STAFF

Susan Adams, Executive Director, joined Washington Water Trust in 2004. Susan has over 20 years of executive management, policy development, and negotiation experience with private, public and nonprofit organizations working on natural resource issues. Prior to Washington Water Trust, Susan managed natural resources education, communications and public relations for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. While in Oregon, she also participated in regional water supply planning  in collaboration with diverse stakeholders throughout the Portland metropolitan area to ensure sustainable water resources for future generations. Susan's experience includes business development and marketing for Honeywell Marine Systems, United Way and private consulting in both Washington and Oregon. She holds a B.A. in Communications and Business from Michigan State University and has pursued graduate studies at the University of Washington and Antioch University with an emphasis on systems design, leadership and change management. susan@washingtonwatertrust.org

Amanda Cronin, Project Manager, is an Olympic Peninsula native who joined Washington Water Trust in 2006.  Amanda works in both western and eastern Washington watersheds to negotiate water right acquisitions for environmental flow restoration.  Providing strategic guidance for water resource planning, Amanda is also involved in designing and implementing water banking and flow mitigation programs statewide. As a habitat biologist and later as watershed program coordinator for the Moscow, Idaho based Palouse-Clearwater Environmental Institute, Amanda also has a background in watershed management, habitat restoration and collaborative decision-making.   At Palouse-Clearwater Environmental Institute Amanda managed urban and rural riparian, floodplain and wetland restoration projects designed to improve habitat and meet water quality standards. Amanda holds a B.A. in Biology and Environmental Studies from Whitman College and an M.S. in Environmental Science and Policy from Northern Arizona University. Her graduate research explored the role of Native American tribes in Collaborative Watershed Management in the Desert Southwest and Pacific Northwest United States. amanda@washingtonwatertrust.org

Greg McLaughlin, Project Manager, came to Washington Water Trust in 2006 after working for the Natural Resources Conservation Service in Fort Collins, where he provided technical and design support for improved irrigation systems and conservation technical assistance for Farm Bill programs including the EQUIP, the Wetlands Reserve Program, the Wildlife Habitat Improvement Program, and the Conservation Reserve Program. Greg's career has emphasized the development of collaborative, locally-driven conservation projects, including work as a Peace Corps Volunteer for natural resources in rural Thailand, development of sustainable design and land use demonstration site in Colorado. He has an M.S. in Environmental Management with an emphasis on Social Ecology and Community Development from the Yale School of Forestry and Natural Resources.   greg@washingtonwatertrust.org

Jason D. McCormick, Project Manager,  is a native of Eastern Washington with roots in the towns of Brewster, Tonasket, Yakima and Zillah. He joined the Water Trust in 2008 and works from the Ellensburg office. Prior to joining Washington Water Trust, Jason worked as a permit writer for the newly formed Columbia River Program with Washington Department of Ecology.  His work experience has also included the Washington State Legislature, Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service focusing on public policy, natural resources and collaborative resource management.  Jason holds a B.A. in Geography and Land Studies from Central Washington University where he graduated Cum Laude.   jason@washingtonwatertrust.org

Erik Borgen, Project Manager, is a Pacific Northwest native, with roots on both sides of the Cascades. His work as a consultant with Ecosystem Economics, a firm specializing in using economic methods, incentives and tools to help clients meet their policy, conservation, and restoration goals, has involved projects focusing on water markets and the monitoring of stream flow restoration efforts. Most recently, Erik has provided strategic advice and analytical support to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation for their Walker Basin Restoration Program, an over $100 million effort to prevent the ecological collapse of Walker Lake (Nevada) through water acquisitions, leasing and conservation. Erik's other professional experiences include time with the Oregon Water Resources Department, the Deschutes River Conservancy in addition to work in the financial sector. Erik holds a J.D. and MBA from Willamette University and a B.A. in Geography from Dartmouth College.

Lea Whitehill, Administrative Associate, is a Seattle native who joined Washington Water Trust in 2008 after working for the University of Washington as a Fiscal Specialist within their Health Promotion Research Center. She has a B.S. in Conservation Biology and a B.A. in Political Science, both from the University of Washington. Her experience also includes an internship with E Magazine, a bimonthly publication of environmental information and news, and their Q&A column, EarthTalk. Her contributions to the magazine included researching and writing responses to reader's questions.   lea@washingtonwatertrust.org

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Rick Kirkby, President is an attorney who has worked on environmental and water resource issues with city, county and state governments.  Mr. Kirkby has been involved in water rights adjudications, water supply policy development and related natural resources issues and currently works as a consultant with a focus on water resources policy.  Mr. Kirkby is a graduate of the University of Michigan Business School and received his JD from the University of Michigan Law School in 1973.  He is also a board member of the Washington Foundation for the Environment.  Mr. Kirkby has lived in the Northwest since 1973 and currently resides on Bainbridge Island.  In his free time he enjoys hiking and kayaking.

Lara Fowler, Past President is an attorney with the law firm of Gordon Thomas Honeywell LLP. Lara works with public and private clients to resolve environmental and natural resource issues. She works both as an advocate helping clients figure out their water rights, navigate the complexity of environmental laws, and figure out how to accomplish their goals, and as a mediator resolving complex multi-party issues like who is entitled to store and use groundwater under the greater Los Angeles area or a potential solution to regional transportation in the Puget Sound area.  Lara graduated with Honors from the University of Washington School of Law and holds a BA in Asian Studies from Dartmouth College.

Dale Bambrick, Vice President  is the Eastern Washington Habitat Branch Chief for the National Marine Fisheries Service. A professional fisheries biologist with 24 years of experience working on salmon habitat issues, he also has an extensive background in water policy, and helped author Washington's "Trust Water Rights Program" guidelines. His previous professional history includes stints as the Regional Director for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife's Region 3 in Yakima, and as the Habitat manager for the Yakama Nation Fisheries program. He is a native of Washington state, and has lived in the Yakima River Basin since 1979. The Bambrick family spend as much time as possible together floating, swimming, fishing and gazing at the lakes, rivers and streams of Washington. Dale is a graduate of Central Washington University.

Dan Guderjohn, Treasurer is a business appraiser with Corporate Advisory Associates in Seattle. He provides financial and valuation advisory services to privately-held companies in the Pacific Northwest for purposes of tax and financial reporting, ownership transitions, merger/acquisition transactions, and business litigation. Prior to joining Corporate Advisory Associates, Dan worked at the Federal Home Loan Bank of Seattle in the asset/liability management group. He studied economics and mathematics at the University of Washington and completed graduate studies in computational finance at the Georgia Institute of Technology. In his free time, he enjoys camping, hiking, fly-fishing, and racquetball.

Jim Anderson, Secretary is currently the Executive Advisor at the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission for which he was Executive Director from 1985-2005. He was also a founding member of the Timber Fish Wildlife Policy Group, Water Resource Forum, Shared Salmon Strategy and the Hatchery Reform Coordinating Committee. He has over twenty-five years of experience in statewide natural resource policy matters. Jim is also a board member on the Department of Interior's Sports Fishing and Boating Partnership Council, the Puget Sound Restoration Fund, the Pacific Education Institute and the Enumclaw Regional Hospital. In his free time, Jim enjoys fishing, hunting, hiking, golf and traveling.

Tom Ring is a hydrogeologist with the Water Resources Program of the Yakama Nation.  He has held this position since 1990 and, in that role, has worked on a variety of projects involving groundwater and surface water quantity and quality, water rights, irrigation and fisheries issues and planning for future water needs.  Previously he worked for the Water Resources Program at the Washington Department of Ecology.  Tom has Bachelors and Masters of Science degrees in geology from Central Washington University and Northern Arizona University respectively.  He has taught geology and hydrogeology classes at Central Washington University and is a licensed geologist and hydrogeologist in Washington State. When not working, he enjoys hiking, climbing, and skiing in the mountains of the west.

Pat Spurgin is an attorney, Yakima, WA

Steve Suagee is an attorney who has represented Native American Tribes up and down the West Coast.   Mr. Suagee has worked with the Hoopa Valley Tribe on the Trinity River in northern California, and for the past five years, with the Colville Tribes as a reservation based attorney on the Columbia, Okanogan, and San Poil Rivers in north central Washington.  He has worked on instream flow issues for 14 years and much of the work he has done in both California and Washington has involved protection and restoration of stream flows. Mr. Suagee is a graduate of the University of Michigan, and received his JD from the University of Oregon School of Law in 1986.  Mr. Suagee also is a member of the Board of Trustees for the Indian Law Section of the Washington State Bar Association, and member of the Cherokee Nation.

Cleve Steward is a senior fisheries scientist and conservation biologist with AMEC Earth and Environmental, Inc.  He provides technical assistance in analyzing environmental impacts, complying with governmental regulations, and resolving conflicts involving fisheries and aquatic resources, with emphasis on water management, land use, watershed analysis, habitat mitigation and restoration, and fisheries research and management. He has over twenty five years experience and education in salmon and trout ecology and management, both as a government employee and as a private consultant and has worked with agencies, tribes, utilities and conservation groups. He received a bachelor's degree in Wildlife studies at the University of Montana and completed his master's in Fisheries at the University of Washington.  He is an active member of the American Fisheries Society, American Water Resources Association, and American Institute of Fisheries Research Biologists, and is co-founder and current Executive Director of the Sustainable Fisheries Foundation.

Joe Cook, CFA, CPA, has over 20 years of real estate, investment and finance experience working for major institutional investors.  Mr. Cook holds a B.A. in Economics from Standford University and is a member of the Seattle Society of Financial Analysts and the Washington Society of CPAs.  He also has served on the Investment Advisory Committee for both the Seattle and Tacoma city employee retirement systems.  

Noel Treat is currently General Counsel for Seattle Public Schools where he is chief legal adviser to the Board of Directors and the Superintendent. Prior to joining Seattle Public Schools, Noel served as chief of staff for the King County Executive and chief of staff at Seattle City Light.  He has also worked as the deputy director for the King County Facilities Department and policy officer for the King County Department of Natural Resources. In addition, Treat was a senior deputy prosecutor and section head at the King County Prosecutor’s Office and has served as the city attorney for several jurisdictions.  Noel earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Colorado College and a law degree from the University of Arizona.  He is the father of three young children and obsessed with fly-fishing small streams.    

ADVISORS

Gareth Green, PhD, currently teaches Economics at Seattle University. He received his PhD in Agricultural and Resource Economics in 1995 from the University of California at Berkeley and his BA in Economics at the University of Washington. Prior to joining Seattle University, he taught micro and macroeconomics at Western Washington University and natural resource economics and microeconomic theory at Washington State University. Green's research interests include natural resource and environmental economics, investment theory, the economics of technology adoption, and statistical modeling. Specific examples of his research include designing water purchase programs for the Bureau of Reclamation for salmon habitat restoration in Idaho and Washington, developing and instituting water pricing policies in California irrigation districts, estimating the technology-adoption response to water pricing regulations, and examining the potential for environmental water marketing and leasing in Washington.

Wick Dufford, is a lawyer who represented Washington State in water resource matters for many years as Assistant Attorney General.  He is a former chairman of the Washington State Pollution Control Hearings Board, the trial forum for most water resource cases in the state.  He has taught water law as a member of the Gonzaga University Law School faculty, and he has written a number of articles on the topic of water law. Mr. Dufford currently serves as a land use Hearing Examiner for San Juan County and for the cities of Bellevue and Tacoma.  He is a graduate of Princeton University and the University of Washington School of Law.

Patricia L. Olson, PhD, holds a double major in International Relations and Geography, an MS in Physical Geography from the University of Calgary and a PhD in Hydrology from the University of Washington.  Her dissertation research focused on groundwater-surface water interactions, with emphasis on aquatic relationships. She was formerly director of the Pacific Watershed Institute an organization dedicated to integrating ecosystem science with management in aquatic systems.  Between obtaining her advanced degrees, Ms. Olson worked for the Division of Waters, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.  As statewide Instream Flow Program manager, she developed partnerships among tribal, federal, state and local governments that led to implementation of Minnesota’s instream flow program.  At the Pacific Watershed Institute, Ms. Olson  developed watershed assessment, monitoring and restoration strategies for tribal and federal governments and other partnerships.  She has also provided scientific and technical advice and testimony on water rights issues in Washington, particularly in relation to effects of groundwater appropriations on stream flow and aquatic habitat.  She is currently works with Washington Department of Ecology in Olympia.

Norman K.  Whittlesey, PhD, is Professor (Emeritus) of Agricultural Economics at Washington State University, where he has been since 1963.  During his tenure at WSU, he has been heavily involved in research and teaching related to production agriculture, irrigation development, water policy and environmental economics throughout the West. Mr. Whittlesey has authored over 200 publications related to water value, allocation and conservation.  In 1987, he won the prestigious Award for Professional Excellence from the American Agricultural Economics Association in recognition of his distinguished policy contribution for work in water policy related to irrigation development in the West.  He has been involved in many consulting efforts, including as lead economist on a U.S. Supreme Court case evaluating economic benefits and damages in Texas and New Mexico involving long-disputed allocations of the Pecos River.  He is currently serving a similar role for a similar case involving the Arkansas River.  He has served on numerous regional and national committees and task forces engaged in policy development for solving environmental and natural resource management problems.

Tyler Krutzfeldt, is Founder and Managing Director of Mont Vista Capital, a leading provider of investment banking services to the low-carbon economy.  Mont Vista Capital clients represent the full spectrum of alternative energy industries from biofuels and ethanol to bioenergy, wind energy, biomass, waste to energy, and CleanTech sectors. He received a Bachelor's of Science degree in Applied Agricultural Economics from Texas Tech University. He is a third generation Montana rancher involved in agribusiness.