Jera was born in Michigan and moved West with her family when she was 14. She was working as a Wildland Firefighter when she moved to Taos, NM. She loves forests, and enjoys being in them hiking and camping. Jera is interested in sustainable forest management working together with communities and ecosystems. She earned an Associate Degree of Pre-Science at UNM-Taos and is working on a B.S. in Forestry at New Mexico Highlands University.