COMMUNITY
ENGAGEMENT
FELLOWS

Carol Anderson, MEd. is a science education curriculum developer with experience designing, developing and delivering multimedia films and online content. Her professional titles include: Director of the Educational Multimedia Lab, Woodring College of Education, Associate Professor, Western Washington University; eLearning Consultant, Microsoft Corporation; Owner, Windwalker Media, LLC.; and Fellow Member of the Explorers Club. Currently, Carol is the Founder and Executive director of the Fly Fishing Science and Conservation Institute which specializes in research within the fields of ecology and environmental science. Carol is an avid sailor, skier, fly fisher and kayaker.

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A place I love in the Salish Sea region: Grandma’s Cove, American Camp, San Juan Island

Math, PE, Design and Careers teacher grade 8-10

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A place I love in the Salish Sea region: Brentwood Bay

Natalie loves living in the Salish Sea region and learning on Coast Salish lands and waters. She grew up in Ohio and has lived on the west coast for a dozen years, first in Vancouver to complete her PhD at the University of British Columbia, then on Orcas Island while writing her dissertation, then Santa Cruz California for postdoctoral appointment in community-engaged research ethics, and now in Bellingham - hopefully her long-time home with her husband and their dog and parrot. Natalie is the Associate Director of Transboundary Initiatives at WWU – which includes the Center for Canadian-American Studies, the Border Policy Research Institute, and the Salish Sea Institute – and she enjoys facilitating connections across the border, across disciplines, and across different ways of living and working in the world.

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A place I love in the Salish Sea region: My friend Jonathan's woods and nettle patch on Orcas Island near Killebrew Lake.

My background is in both public and private sector history, including twenty years of teaching community college students in Oakland, CA and Bellingham, WA. This past summer I attended a two-week NEH Summer Institute, titled Native American West: A Case Study of the Columbia Plateau, which changed my approach to teaching the US History survey. In keeping with this collaborative approach to place-based education, I am looking forward to working with four faculty at WCC to develop an interdisciplinary course examining the social and environmental history of the Salish Sea region.

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A place I love in the Salish Sea region: Guemes Island

I am an English professor at WCC and a member of the college Equity Project. Guiding students as they find their own voice as writers, thinkers and citizens is most definitely my calling. Doing so with equity at the forefront of my teaching lens is profoundly important to my practice. I am deeply committed to family and community, and you can often find me hiking in the hills with my kids and husband, cooking with friends or plotting my next adventure.

A place I love in the Salish Sea: Lummi Island.

Director of Communications and Outreach at the Preservation Trust; live on Orcas Island with wife (Myla) and two dogs; love exploring the Salish Sea by boat

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A place I love in the Salish Sea: Turtleback Mountain 

Things that might be helpful to know about me: Mother to Oona and Rowan. Dedicated forest bather and river swimmer. Dressage rider and pony keeper. Garden planter, pickle maker and berry picker. Bibliophile and lover of stories in all forms. Deming Library Manager. Listener and keeper of the peace. Program planner and decision maker. Passionate and indulgent public library user. Avid learner and community advocate.

A place I love in the Salish Sea: South Fork of the Nooksack River

My name is Mary Dafin. I graduated from the University of Maryland with a degree in Environmental Science and Technology and then relocated to Seattle from Maryland to serve as an AmeriCorps member for the Center for Service-Learning and the Green Team at Edmonds Community College. Growing up in Maryland, I had the opportunity to appreciate the many different ecosystems around me and turned that passion into protecting the environment and connecting humans to nature in a positive way.

A place I love in the Salish Sea: Golden Gardens Park in Seattle offers amazing views of the mountains and the Puget Sound. Sometimes I am able to spot some seals swimming by.

Keith is a registered professional biologist and has worked for the Galiano Conservancy as their Conservation Coordinator and more recently as the Executive Director, since 1998. He has a broad range of experience focused around forest ecology, GIS mapping, and ecological restoration. Keith is inspired by his interactions with students participating in the Galiano Conservancy's education programs and internships.

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A place I love in the Salish Sea: British Columbia

Katie is the Community Engagement Director at Friends of the San Juans. She lives on San Juan Island with her family and is passionate about exploring, enjoying, and protecting the Salish Sea. Katie’s background is in sustainable community development and environmental education. She holds a Masters in Natural Science Education from Huxley College of the Environment at WWU and a BA in Telecommunications from Indiana University. Katie teaches Climate Change and Sustainability courses during WWU’s College Quest and Viking Launch programs. She worked as the Youth Program and Community Outreach Manager at RE Sources for Sustainable Communities in Bellingham before joining Friends.

A place I love in the Salish Sea: Sucia Island

I live in paradise - the Coast Salish lands and the Salish Sea Basin, on San Juan with my children, family, friends, beaches, trees, trails, and whales. For the past six-years I have the most beautiful commute in the world, between San Juan Island and Bellingham, first to attend university, and now for work as a writer and principal administrator, Setting Sun Productions and Board Secretary, WE – White Swan Environmental, both Coast Salish indigenous led non-profit organizations. Along the way I’ve held various board and elected positions with the SJI Food Co-op, and SJ County and 40th L.D. Democratic organizations.

A place I love in the Salish Sea: The Ferry Routes

I am currently working on a new theme for my Humanities course: "Water, source of life and conflict," follow-up to our World Languages multilingual poetry event "Reading Water."

A place I love in the Salish Sea: Oysterville

Benjamin Greené is a filmmaker from the Pacific Northwest. He studied Neuroscience at Oberlin College and co-directed a feature documentary about affordable housing and community in post-Katrina New Orleans. After college, he co-directed Bury Me in Redwood Country about the tallest and largest trees on the planet. This was followed by his award-winning solo directorial debut — Survival Prayer — an atmospheric, deliberately paced film about the language and harvesting traditions of the Haida.

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A place I love in the Salish Sea: Iceberg Point, Lopez Island

Liz is finishing up her M.Ed. in environmental science. Liz is looking forward to moving back to the Bay Area a place she calls home. Liz also works for the Center for Community Learning focusing on Community Engagement Fellows. As an educator  Liz focuses on the importance of storytelling in the classroom and student centered learning. Liz is fond of flowers, and holds a special affinity for desert and shrub-steppe flowers.

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A place I love in the Salish Sea: Walking around downtown Bellingham

I am a Program Specialist at the Center for Community Learning at Western Washington University in Bellingham, Washington. I am part of the CE Fellows convening group and I am looking forward to meeting everyone.

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A place I love in the Salish Sea region: The bioluminescence around Camano island.

This spring I look forward to co-teaching a new course on the Salish Sea with fellow instructors at Whatcom Community College. I enjoy getting creative with curriculum, and recently developed a course that takes a cross-cultural comparative look at social issues in Nepal. Previous research includes an exploration of the experiences of couples in mixed-sexuality marriages within the Mormon faith; understanding the barriers faced by women parolees (in particular, mothers) and their reentry into the community, as well as gender equity issues within academic STEM fields. My goal is to incorporate more hands-on community oriented learning into my coursework in general.​

A place I love in the Salish Sea: Stanley Park

I’m originally from the Bay Area, California and have lived in the Salish Sea region since 2010. I've worked in Technical Services at Whatcom Community College Library in Bellingham since April 2017. I received a Bachelor of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies (Concentration title, Library Studies: History, Literature, and Pedagogy) from Western Washington University/Fairhaven College in 2015. My career purpose is community librarianship. I plan to pursue a Master’s in Library and Information Studies with research emphasis on social justice librarianship, community-led principles, information ethics and policy, and indigenous information initiatives. Pronouns: she/her.

A place I love in the Salish Sea: Galbraith Mountain. My dog, Cookie, and I know the hiking trails by heart.

Nini Hayes (pronouns: they, them, Nini) was born and raised in Washington. They are an Assistant Professor in the Environmental Education program in Huxley College at Western of which they are also a ’03 alumna. Their teaching, learning, and research is centered on equity, justice, and education. They are a former fifth grade teacher (The Seattle Girls' School) and environmental educator.

A place I love in the Salish Sea: Ozette

My name is Clarissa James, I'm a member of the Swinomish Tribe. I'm an Early Childhood Educator, I have been working in Early Learning Centers since 2013. I have a degree in Early Childhood Education and I'm currently pursuing my bachelors degree in Native Studies Leadership. I will be working with Falcon Cultural Resources, LLC to develop indigenous history curriculum for public schools.

A place I love in the Salish Sea: Rosario Beach

I live in Bellingham and work to connect people, organizations, and businesses to their public lands, mainly through recreation. Prior to living in Bellingham my partner and I lived in Marblemount, as well as a number of other states. I enjoy playing outside, whether it is skiing, running, biking or growing food.

A place I love in the Salish Sea: The upper Skagit.

I am primarily an adult educator at Whatcom Community College who is dedicated to student centered, responsive and inclusive teaching. I operate from a place of kindness and compassion, while pushing for ethical and equitable change. I have joined this group to learn, more deeply, about the Salish Sea region.

A place I love in the Salish Sea: Bellingham Bay

Daniel resides partly in Bellingham, USA and partly in the Canadian Gulf Islands. He is a lifelong educator with a focus on fostering learning about nature, human relations, martial arts, spirituality, and global issues. Daniel founded, and for 20 years directed, an experiential high school that prepared teenagers to be global citizens and change agents. He is currently self employed as an educational consultant and writer. Daniel loves gardening, drawing, playing music, building things, and carving wood.

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A place I love in the Salish Sea: Dionysio Provincial Park, Galiano Island

I am passionate about leadership development for sustainability, and am particularly interested in sustainable food systems as an avenue for this work. Although from Minnesota originally, the North Cascades mountains and surrounding communities now feel like home. I coordinate Sustainable Communities Partnership at Western Washington University. This program connects community sustainability needs and desires to WWU faculty expertise and student energy. I also teach sustainability courses on campus.

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A place I love in the Salish Sea: The mountains around Cascade Pass

I’m an archaeologist interested in developing local tribal based curriculums. It’s one of the missions of the company I’m starting. I feel this is a long term endeavor to help Washington state, cultural resources protection, and tribes by presenting authentic information about the past in a way that is relevant and illuminating on the present and future.

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A place I love in the Salish Sea: Clayton Beach

I am the Executive Director and Founding President of the Indigenous Education Institute. I am an Affiliate Professor at the University of Washington, School of Environmental and Forestry Sciences. I am Vice Chair of Whiteswan Environmental (WE). I contract with NASA in areas of space science and one of my specialties and passions in Indigenous astronomy.

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A place I love in the Salish Sea: South Beach areas of San Juan Island

Hi All! My name is Matt, and I'm the Experiential Learning Program Coordinator at the University of Puget Sound. We are working to replicate the CE Fellows model in the Tacoma/Pierce County area, and I am excited to learn from everyone and hear their perspectives!

A place I love in the Salish Sea: Olympic National Park

I am a graduate student in Environmental Education at Western Washington University and a seasonal park ranger through the National Park Service. Before grad school, I worked two years at Deception Pass State Park as the Interpretive Leader through Washington Service Corps; my job was to create and schedule events, partner with local organizations, work with volunteers, and lead educational programs for school groups and the public. There, I fell wildly in love with the Salish Sea and its communities, and I hope to live in the region for years to come.

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A place I love in the Salish Sea: Whidbey and Fidalgo Islands! And the Skagit Valley.

I am passionate about the San Juan Islands. I care about the youth and the environment and our shared waters. I am passionate about the transboundary issues, and look forward to the day that our Coast Salish People have a space and place in their ancestral homelands to practice again. There is a lifetime in learning the old ways. I look forward to meeting you all. I enjoy socializing and building new friendships. You can learn more at https://www.whiteswanenvironmental.org/co-founders.html.

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A place I love in the Salish Sea: The entire archipelago of the Salish Sea, my homeland.

Hello, I am a student at Northwest Indian College and I am pursuing my passion of Indigenous Environmental Studies and Global Change. I am actively involved in many programs that prepare me to become a future leader who remembers a healthy future through the wisdom of the past. Through Whiteswan Environmental (WE) I am involved with the Coast Salish Youth Stewardship Corps and Whatcom Intergenerational High School (WIHS). Such programs help me learn more about who I am and where I come from and how to preserve heritage through academic curricula development of today. You can learn more at https://www.whiteswanenvironmental.org/co-founders.html.

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A place I love in the Salish Sea: The waters are the tear drop of the mountain and I love it all!

Cindy Reuther is co-founder of Whatcom Intergenerational High School, currently seeking authorization from the state of Washington to open a public chartered school for 75 ninth grade students in the fall of 2020 eventually serving 300 students in grades 9-12. Cindy has spent her career working on issues of justice and equity in education. Relatively new to the PNW she is excited to partner with Whiteswan Environmental to encourage knowledge democracy in the region and beyond. WIHS will provide opportunities for learning Indigenous Ways of being with Western knowledge through phenomenon-based learning, critical literacy and intergenerational learning.

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A place I love in the Salish Sea: Doe Bay

For nearly a decade I have dedicated myself to biodiversity research, addressing the challenges of conservation facing this ecologically precious region where so much lies in the hands of private land owners. I curate a community-based biodiversity project on Galiano Island (biogaliano.org) and am currently pursuing the vision of networking other biodiversity projects in the Salish Sea, in partnership with citizens, conservation organizations and research institutes. By appealing to a sense of wonder and curiosity about the natural world, can we inspire respect and admiration as the foundation for a stewardship ethic that extends beyond property lines and borders?

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A place I love in the Salish Sea: Galiano Island

I worked in public education as a science and math teacher and an administrator. As a retiree, I hope my experience in public education can be used to support organizations that serve families and students often under-served or marginalized in the system. Additionally, my science background may be of help and support for environmental issues such as climate change.

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A place I love in the Salish Sea: I love my little home on Fidalgo Island. For me, home represents the love I share with my family members. While I appreciate the many glorious spaces in the Salish Sea, home is the most treasured for me.

I was born in Williams Lake, BC and spent my summers on the westcoast of Vancouver Island (Bamfield) during my childhood. Bellingham has been my home for 25 years and work at WCC in Community Engagement/Service-Learning. I like to walk, listen to audio books (nonfiction!), run in good weather, and adventure in and around the Salish Sea with my sweet and hilarious family.

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A place I love in the Salish Sea: Any island, especially if I'm riding a bike.

I am a historian and a tenured faculty member at Whatcom Community College. My academic training is in American environmental history but the opportunity to teach across multiple fields at a community college has allowed me to explore a wide range of interests. My focus this year is building our geography program. I am also working with WCC and WWU faculty to create a new course on the Salish Sea.

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A place I love in the Salish Sea: The east side of the Olympic Mountains.

Summer is the coordinator for the Volunteer Center of Whatcom County based at the Opportunity Council and is passionate about creating engaged communities.

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A place I love in the Salish Sea: Point White Horn Marine Preserve

I am a coordinator for educational and recreational programs at the Family Resource Center on Lopez Island and have a background in marine biology. I've lived on Lopez for a little over one year now after relocating to the San Juans from Germany where at worked at Kiel University at the Baltic Sea Coast.

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A place I love in the Salish Sea: Shark Reef, Lopez Island

I am a geographer and community educator, and part of the Community Engagement Fellows convening team. I'm delighted that CE Fellows is building more active connections in the islands and other parts of the Salish Sea Region beyond Whatcom County, and I hope this retreat will help that trend continue!

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A place I love in the Salish Sea: On the ferry

As a federal government employee, I have a trust responsibility to Tribes to ensure the rights reserved in the treaty are protected, among other legal rights and protections. I also have a responsibility to members of the general public to ensure proper stewardship of national forest lands in Whatcom and Skagit counties, as designated by law and regulation. I also love pie.

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A place I love in the Salish Sea: The county park on Shaw Island

Enrolled member of the Swinomish Tribe serving on multiple committees, looking to establish connections with those in the archaeological field as well as the educational field. Currently working on developing placed base history curriculum for school districts while working closely with local tribes and tribal elders.

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A place I love in the Salish Sea: WA

If Walt Disney can dream of Disneyland, then WE will dream of the restoration of our village sites, camps, reef-net locations and 13 Moon Food Sovereignty in the Salish Sea. WE will dream of an educational program that supports cultural preservation and environmental stewardship for 7th generation sustainability. WE dream of this for our past, present and future and mother earth. It is an honor to be partnering with so many wonderful people! Please read more at https://www.whiteswanenvironmental.org/co-founders.html

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A place I love in the Salish Sea: 'ALENENEC~our homeland that connects to place, spirit, and traditional language.'

I grew up in the Salish Sea, and was lucky enough to return here after about 15 years of academic wanderings. My research experience as an anthropologist and archaeologist has focused on Andean South America, in part exploring the ways in which the living landscape is part of the cultural system, linking the present to the past. I would like to begin to explore similar themes in the region I call home. I am very much looking forward to the dialog at this retreat.

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A place I love in the Salish Sea: Deception Pass; Mt Baker