| STAFF | |
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Director, Lisa Pelly has over two decades of experience working collaboratively on water and natural resource issues. She serves on the boards of Farming and the Environment, Washington Conservation Voters, Washington Environmental Council and also the Walla Walla Watershed Alliance. Lisa recently served eleven years on the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission, a Governor appointed position representing hunting, fishing and conservation organizations to the Washington Fish and Wildlife Department. Lisa attended both the University of San Diego, California and the University of Washington in Seattle. In addition to serving as executive director, Lisa holds a seat on the Washington Rivers Conservancy board. Back to Top |
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PROJECT MANAGER, AARON PENVOSE has been working on natural resource issues throughout the Pacific Northwest for the last 10 years. Aaron has worked on watershed issues in the public and private sectors, with experience ranging from field work in wilderness areas to project management and consulting. Aaron has a B.S. degree in geology from the University of Montana, which he uses as a foundation in his fisheries and stream restoration work. He started his natural resource career with Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, where he quickly realized that protecting fish and their habitat was what he wanted to do. He has been involved with the American Fisheries Society, Trout Unlimited, watershed education networks and kids fishing programs. In his spare time you can find him wandering the rivers looking for fish with his Springer Spaniel, Bliss. Back to Top |
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PROJECT MANAGER, KATHARINE BILL, has been working on natural resource issues in the rural west for the past 15 years. Katharine has an undergraduate degree in environmental biology from the University of Colorado, and has a masters in forestry from the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies. She served as the Executive Director of the Methow Conservancy from 2002-2007, and since 2007 she has worked as a project manager for the Methow Conservancy and other non-profits in the region. Katharine has extensive salmon recovery project experience, having completed over 20 riparian conservation easement projects during her tenure at the Methow Conservancy. She also has extensive farmland protection experience, helping Okanogan County establish a farmland protection program, and bringing the first state and federal farmland easement funds to eastern Washington. Katharine is also the Chair of the Methow Watershed Council (formerly the Methow Basin Planning Unit) and is an enthusiastic birder and off-trail explorer of the North Cascades. Back to Top |
| PROJECT ASSOCIATE, SZILVIA RIDEG brings a practical business approach to natural resource conservation. Szilvia holds an ATA in Business Management from Edmonds Community College. Recent experiences include participating in the sustainable development of a “green” economy in the local community. Prior to working in economic development, she supported the administrative and research functions of the Central Washington U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. She is a member of the Children and Nature Network, an organization which works to bridge the disconnect between today’s youth and the natural world, of which they are the future stewards. In her spare time, Szilvia enjoys experiencing some nature therapy with her family in the surrounding mountains and rivers of NCW. Back to Top |
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| BOARD OF DIRECTORS | |
| Chair, Peter Dykstra is the Washington State Director of The Trust for Public Land, where he works to conserve open space for parks and trails to preserve farms and forests, and to protect and enhance rivers and their watersheds. Prior to joining TPL, he served as Managing Director of Washington Water Trust, working to restore and enhance instream flows in Washington’s rivers and streams. He is also an adjunct faculty member in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Seattle University and in the Department of Urban Design and Planning at the University of Washington. Peter received a J.D., cum laude, and a M.P.A. in Environmental Policy and Non profit Management from Indiana University in 1997. He obtained a B.A. in History and a Certificate in Environmental Studies from Indiana University in 1992. Back to Top |
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| Vice-Chair, Kenan Block is a strategic media and communications consultant, working primarily with non-profits. Among his numerous clients is the Washington Forest Law Center. He spent 25 years as an award-winning journalist. Much of that time was in Washington, D.C. where he was senior congressional producer for the MacNeil-Lehrer NewsHour (now the NewsHour with Jim Lehrer). In 1996 he helped to launch MSNBC cable news network. His responsibilities included being chief Washington producer for the News with Brian Williams. He was also elected chairman of the Radio-Television Correspondents Association in 1996. Kenan is a 5th generation Seattleite. In addition to Washington Rivers Conservancy he also serves on the boards of Town Hall Seattle, the Seattle chapter of the American Jewish Committee, Conservation Northwest, Citizens for C-SPAN and is on the advisory board of Real Change. Back to Top |
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| TREASURER, TOM MCDONALD is with Cascadia Law Group, representing clients on natural resource issues. He is also an Adjunct Professor of Water Law at the Seattle University School of Law in Seattle. Tom was formerly the Section Head for the Washington State Attorney General’s office in Olympia working on water and shoreline issues. He also served as the staff counsel for the Washington State Senate Agricultural Committee. He is one of the co-authors of the Water Law Treatise, An Introduction to Washington Water Law published by the Washington Attorney General’s office. Back to Top |
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| DIRECTOR, JOHN THOREN is a Vice President and Relationship Manager with KeyBank’s AgriBusiness Group and is currently located in Wenatchee. He manages the delivery of financial services to a broad spectrum of small to large agricultural producers, processors, agri-business firms and commercial businesses in eastern Washington. During his more than 30-year career with KeyBank and its predecessors, he has held administrative, lending and management positions at branches in seven communities in eastern Washington and Seattle. He holds a Masters degree in Agricultural Economics from Washington State University and is a graduate of the Pacific Coast Banking School. John has served in a wide range of capacities with many local and regional groups and civic organizations. He is now a member of the Institute for Rural Innovation and Stewardship. Back to Top |
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DIRECTOR, BILL CLARKE is an attorney in Olympia who works on state legislative matters and environmental and land use permitting. He represents businesses, utilities, non-profits, and landowners on a variety of issues. Bill is a former member and chair of the Pollution Control Hearings Board and Shorelines Hearings Board, which hear appeals on water rights, water quality, shorelines, and other environmental permits. He has also worked in government relations for a number of trade associations. Bill currently serves as Chair of the Association of Washington Business’s Water Resources Committee. |
