Board of Trustees
 | David Ashbaugh grew up in Ohio, got his MD from Ohio State, and was a Fulbright Scholar before practicing in Colorado and Idaho. He finished his distinguished medical career on the faculty at the University of Washington. Along the way, he served on the boards of many medical organizations, the Lopez Clinic and the Lopez Island Library. He and his wife Shari and their two sons are lifelong backpackers, climbers, skiers and trekkers. They discovered the San Juans first via sailboat and then by power boat. The call of wild places brought him to Lopez Island, and his desire to preserve them has sustained his very active participation in the Preservation Trust. « Back | Top |
 | Charlie Bodenstab of San Juan Island retired after a long and distinguished career as a high level corporate executive for a number of Fortune 500 companies. He has written books on business, founded a software company and continues to function
as a consultant to a number of major American companies. Additionally, he has
written a series of columns for INC. magazine. He just concluded his service as a Freeholder for San Juan County, helping to develop a new methodology for County government, and has been a generous volunteer in many other civic duties, serving, for example, on the board of The United Way of San Juan County, on the Spring Street School board, as Commodore of the San Juan Island Yacht Club, and on the Board of the Westcott Bay Institute. Charlie deeply enjoys the pleasures of a walk through our rural environment (particularly with his two large dogs, Duke and Buddy) and is committed to help protect the islands' way of life and natural environment. « Back | Top |
 | Margaret (Margie) Carper of Orcas Island, a native of Washington State, grew up north of Spokane and spent many summer vacations exploring the beaches and tide pools of the Olympic Peninsula. She earned her B.A. in Sociology from the University of Washington in 1983. Upon graduation, she moved with her husband Daniel to New York where she worked for many years in hospital administration at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. While in New York, she also served as a member of the board for Boys Hope/Girls Hope, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping young people from disadvantaged backgrounds achieve academic success. Margie and Dan first visited Orcas over 30 years ago and have owned property on the island since 1995. Now retired, they enjoy hiking, kayaking, scuba diving and skiing. Margie feels privileged to call the Pacific Northwest her home and is dedicated to preserving the natural beauty of the San Juan Islands for future generations to enjoy. « Back | Top |
 | Alan Davidson developed his love of sea and woodland growing up in New England. He earned his undergraduate degree at Berkeley and completed his medical education at the University of California, San Francisco and Stanford. Alan enjoyed a long career as a diagnostic radiologist, educator and administrator at medical schools in Connecticut, California, Maryland and Washington, D.C.. He is the author of a widely used textbook. Alan's interest in organizational structure and development has benefited the Preservation Trust for many years. He has been a member of the Board since 1997, was its President, and is currently Chair of the Finance Committee. Alan and his wife, Janet, have had a home on Orcas Island since 1988. « Back | Top |
 | Roger deRoos has been involved with conservation before conservation
became the byword of the West. He began his academic career in 1955
by completing a B.A. in Wildlife Conservation at the University of
California in Berkley, followed by a M.S. in Wildlife Management from
Utah State University in Logan in 1958 and a PhD. in Zoology at the
University of California in Berkeley in 1961. Roger subsequently spent
his academic career in the Department of Biology at the University of
Missouri in Columbia. He taught courses at the undergraduate and
graduate levels, trained graduate students, conducted independent
research and enjoyed sabbaticals leaves in Naples, Melbourne and
Nairobi. For 17 summers, he conducted research projects at the Friday
Harbor Laboratories, the University of Washington's marine biological
facility on San Juan Island. Roger and his wife, a former
environmental attorney, continue to teach at the Skagit Valley
College-San Juan Center. They became permanent residents of San Juan
Island in 1992. « Back | Top |
 | Cynthia Dilling of Lopez Island has been an advocate for protecting the wild and natural places in the San Juans for over 30 years. To that end she has taken an active role in the creation of the Shark Reef Preserve, Chadwick-Point Colville Preserve, Iceberg Point and Watmough Bight. She had served on San Juan Preservation Trusts' Board of Trustees in the early 1980's, and in 2008 graciously accepted the invitation to rejoin our board and share her considerable talents. « Back | Top |
 | Fred Ellis is a founding member of the Preservation Trust. His legacy in the San Juan Islands began on his first visit to Shaw Island in 1936. His grandfather urged him to save it, and since then he and others in his family acquired more than 1000 acres on the island. Their donations of beautiful, unspoiled meadows, forests, and wetlands on Shaw and Lopez islands to the Preservation Trust and the University of Washington have set the pace for others who followed. Fred’s college years were interrupted by his time in Burma during World War II, and his return trip on a Canadian Liberty ship where he served as coal handler, stoker, third engineer and ship’s doctor! His degrees from Reed College in Portland in Astronomy and Philosophy and his Ph. D in History and Philosophy from Harvard led him to several universities. While at Western Washington, he also managed a 1400-acre cattle ranch on Lopez ~ and was named Skagit County Cattleman of the Year. Now, he says, he’d like to see more environmentalists enter the political process to ensure future generations’ abilities to protect beautiful places. « Back | Top |
 | Carolyn Haugen of San Juan Island earned her undergraduate degrees in elementary education at Stanford University and she received her doctorate in Education Planning and Policy Administration from the University of Southern California. Her professional career in public school education as a teacher and administrator spanned thirty -nine years. Becoming an islander in 1999 has given Carolyn a sense of place. She believes in the importance of educating children and adults in seeking ways to preserve and protect the natural beauty of our San Juan Islands. « Back | Top |
 | Will Hamilton of San Juan Island is a consulting forester who has assisted many landowners in the San Juan Islands in the practice of good forest stewardship and conservation. « Back | Top |
 | Harvey Himelfarb of Orcas was born in the Bronx and lived with his family for a time in Arizona. He moved to San Francisco in 1964 to finish his B.A and Master’s degrees in art and photography. He taught at the University of California, Berkeley and at Purdue University before joining the faculty at the University of California, Davis. During an active artistic career, Harvey showed his work at major art museums and galleries, and taught photography and printmaking for more than 20 years before concluding his career as the campus’ Vice Provost for Academic Personnel and Programs. Harvey, his wife, Alice Swan, and their son built a small house on Orcas Island, and moved to Orcas full time in 1998. His experience observing dramatic changes in Arizona and California during the past 30 years have convinced him of the importance of land conservation in the San Juans. « Back | Top |
 | Sara Longworth was born and grew up in Pasadena, CA, and was
educated at USC and the University of Wisconsin, earning a B.A. in
Speech Communication and an M.A. in Communication Arts. She taught at
U.C.L.A. before beginning a long and varied career in Information
Systems. Over twenty years with Bank of America, she worked to develop
its financial transaction systems infrastructure, and establish
technology direction as a Vice-President and member of the management
teams of its Systems Engineering, Corporate Finance, and Small Business
Banking Divisions. Sara honed her outreach skills as one of B of A’s
System Engineering’s United Way Leadership Representatives, and then
managed its “Loaned Executive” to United Way. She finished this
trail-blazing career with Quantum Information Corporation as Chief
Information Officer of the Regulus Group, Quantum’s parent company.
After she and her husband, Tom, visited Anacortes and the San Juan
Islands several times, it became impossible to return to California!
They retired here in 2001. She is particularly aware, having lived most
of her life in California, that the window of opportunity to conserve
wild places can close in a heartbeat. « Back | Top |
 | Rick Machin grew up in the Midwest, loving the outdoors and majoring in Earth Science at Northern Illinois University before detouring into a career as a Special Agent with the U.S. Naval Criminal Investigative Service. His law enforcement assignments took him to Japan, the Philippines and many ports in the Indian Ocean, and provided opportunities to work with NATO, the State Department and various foreign police agencies. He enjoyed integrating strategic plans and policies with federal budget requirements, personnel management and national and international event-driven contingencies. When he retired in 1997, he and his wife, Meredith, moved to the Pacific Northwest and became acquainted immediately with the Preservation Trust when they learned that the land they purchased on Burrows Bay is adjacent to the Preservation Trust’s Geary Preserve on Fidalgo Island. Since then, Rick has launched himself into supporting many local environmental organizations. He’s also known as “Mr. Rick” at Whitney Elementary School, where he can be found every Wednesday morning. « Back | Top |
 | Steve McKeon, of Orcas Island, graduated from Stanford Law School, where he practiced corporate finance and business transactions law for 25 years. McKeon joined the senior management team of Puget Sound Energy in 1997, serving as chief legal counsel and then as chief financial officer. « Back | Top |
 | David Perera (Lopez Island) has been a Preservation Trust volunteer since 1990. In 2005, he and his wife, Cherill, were the Trust's Volunteers of the Year. David has twice served as a member of the board nominating committee. In addition to being active in the Lopez Lions Club, David has served as president and vice president of both the Davis Head Homeowners Association Board and board of the Lopez Island Clinic. During 30 years as a physician with Group Health, David served in a variety of management and leadership positions. He is a clinical professor of medicine at The University of Washington, has experience in medical research, teaching, and personnel and budget management. « Back | Top |
 | In 1997, Mary Riveland and her husband, Chase, moved to Orcas Island to start a management consulting business. Following graduation from the University of Washington, she worked for over 25 years in health care and state government. Mary’s great grandparents homesteaded in the 1880’s on Lopez Island. She considers it a dream come true to be able to live in the islands. Mary wholeheartedly supports the mission of the Preservation Trust to preserve the beauty of this area for future generations. « Back | Top |
 | Joseph Todd of San Juan Island is a graduate of Duke University, and a retired CPA who spent more than 25 years in public accounting. He has served on numerous professional committees and non-profit boards, including the Executive Committee of the San Juan Community Theater. « Back | Top |  | Samantha Martin Sprenger grew up in Arizona, where a love of nature began with hikes through the desert. She started traveling to the islands in 1995, making visits primarily to Waldron where her husband Carson spent his childhood. Sam completed both her undergraduate and graduate degrees at the University of Washington; receiving a BS in Conservation and Natural Resource Management and an MS with an emphasis in soil science and restoration ecology. She and her husband run a small ecological consulting company which works with private landowners to develop conservation-minded forest management plans. They also work with non-profit organizations to restore and protect rare ecosystems in the San Juans, which is a keen interest of Sam’s. Carson and Sam, and their one-year old son Otto are caretakers of the Cedar Rock Preserve on Shaw, and are sometimes seen traveling back and forth from Shaw to Waldron in their slow wooden boat. « Back | Top |
 | Jonathan White is a ten-year resident of the San Juan Islands, and served on the County Planning Commission for five years. He was the founder and director of Resource Institute, a non-profit organization that sponsored seminars from Seattle to Alaska aboard a 65' wooden schooner. He is a successful writer on environmental subjects. « Back | Top |
Counsel
| Julian C. Dewell, Legal Counsel, is Of Counsel, Anderson Hunter, Everett WA and is an Orcas Island property owner. « Back | Top |
Staff
 | Debra Clausen grew up in the Pacific Northwest, and visited the San Juan islands on family vacations. Her passion for the natural world and the possibilities of protecting it led her to a degree in Environmental Studies and Anthropology at UC Santa Cruz, and a Master of Science in Environmental Management at the University of London’s Wye College. She went on to a 21-year career as a Habitat Biologist in Alaska. She and her husband, Kim Sundberg, who have an environmental consulting business, enjoy exploring the coasts from their wooden motorsailor between their home on San Juan Island and Alaska. Debra has served on the Alaska Board of Forestry, studied natural places and birds in protected areas around the world, and been a volunteer monitor for the False Bay Biological Preserve through the UW COASST survey program. Her many invaluable contributions to the Preservation Trust include helping to develop the joint Preservation Trust/San Juan Island Land Bank 2004 Conservation Plan, which will guide future conservation priorities. « Back | Top |
 | Dean Dougherty, Director of Stewardship. Dean holds a Master's Degree from the University of Washington with specialization in invasive plants. Dean was a longtime volunteer with The Nature Conservancy, where he coordinated volunteer activities throughout Washington State. Dean grew up on a still active family farm in Iowa; he now lives in Olga where he raises pigs and is a member of the Orcas Island Fire Department. « Back | Top |
 | Kathleen Foley, Director of Education and Outreach, is a Washington native with a long history of exploring the San Juan Islands. Kathleen worked for a number of years for as both a wildlife rehabilitator and the volunteer coordinator for a local wildlife rescue group. Kathleen has a B.S. in Wildlife Science from the University of Washington, and a B.A. in Business/Marketing from Washington State University. She is a resident of San Juan Island. « Back | Top |
 | Brian Windrope, Director of Philanthropy, has a broad background in non-profit organizations, including over 20 years as an educator and administrator. Most recently, he has led environmental education and conservation organizations as an executive director and director of education and outreach. He feels incredibly fortunate to perform work that is so in keeping with what he loves. When not working, Brian has devoted himself to wilderness exploration by foot, kayak and sailboat. Brian earned bachelor’s degrees in Anthropology and Zoology from UC Berkeley and a MA in Education from Stanford University. Brian, wife Amy and sons Elliott and Owen live on San Juan Island. « Back | Top |
 | Katie Hover, Conservation Easement Steward, has had an active involvement with the San Juan Preservation Trust. She and her husband purchased a farm with a Conservation Easement held by the SJPT in 2001 and then in 2006 she joined SJPT's Board of Trustees. Katie holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of California at Berkeley and a Masters of Information Science from the University of Hawaii. Katie, husband Paul and son Quinn live on San Juan Island. « Back | Top |
 | Tim Seifert, Executive Director, is a third-generation resident of the San Juans. He brings over 15 years of marketing, business development, international management, and executive leadership experience in the forest products, internet, and environmental consulting industries. He holds an MBA degree from Duke University and a BS degree in Forest Resource Management and Land Use Planning from the University of Washington. « Back | Top |
 | Diana Stepita, Membership Program Manager. Diana’s background is in marketing and database management. Her work with the Westchester Land Trust in New York helped raise awareness and funds to protect the local watershed. Diana and her family live on San Juan Island. « Back | Top |
 | Kathy Holliday, Executive Assistant, is a native of western Washington. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and history from Augsburg College (Minneapolis). Her work experience includes over 15 years of administrative and student support services at the University of Washington, Seattle. A visitor to Lopez Island since 1998, she is now happily, a Lopezian, supporting the mission of the Trust. « Back | Top |