000 trees in an area of Running Springs decimated by the 1997 Mill Fire. Since then, her main priority has been establishing the foundation of the Mountain Rim Fire Safe Council and its four community chapters. The theme behind all of Laura¹s efforts is helping people realize they can make a difference and they do have a voice in the future of their community.

For her work with these issues relating to pre-fire safety and community awareness, Laura was recognized in 1999 as a recipient of the Running Springs Area Soroptimist¹s Woman of Distinction Award and in 2000 by Senator Jim Brulte as the 31st District¹s Woman of the Year.