SAVE LAND - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Board Member - Journalist, Educator, and Communications Consultant, Retired
- Peabody Award - Winning TV Journalist
Best known in the Pacific Northwest as a Peabody Award-winning TV journalist, Barry Mitzman also has been a staff writer at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, professor of strategic communications at Seattle University, director of strategic communications at Microsoft Corp., and editor of Seattle Weekly. A resident of North Beach in Port Townsend, Barry is also a widely published freelance writer.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Board Member - Healthcare Technology Executive and Nonprofit Leader
Ben joined the Jefferson Land Trust after a 35-year career in healthcare and technology, having started companies like BabyCenter, Consumer Health Interactive, and Together Senior Health and worked for multinational corporations including Intel and Citrix. Ben currently serves on multiple nonprofit boards, including the Olympic Housing Trust and the Jefferson County Farmers Markets, and is President of the Board for Climate Action Pathways for Schools. Ben is also very involved with the BIPOC community in Jefferson County, including Well Organized and Nourish Beloved Community. Ben has an MBA and a Master's in Public Health from UC Berkeley and a degree in Political Science from Stanford.
Ben moved to Port Townsend with his wife Suzanne in 2020 in the middle of the pandemic after visiting the region many times over the last twenty years to be closer to their adult children that live in Seattle. Having grown up in the Napa Valley in a small town in an agricultural region, Ben is returning to his roots. Ben also enjoys writing songs and performing as part of a duo called Wilderson. Ben is interested in the Land Trust because he believes owning land and specifically farmland is especially critical for marginalized communities. Malcolm X famously said, "Land is the basis of all independence. Land is the basis of freedom, justice, and equality."
Blaise joined the Land Trust staff in 2019 after contributing both as a volunteer and as a contractor on stewardship projects. In this role, she splits her time assisting with land protection projects and helping the Stewardship Team care for the land. Because she has responsibilities in both areas, Blaise helps ensure there's a smooth transition from protecting land to caring for it, whether it's one of our nature preserves or a conservation easement on a local family farm. In this role, she strives to ensure that conservation benefits all stakeholders in our community, something she's passionate about.
Blaise holds a degree in Environmental Studies from the University of Vermont and was first introduced to the land trust model when she interned with the Lake Champlain Land Trust in Vermont. While working as a student researcher in the Patagonia region of Chile, she studied conservation biology and the integral relationships between conservationists, landowners, and the public. Years ago, Blaise fell in love with Washington state. She moved to Port Townsend in late 2017, and in 2018 managed the Chimacum Farmers Market, becoming familiar with Jefferson County's local food system. Outside of work you'll find her gardening, crafting, running, and finding places where she can be near the water.
Job Titles:
- President of the Board
- Board President - University Administrator, Retired
Brian joined the Jefferson Land Trust board after a career in Alaska as a state legislator, university administrator, public policy consultant, and facilitator. He's a former chair of The Nature Conservancy Alaska trustees, a member of the Alaska Conservation Foundation board of trustees, a co-chair of the federal-state Alaska Land Use Advisors Committee, and he served as the lead facilitator for the Tongass Futures Roundtable, a stakeholder process in the Tongass National Forest in Southeast Alaska.
Brian served for seven years as chancellor of the University of Alaska Fairbanks, leading Alaska's research university, and was one of the founders of Information Insights, a Fairbanks-based public policy and management consulting firm. He's also served on a wide variety of nonprofit and corporate boards and public councils and task forces.
Brian holds a Master's in Public Administration from the Harvard Kennedy School. He and his wife, Sherry Modrow, retired to Port Townsend in 2016.
Carrie's work focuses on restoring and maintaining our nature preserves, together with the help of many dedicated volunteers. She also supports the acquisition work related to protecting new conservation properties, and works to develop the next generation of land stewards through providing on-the-land learning experiences for local K-12 students. She grew up exploring the outdoors, and a love of nature sparked an early interest in science that led to a BA in Biology from Northwestern University, an MS of Biological Sciences from Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, and a graduate certificate in Sustainable Natural Resources from the Oregon State University School of Forestry. Returning home to the Olympic Peninsula, she learned about local habitat restoration while working as a Washington Conservation Corps member with the North Olympic Salmon Coalition restoration crew. During that time, she became acquainted with Jefferson Land Trust as a volunteer, then as an Americorps staff member, and most recently as preserve manager. Carrie has been with Jefferson Land Trust since 2012.
Job Titles:
- Treasurer of the Board
- Board Treasurer - Land Conservation Professional, Retired
Craig has extensive experience in land conservation. He served for 14 years as the General Manager of the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District in California where he managed an agency of more than 100 employees. Craig was hired by the District in 1977 as a Land Acquisition Manager and witnessed the district grow from 6,000 acres to over 60,000 acres under protection during his tenure. Prior to his work with the District, Craig worked for the Marin County Open Space district, Santa Cruz County and the State of California with duties including appraising and acquiring public land, and management of land and improvements for the public agencies. He attended Claremont Men's College and San Francisco State University, where he received a Bachelor's in Business Administration. Craig lives in Port Townsend and is a member of the Port Townsend Historic Preservation Committee.
Job Titles:
- Office and Preserve Assistant
With an M.S. in marine and estuarine science from Western Washington University, Cristina has maintained a professional focus on marine science and environmental education. Prior to joining the Land Trust, she worked as an environmental educator with the Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education in Philadelphia, and Nature's Classroom Institute at their Texas, Florida, Wisconsin, and California locations. A native of the central California region, Cristina has lived in and explored Western Washington on and off for the past 10 years. In the role of Office and Preserve Assistant, she splits her time between administrative support at our Uptown Port Townsend and stewardship support on our nature preserves, and she's excited to be able to work to promote community environmental education and conservation with Jefferson Land Trust. During her free time, you may spot Cristina cycling around the area on her trusty 1980s Trek road bike.
Job Titles:
- Board Member - Attorney and Land Conservation Professional, Retired
- Board Member / Attorney and Conservation Professional, Retired
Edward Thompson, Jr. moved to Port Townsend in November 2021 after spending nearly two decades in northern California and most of his adult life in Maryland. He began his career as an attorney for Environmental Defense Fund and, in 1980, helped found American Farmland Trust, which he served in various capacities, most recently as its California director, until retiring in 2017.
Ed drafted the first, model agricultural conservation easement and played a key role in securing its favorable IRS tax treatment. He was among those who formed the Land Trust Alliance (née Exchange) and successfully lobbied for major conservation easement funding programs at the federal level and in California. Ed was a political philosophy major at Cornell University in New York and received a law degree from George Washington University in Washington D.C.
Ed and Ann, his beloved wife, have two grown children, Abigail and Parker, and one grandson, Ethan. In his spare time, Ed enjoys fly fishing and is a silkscreen print artist specializing in landscapes. See his work at edwardparkerstudios.com.
Erik is responsible for the leadership and direction of Jefferson Land Trust's stewardship program. He works directly with landowners, volunteers, and other partners to monitor, protect, and restore conservation easement protected properties, and supports the Preserve Manager with stewardship of Land Trust-owned preserves. Erik has been working in land conservation since 1999, and has been the Stewardship Director for Jefferson Land Trust since 2008. He has been an active leader in the Washington Association of Land Trusts since its founding, and was President from 2013-2014. With a BA in Environmental Education and an MA in Environmental Politics, he also created and annually operates the Land Trust's popular Tidelands to Timberline adult natural history course, and supervises other On-The-Land-Learning community engagement programs of the Land Trust. Erik is a really great dad, pretty good naturalist, and alright musician.
Job Titles:
- AmeriCorps Habitat Enhancement Crew Member
Job Titles:
- AmeriCorps Habitat Enhancement Crew Member
Job Titles:
- Secretary of the Board
- Board Secretary - Naturopathic Physician and Dean Emeritus, Bastyr University, Retired
Jane retired as a naturopathic physician and dean of the naturopathic medicine program at Bastyr University in 2017. Having lived in Jefferson County briefly in the late 1980s, she always dreamed of retiring in Port Townsend. Once there, she quickly engaged in community activities, including volunteering with Jefferson Land Trust, Port Townsend Marine Science Center, Northwest Maritime Center, Northwest School of Wooden Boatbuilding, North Olympic Salmon Coalition and the Jefferson County Food Bank. Jane loves to be outdoors and hiking, kayaking, biking, gardening and golfing are some of her favorite pastimes. Jane is Dean Emeritus at Bastyr University and still teaches there as an affiliate faculty member.
Job Titles:
- Board Member / Head of Gaming Experimentation, Microsoft
- Co - Founder of Partnership for Rural King County
Jennifer Harrison is a passionate conservationist with a diverse background that spans tech and sustainability. With a career in big data engineering, cloud service, security, and privacy engineering, she is no stranger to the digital world. However, her heart has always been drawn to nonprofit and civic work, including volunteering for Issaquah Stream Team, serving as Managing Director of Earth Economics, and sitting on the King Conservation Advisory Board.
As the Co-Founder of Partnership for Rural King County, Jennifer has tackled issues around urban/rural symbiosis, from wetland restoration, firewise safety, and sustaining agriculture and forest working landscapes, to preserving land for parks and enabling recreational access to nature.
Her work at Earth Economics extended to public policy, geospatial and ecosystem service valuation data curation, and partnerships spanning academia, government, NGOs, civil societies, and environmental justice. One of her proudest moments was when FEMA adopted Earth Economics' new approach (and tooling) for cost-benefit and risk valuation, shifting billions of dollars of investment into sustaining landscapes critical for climate resilience.
When Jennifer isn't working, you can find her in nature, tending to her beloved native bees, or exploring the Olympic Peninsula, which she believes to be the most beautiful place on Earth. With her vast experience and passion for environmental preservation, Jennifer is excited to bring her skills to Jefferson Land Trust's Board and make a difference for future generations to thrive with nature.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Board Member - Educator and Nonprofit Professional, Retired
Julie Lockhart loves adventures, especially in wild places. Raised in the Chicago area, Julie moved west to Bellingham in 1982. She spent 26 years in the Department of Accounting at Western Washington University, where she developed and taught an award-winning course on environmental accounting. As Department Chair from 2000 to 2008, Julie instigated a new graduate program and spent time on donor relations to fund student scholarships and faculty research.
During the last years of her professional career, Julie served as Executive Director of WinterSpring, a grief support nonprofit in Southern Oregon, where she honed her skills in all aspects of running and funding a small nonprofit. She also volunteered for the Southern Oregon Land Conservancy for 12+ years, nine of which were on the Board, with two stints as Treasurer. Julie holds a BS and MAS in Accounting from the University of Illinois.
Julie and her husband, Asha Slater, moved to Port Townsend in August 2021. In her retirement, she enjoys hiking and traveling, playing jazz and blues piano, and writing creative nonfiction.
Job Titles:
- Director of Philanthropy
- in 2019 As Its Director
Kate joined Jefferson Land Trust in 2019 as its director of philanthropy, building upon a 12-year record of successful organizational development and advancement in the arts and environment - most recently with the national daily radio program, BirdNote. Kate holds degrees in Theatre Studies, and before switching to development worked for many years in professional theatre as a casting director and producer. Kate lives with her husband and two teenagers in Poulsbo. Outside work hours, she enjoys spending time with friends and family, hiking, birding, gardening, and the movies.
Job Titles:
- AmeriCorps Habitat Enhancement Crew Member
Job Titles:
- Communications Coordinator
- in 2021 As Our Communications Coordinator
Lilly joined Jefferson Land Trust in 2021 as our Communications Coordinator. Raised in the Pacific Northwest, Lilly's love of language led her to a BFA in Writing, Literature, and Publishing from Emerson College in Boston, Massachusetts, and an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Wyoming in Laramie. She has worked in communications at international, national, and local-level non-profits and conservation-minded organizations, most recently at Camp Denali, a wilderness lodge in the heart of Denali National Park. Lilly is passionate about the intersection of land, wildlife, and people and believes that storytelling is a critical component of land conservation. She loves crossword puzzles, forest walks, and playing the ukulele.
While studying biology at the University of Puget Sound, Marlowe focused on her interests in local watershed conservation and connections between people and nature. After finishing college she dabbled in environmental education, fisheries work, and riparian restoration. Working on a Washington Conservation Corps crew sponsored by the North Olympic Salmon Coalition, Marlowe implemented restoration and stewardship projects across the Olympic Peninsula, many of them on properties protected by Jefferson Land Trust. She is honored to continue connecting with the land of this unique region and the people who live here through her work as Stewardship Assistant. In her free time, Marlowe enjoys painting, spending time outdoors, and cuddling with her cat, Mila.
Paula McNees joined the Land Trust in the fall of 2019. With more than 20 years of accounting experience, she has worked for both nonprofit organizations, including Centrum and the Port Townsend Marine Science Center, as well as local businesses including Mt. Townsend Creamery. Paula and her family have lived in Port Townsend for more than 30 years. When she's not working, Paula enjoys spending time with her family, especially her young grandson. Her favorite forms of exercise are Scottish country dancing, clogging - a form of Appalachian folk dancing, and walking her American Staffordshire terrier, Bernard, who often pouts when it rains.
Job Titles:
- Community Relations and Events Manager
Ric grew up in Jefferson County and has worked at several iconic Pacific Northwest institutions including Seattle Symphony, Woodland Park Zoo, and Bartell Drugs in roles focusing on event production, community development and engagement, communications, public relations, and wildlife conservation management. In his role as Community Relations and Events Manager, Ric is pleased to be able to help the Land Trust further engage the community to preserve our shared natural heritage. In his free time, Ric enjoys taking care of his 10-acre property in Quilcene, raising escargot snails, and hiking the nearby trails with his bulldog, Alder.
Richard holds a BA and JD from Florida State University, and an MPA in Coastal Resources Management from the University of West Florida. Richard's career has been devoted to conservation, beginning as a city planner in Pensacola, Florida, where he helped create the Escambia Bay Bluffs Park. After moving to the Northwest almost 30 years ago, he worked for the Puget Sound Water Quality Authority and then spent 15 years working for King County. While there, he focused on protecting habitat, working farms and forests, implementing a public benefit rating system and managing a multi-county salmon recovery effort. He then joined the Trust for Public Land in Georgia, creating new parks in Atlanta for the Atlanta Beltline and preserving land along the Chattahoochee River. His conservation experience spans large and small projects: in Alabama he worked for both the Nature Conservancy and a local land trust.
Job Titles:
- Board Member / Botanist and Biologist, Retired
Rick retired after working for more than 30 years as a biologist and botanist in California for The Nature Conservancy, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, California Energy Commission, Department of Parks and Recreation and California Native Plant Society. Rick also worked as a botanist for the Bureau of Land Management in Wyoming. He is also a photographer and explores big cities with a camera and then prints his images and makes photography books. Rick and his wife, Linda, a retired librarian and spinner/weaver, moved to Port Townsend in 2015 and decided that the Olympic Peninsula is their forever home. Rick enjoys attending Jefferson Land Trust Conservation Projects Committee meetings and site visits and also volunteers for the Northwind Arts Center.
Job Titles:
- Director, Conservation and Strategic Partnerships
Sarah grew up in the Northwest, in Seattle and the San Juan Islands. She received her undergraduate degree in marine biology from Western Washington University and a graduate degree in coastal zone management from the School of Marine Affairs at the University of Washington. Sarah was originally hired as a project coordinator in 1996 for what was then called the North Quimper Peninsula Wildlife Corridor. She has served as Jefferson Land Trust's Executive Director, and now oversees projects and partnerships in her role as Director of Conservation. She works closely with landowners and community members, as well as governmental and non-profit agencies to shepherd land projects through to protection. Prior to working at Jefferson Land Trust, she served as a marine consultant with the Port Townsend Marine Science Center, along with a long stint working on natural history charter boats in Southeast Alaska.
Job Titles:
- Board Vice President / Insurance Professional, Retired
Sherry is a native of the Puget Sound area. She grew up in Gig Harbor on land homesteaded by her grandfather. Her grandmother was instrumental in founding Gig Harbor City Park and her father was the driving force behind the establishment of Sunrise Beach Park. Several years ago, Sherry retired from a career in insurance and began a part time position in insurance management. Her career has included strategic planning, finance, and project leadership.
Sherry moved to Port Townsend in 2016 and began looking for ways to be involved in the community that would continue the family tradition of preserving land for the public good. She was delighted to become involved with the Jefferson Land Trust with its "Farms, Fish and Forests Forever" philosophy. For her, the combination of a grand vision with a pragmatic approach to achieving goals was particularly appealing because of the organization's successful track record of preserving places that matter for current residents and future generations.
Stephanie joined the Land Trust in 2018 as our part-time communications manager. With a background in communications and marketing, she enjoys writing, editing, learning, and seeing challenging projects through to completion. Stephanie holds degrees in Education and English and has more than 20 years of experience managing communications for a wide variety of organizations. She and her husband, Bill, live near Coupeville on Whidbey Island. In her spare time, Stephanie enjoys hiking with friends, birdwatching, gardening, traveling, reading, and playing ice hockey.
Job Titles:
- Development Assistant
- in 2023 As Our Development Assistant
Sydney joined Jefferson Land Trust in 2023 as our Development Assistant. Her background is in small, artisanal organic farming; she completed an apprenticeship at Full Circle Farm in Sunnyvale, California, in 2008. After this pivotal experience, she moved on to establish and run a small organic farm near Monterey, California, growing organic heirloom tomatoes and other produce for a local resort and restaurant. Just prior to Jefferson Land Trust, Sydney worked in higher education, where she developed and managed strategic processes for key accreditation areas, Title V federal grants, and oversaw the class scheduling process. Her undergraduate degree is from Whittier College, with a Master's degree in management science from Johnson & Wales University, where she also subsequently worked in Career Services and as a field admissions representative on the West Coast. In these roles, she supported students in career planning and internship placement, and developed relationships with over 300 California high schools to recruit students to the college. In her spare time, she enjoys time with her family and grandchildren, growing and preserving food, making soap, spinning yarn from locally sourced fiber, knitting, quilting, and sewing.
Job Titles:
- Vice President of the Board
- Board Vice President - Geologist, Woodworker and Educator, Retired
- Chairman of the Board of Managers for the Chimacum Ridge Community Forest
Tim moved to Port Townsend in 2004 and set up shop as a furniture maker. In 2007 he co-founded the Port Townsend School of Woodworking and in 2011 became the Executive Director. Since retiring in 2017, Tim continues to teach at the school and helps organize the annual Port Townsend Woodworkers Show.
In prior lives Tim worked as a field geologist in the UK, has done mineral exploration in NW Queensland and led software engineering teams in the UK, Japan, and the U.S.
Tim is Chairman of the Board of Managers for the Chimacum Ridge Community Forest. He is also a member of LEO (the League of Extraordinary Observers) that works to photograph and document conservation projects throughout Jefferson County.
Job Titles:
- Board Member / Executive Director, North Olympic Land Trust
Tom leads the work of North Olympic Land Trust, based in Clallam County. He has a long history of community involvement throughout the Port Angeles area, supporting local nonprofits and efforts that are designed to build a vibrant and sustainable community.
Prior to his time at North Olympic Land Trust, Tom was the executive director of Olympic Park Institute, a campus of NatureBridge, and the education partner of Olympic National Park. He holds a graduate degree in Management from Antioch University, Seattle.
Tom lives in Port Angeles with his wife, Carrie, and daughter, Abby.