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Ted Gathe’s (Chair) career has been spent in public service and in the legal field. He served 20 years as the Vancouver City attorney. His primary area of responsibility was as the legal advisor to city manager, mayor, and council. He oversaw a thirty-person legal office whose major accomplishments were the 58,000-person annexation of the eastern Urban Growth Area; the downtown and waterfront redevelopment, which included development of a city-owned hotel and convention center. Since retirement from public service, Ted has provided legal services to Vancouver Housing Authority, Regional Transportation Council, and Columbia Land Trust as well as pro bono legal advice to local nonprofits. He’s currently a board member and past Chair of the Watershed Alliance of Southwest Washington, board member of Friends of Vancouver Lake. Previously, Ted in several leadership positions on the Municipal Research Services Center (MRSC), the Council of Stewards, and the Hough Foundations, which supports at-risk children. He has a Bachelor of History from Claremont McKenna College and a law degree from the University of Idaho School of Law. Ted is an avid hiker, skier, kayaker, and numerous other outdoor activities.
Glen DeWillie’s (Vice Chair) career as a professional engineer has focused on water resources and environmental stewardship. It spans over 24 years of military and public service and two decades in the private sector. He ended his career as a vice president at Kleinschmidt Associates in Portland. Glen is currently serving on the Clean Water Commission as the Vice Chair and has been a Stream Team volunteer and instructor for tree planting and restoration projects. He serves as a volunteer water quality sampler at Lacamas Lake. He also records potential barriers and spawning habitat for salmonids in the East Fork Lewis River and Kalama River drainages for Trout Unlimited’s Barrier Assessment Team. He’s also active in the Camas Earth Day Society, the Lacamas Watershed Council, the Vancouver VA Gardens program, and the Clark County food bank. He is a licensed Professional Engineer with a Bachelor’s of Science in Civil Engineering/GIS minor from West Point, NY and Master of Science, Civil (Environmental) Engineering from Stanford University.
Tracy Ceravolo is a landscape architect who has designed and installed landscapes focusing on biodiversity and native vegetation since 1994. She is passionate about conservation, environmental stewardship, and creating climate resilience in the local community. Since 2017, she has spearheaded the National Drive Electric Week activities locally. Tracy serves on the board for the Clark Conservation District and is a certification volunteer for Portland Audubon’s Backyard Habitat program in Clark County. She is a small farm owner in the Gee Creek watershed. She has a Bachelor of Science in Horticulture from Montana State University.
John C. Chatel has over 30 years of natural resource experience on a wide variety of topics. His professional background is in fisheries and protecting and monitoring water quality and aquatic species. He retired from the U.S. Forest Service as the Threatened, Endangered and Sensitive Species program manager for the Pacific Northwest region and wrote multiple climate change vulnerability assessments. John has worked on multiple interagency partnerships with various state and federal governments as well as nongovernmental organizations, on subjects ranging from Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) to developing aquatic riparian conservation strategies and developing healthier forest planning. John is passionate about aquatic health since healthy ecosystems are needed for communities to thrive. He volunteers at a local food bank and is looking for new ways to give back to the greater community. He has a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Biology from Humboldt State University and a Master of Science in Environmental Biology from the University of Montana.
Alejandra Cortes is a naturalist for Metro Regional Government’s Community and Education Stewardship Team for six years, where she developed, coordinated, and led environmental education programs. Alejandra has a strong foundation in environmental education and biological research, which, combined with her indigenous heritage and fluency in Spanish, offers Alejandra a unique perspective and professional experience engaging with diverse communities in a culturally meaningful manner regarding environmental issues. She has a Bachelor of Science in Biology with a focus on ecology and evolution from the University of Nevada Las Vegas. Alejandra is avid hiker, kayaker and loves being in the outdoors.
Emily Hess is a licensed hydrogeologist and geologist. She has over ten years of diverse environmental consulting and scientific research experience working with public and private industry clients under state and federal regulations. She has managed environmental site assessment and remediation, as well as brownfield development and stormwater management projects for a wide range of cleanup sites, including mining, ports, petroleum, solid waste, and forest industry sites. Emily has extensive community involvement, including being a volunteer geologist for Mt. St. Helen’s Institute, working with a nonprofit providing tiny home developments, and serving on the board of directors for Community Roots organization. She is an active member of the Vancouver Sailing Club, Leadership Clark County, Women in Environment, and numerous educational and youth organizations in the Vancouver School District. As a lifelong learner, Emily has multiple bachelor’s degrees in chemistry, anthropology, and earth science from the University of Washington and Portland State University. She also has a master’s degree in Geology and an Engineering Geology graduate certificate from Portland State University. She is also an Indonesian language graduate from the US State Department language program.
Rudy Salakory is currently the Conservation Director for the Friends of the Columbia Gorge. Through communication and consensus building, he integrates advocacy, policy goals, and involvement of diverse stakeholders towards common community objectives. Prior to that, Rudy worked for 14 years as the Interim Director and Habitat Restoration and Conservation Program Manager for the Cowlitz Indian Tribe. Rudy’s professional experience in watershed restoration and conservation has provided him with a multi-faceted knowledge base which enables him to successfully work with stakeholders on complex and sometimes contested ecological issues and projects. He has a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Washington State University – Vancouver. Rudy volunteers on numerous area boards that are dedicated to clean, healthy water, abundant fish and wildlife, and a quality of life for the region’s residents. Rudy was named the Lower Columbia Estuary Partner’s 2022 volunteer of the year.
Alison Schweitzer is currently a water quality program manager for King County, where she has developed and managed effective community engagement programs focused on stormwater management through community-based social marketing, agricultural peer-to-peer groups. She has managed multi-agency, cross-jurisdictional projects for Puget Sound’s Stormwater Outreach for Regional Municipalities (STORM). Prior to this role, Alison worked as a Stormwater pollution prevention inspector, where she conducted source control inspections at commercial and multi-family residential properties and investigated surface and stormwater quality concerns. She collaboratively engaged property owners to work towards and achieve compliance. As a stormwater scientist for SoundEarth Strategies, Alison collected hundreds of water quality samples and developed solutions to improve onsite stormwater management. She is very active volunteering through various organizations to educate the public about stormwater, why they should care and how they can be a part of the solution. Alison believes that her experience and her newness to Clark County offer a new perspective. She has a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science and a Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Studies from the University of Washington.
