Office Location:
100 Brown Farm Road NE
Olympia, WA 98516

 Mailing Address:
1420 Marvin Rd. NE
Ste. C PMB 243
Lacey, WA 98516

Telephone:  (360) 489-3400
Fax:  (360) 489-3333

 Email:  staff@nisquallylandtrust.org

J.W. Foster became Nisqually Land Trust's second president in March, 2012.  He is a paramedic and firefighter with the City of Tumwater and has lived with his wife Nicki and their four children in Yelm since 1995. Together they have volunteered on many projects with the Land Trust and appreciate the hard work and commitment of the many others who have made the Land Trust’s mission so successful. J.W. is also a Yelm City Councilman, is active with the Lion's Club and has served on the Yelm Planning Commission.

Linda Hoffman is retired from the Washington State Department of Ecology, where she served as Deputy Director and Director. She also worked 25 years for Thurston County in planning, land use, environmental and water management, and as Chief Administrative Officer. Linda’s commitment to conservation and restoration of the Nisqually basin is both professional and personal, as she often recreates with her family in the basin.

Patt Brady recently retired from the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services and has a strong interest in environmental and conservation issues. She joined the Land Trust Board in 1994.

Treasurer
Ann Ryherd

During a 33-year career in Washington state government, Ann held numerous senior management positions including Director of the Office of Financial Management, Assistant State Treasurer and Executive Director of the Higher Education Coordinating Board.  She also served as a member and as Chair of the Pollution Control and Shorelines Hearings Boards.  In addition to state government, Ann held positions in higher education administration and served for 9 years as a member of the Group Health Board of Trustees.  Ann has a life-long interest in conservation and, along with her husband, Mike, has long supported the Nisqually Land Trust

Steve Craig is retired from the Washington State Department of Ecology. He is a past president of the Nisqually River Council and is currently president of the Nisqually River Interpretive Foundation. Steve has been a board member since 1989.

Mary Foster resides in the Upper Nisqually Valley where she volunteers as a Nisqually Stream Steward and is a member of the Nisqually River Citizens Advisory Committee and a participant in the Upper Nisqually Community Forum. Mary commits herself to several organizations that strive toward preservation and enhancement of the environmental, social, and economic integrity of the Nisqually Watershed.

Natives of eastern Washington, Mary Gentry and her husband Fred moved to Olympia in 1966 and never seriously considered living anywhere else. After teaching for  several years in the Yelm and Tumwater school districts, Mary went to law school and subsequently joined her husband in private practice with an emphasis on estate planning. Mary assisted a number of people in establishing conservation easements as well as gifts to existing land trusts or family foundations created specifically for preservation and conservation. Preparing for an ascent on Mount Rainer during her first year of law school not only provided some balance to her life but also established a enduring love of hiking and climbing in the Cascades and Olympics. Mary Gentry brings extensive experience working with non profits to the NLT board, both as a member and an advisor.

William Kogut is a general practice attorney in Olympia, with a commitment to the environment and to conservation. He became a member of Land Trust in 1991 and joined the Board in 1996.

Judy Scavone comes to the Land Trust from the Nisqually Headwaters Coalition, a community group working to preserve the pristine quality of the Ashford area. Judy also serves on the Board of Directors of the Mount Tahoma Trails Association, where she takes great pleasure in facilitating quality outdoor experiences for people from all over the region. Employed at Mt. Rainier National Park, Judy enjoys sharing her love for this local natural wonder, whether hiking, biking or cross-country skiing.

George Walter served as NLT president from the  Land Trust's formation in 1989 until March, 2012. He has served as an Environmental Program Supervisor for the Nisqually Tribe since 1978 and is an expert on the Nisqually basin.  George currently serves on NLT's Board of Directors and its Lands Committee.

Staff

Joe Kane is the best-selling author of Running the Amazon and Savages. His work has appeared in The New Yorker, National Geographic and many other publications. He served on the Land Trust Board of Directors from 1998-2004 and was named Executive Director in 2005.

Connie Bond has lived in the Nisqually River basin since 1979 and has worked for the Land Trust since 2002.  She has experience in journalism, marketing and non-profit management and enjoys photographing the people, vistas and wildlife of the watershed.

Kim Bredensteiner joined Nisqually Land Trust in March 2009. Her work experience includes conservation and field biology work in the Midwest and Pacific Northwest, five years as salmon recovery coordinator for Island County, over 10 years working with GIS, and teaching and managing environmental education programs.

Nikki Dizon interned with the Nisqually Land Trust in 2011 and joined our staff in 2012.  She is a graduate of Western Washington University's Huxley College of the Environment, where she studied environmental policy.  She was also a volunteer for Whatcom Land Trust and interned with Capitol Land Trust.

Nicole Hill joined Nisqually Land Trust in 2010 as Conservation Project Manager. Nicole has worked professionally in the conservation field for more than 10 years partnering with business, agencies, and individuals to conserve natural areas, park space, and working forests and farms. She has a BS in Natural Resource Management from Ball State University and did her graduate work at Clemson University in Land Use Planning.

Sheila brings a lifelong dedication to conservation and expertise in nonprofit development to the Nisqually Land Trust. Inspired by her own volunteer experiences, Sheila entered the nonprofit sector after more than 15 years in corporate communications, merging a love of communications with a passion for connecting people to causes that make their hearts sing. She enjoys skiing and hiking, gardening and the arts, and is always looking to learn something new. Sheila has a BFA in Graphic Design from the University of Washington, and holds the Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) credential.

Land Steward
Charly Kearns

Charly Kearns has tracked spotted owls in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, performed water quality analysis on Isle Royal National Park, helped to protect sea turtles in Costa Rica, and was an Urban Forestry Specialist with AmeriCorps GreenCorps in Minnesota.  Charly was the Land Trust's 2011-2012 AmeriCorps intern and then became our newest Land Steward.

AmeriCorps member Cris Peck graduated with a B.A. in Environmental Studies from Hiram College. He has worked on restoration projects throughout the Midwest, including the infamous Cuyahoga River watershed. He has experience in restoring and developing wetlands, and in watershed education. Cris has a keen passion for protecting the water table, and is excited to learn about the Nisqually Watershed.

Candi Tobin graduated with a major in Environmental Studies from Pacific Lutheran University in 2008. She enjoyed internships with the Tahoma Audubon Society, the U.S.F.S and the Thurston Conservation District before joining the NLT as the Administrative Assistant.