Who We Are
Pilchuck Audubon is led by a devoted Board of Directors and staff that champions and sustains our mission of conserving and restoring natural ecosystems focusing on birds and other wildlife for the benefit of the earth’s biological diversity. Our Board of Directors ensures that this mission is fulfilled by providing strategic direction and resources to support our community programs, science, and advocacy.
Staff
A Kansas City native, Brian has slowly worked his way west. He earned a B.S. in Wildlife, Fisheries, and Conservation Biology from Kansas State University and an M.S. in Biology from Fort Hays State University before moving on to work for the Wyoming Game and Fish Department and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.
His background as a wildlife biologist has taken him across several states where he's worked to conserve multiple federally endangered species and dozens of Species of Greatest Conservation Need. He’s conducted nighttime surveys, roaming the prairies of Kansas and Wyoming in search of black-footed ferrets and snowshoeing in the dense forests of Jackson Hole surveying Great Gray and Boreal Owls. He’s even wedged himself through narrow passages in caves and abandoned mines testing bats and their hibernacula for white-nose syndrome. Brian has served in leadership roles with other wildlife nonprofits, such as The Wildlife Society and American Society of Mammalogists, at local, regional, and national levels.
A published scientist, Brian is passionate about conservation and education, and enjoys backpacking, gardening – and birding – in his free time.
Executive Director, Associate Wildlife Biologist®
Brian Zinke
Board of Directors
Education: B.S. Forest Resources, University of Washington. Summer field work laying out and documenting vegetation transects and plotting old-growth cedar stands in Washington.
Master of Forest Resources, University of Washington. Thesis: An Interpretive Plan for Hungry Horse Dam and Reservoir in Montana.
Career: Early career in park planning and writing Environmental Impact Statements (10 years).
Started and managed the Snohomish County Surface Water Management Division (9 years). Watershed plans, stormwater regulations, lake restoration, flood management plans, salmon habitat planning and restoration.
Vice President, CH2MHILL. Provided consulting for local and state governments in watershed planning, stormwater utility creation and planning, stormwater design and low impact development design manuals (18 years). Provided training to local governments on the Department of Ecology’s stormwater design manual.
Professional Activities: Early in career served as Vice President and Program Committee Chair for the Bighorn Audubon Society in Sheridan, Wyoming. Taught a 2-hour class in ornithology at the local community college in Sheridan.
Taught geology at Edmonds Community College for four years.
Served on the Shorelines Hearings Board for two years.
Helped draft the stormwater sections of the original Puget Sound Plan.
Created and co-chaired the American Public Works Association Stormwater Managers Committee in Washington State (20 years). Received APWA award for technical excellence.
Helped create and served on the Board for the Center for Urban Water Resources Center at the University of Washington. This Center conducted and published the best and most important research in the nation on the effects of urbanization on streams, watersheds, salmon habitat and water quality.
Frequent presentations at regional and national professional conferences on stormwater, erosion control, salmon habitat protection and restoration, low-impact development and smart growth.
Served on the Board of Directors for People for Puget Sound for six years. Board Chair and corporation President for three years.
Personal: Married to Barbara Derry, three grown sons, lives in Edmonds, retired. Skis, plays soccer (youth coach 20 years). The Bill Derry Band performs rock music for dances, weddings, and parties. Bill performs solo music (guitar and vocals) for restaurants, parties, wineries, and bars. Writes and records music in home studio.
President
Bill Derry
Elizabeth has been interested in birds since her childhood years in S.C., where she helped her dad identify backyard birds and build bird feeders and nest boxes. Her favorite birds are warblers, and birding by ear is a favorite challenge that she bores her family and friends with. Growing native plants, making art, and woodworking are other interests. Elizabeth has lived in the Everett area for 33 years, and works at the Everett Public Library, where she's been lucky enough to set up several Pilchuck Audubon birding talks by Brian and volunteers.
Secretary
Elizabeth Koenig
Vacant
Interested in serving? Contact us at president@pilchuckaudubon.org
Avian Science Committee Chair
Ralph Tolle
Ralph is a resident of Edmonds and is looking forward to chairing the conservation committee. He accepted this position because he’s a true lover of nature, because it is time for him to stand up for those who have no voice and help protect them, and because he believes in the Iroquois philosophy of the Seventh Generation Principle (decisions today must consider the next 7 generations).
Ralph retired from the United States Air Force as an officer and had a second career as a high school physics and math teacher. He has a Bachelors, Masters, and PhD degree in aeronautical engineering, and enjoys playing volleyball, tennis and racquetball, as well as tutoring students in math and science. He volunteers at PAWS (originally helping with facilities and now with phone calls) and greatly enjoys spending time with family.
“I’m extremely impressed with the committee’s activities and look forward to being a part of this strong and deep team of experience; I realize that I’m new to this and I will be leaning heavily on other members of the committee who have so much more experience than me.”
Conservation Committee Chair
Jeff Hambleton
Jeff’s degree in Zoology from UC Berkeley sparked a lifelong passion for birding. In 1983 Jeff moved to Snohomish County and with his wife Eileen raised three sons who share their passion for outdoor adventure and the environment. After 36 years as a family doctor, retiring has allowed more time for family (6 grandchildren), travel, camping, gardening, and of course birding. As a Board Member, he hopes to engage new members and support the mission of Pilchuck Audubon.
Development Committee Chair
Kelly Dufour
Kelly was born and raised in Ohio and recently relocated to Washington. She has a background in wildlife management and environmental planning - BS in wildlife management and masters in city and regional planning from Ohio State University. Kelly's spent early years researching earthworm ecology, grassland birds, raptor parasitology, endangered butterfly propagation, and GIS land use modeling before spending 15+ years in various operational and development leadership roles at Ohio Wildlife Center (Ohio's largest wildlife hospital and education center receiving thousands of wild animals each year, 145+ avian species). In 2021, Kelly led Ohio operations for SECORE International, a coral restoration nonprofit before migrating to voting rights and advocacy work in 2022 at Common Cause. Kelly is passionate about systems that work for all of us, reducing human/wildlife conflict, and helping people realize our place is alongside nature, not on top of it! She's excited to bring her nonprofit experience to Pilchuck Audubon and can't wait to meet our members!
Membership Committee Chair
Laurel Cheap
Laurel grew up in Everett, graduated from Cascade High School and earned a B.S. in Math and Computer Science from Western Washington University. She is a software engineer at the University of Washington. Laurel first joined Pilchuck Audubon Society in the late 1980’s and volunteered on the Conservation Committee. She later worked to establish the Snohomish Wetlands Alliance, a now dissolved offshoot of PAS which was a coalition group instrumental in preserving land in the Snohomish River Estuary. Laurel has worked on the PAS Zalesky Classroom Conservation Grants Committee since its inception in 2006 and is now its chair. Laurel is a graduate of the Master Birder program and enjoys bird watching, gardening, hiking, traveling, and volunteering with St. Vincent de Paul and MercyWatch.
Member At-large
Kathy Johnson
Kathy grew up in Seattle and earned a B.S. in Biology from The Evergreen State College and a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from The Ohio State University. She returned to Washington in 1985 and joined PAS in 1987 as part of the “National Forest Watch” program, to monitor timber sales and other activities in the Darrington and Skykomish Ranger Districts of the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest. At that time this work focused on stopping clearcutting of old growth forests in the National Forest. With the Endangered Species Act listing of the Northern Spotted Owl (in which PAS was involved) and later the Marbled Murrelet, the Forest Service shifted to thinning sales. Kathy has continued to monitor and comment on National Forest timber sales, road projects and other issues as Forest Practices Chair. In addition to her work as a small animal veterinarian and with PAS, Kathy enjoys hiking, backpacking, cross-country skiing, and gathering mushrooms, berries, and medicinal plants in our National Forests and other public lands. She is also interested in gardening and native plants, and has a passion for folk music and contra dancing.
Member At-large
Doug Cooper
Member At-large
Doug has two grown children, and four grandchildren. He and his wife Candace moved to Snohomish from Spokane in 2011. He has a BS in Zoology, and a Masters-in-Teaching Art. He taught Biology, Physical Science, and Art in Mead Schools for 36 years.
He has volunteered all of his adult life; Volunteer Firefighter/EMT (27 yrs.), Snohomish County Medical Reserve Corps (5 yrs. still currently involved), Snohomish County WSU Extension Beach Watchers (7 yrs. still currently involved), Driver at Snohomish Food Bank (7 years), and Pilchuck Audubon (on and off 12 yrs). As a member of PAS he has worked to purchase and place an Osprey platform on Archbishop Murphy’s playfield, and helped with bird seed sales. Doug initiated the Christmas Bird Count on Hat Island through Barb the Harbormaster, served as docent at several Swift's Night Out, and participates in the Tuesday birding trips.
Doug stays active with biking, hiking, skiing, birding, and playing his guitar.
He believes in the mission and goals of PAS. He enjoys the people, and relationships. He has time, and he wants to become more involved in an organization with shared meaning.
Tia Benson Tolle
Tia is a Pacific Northwest native, whose upbringing was characterized by a passion for the outdoors and a love of nature. She graduated from the University of Washington with a degree in mechanical engineering, later earning a Master’s and PhD in Materials Engineering from University of Dayton. Additionally, she completed a certificate in Sustainable Enterprise Executive Education & Development from Villanova University, underscoring her commitment to integrating sustainable practices into engineering.
Tia began her professional journey at NASA’s Johnson Space Center. She later transitioned to the Air Force Research Laboratory where she served as a technology leader in the civil service. Eventually, Tia returned to her roots in the Pacific Northwest and currently holds a position at Boeing.
Beyond her professional endeavors, Tia is committed to community service and has held several leadership roles in international technical societies. Locally, her involvement included serving as a Trustee for Edmonds College and a Trustee-at-Large for the University of Washington Alumni Association, and is currently a member of the Board of the CRTC, a non-profit committed to harnessing underutilized resources with the goal of helping communities thrive sustainably.
She enjoys bird photography and strongly believes in Pilchuck Audubon Society’s mission to conserve and restore natural ecosystems focusing on birds and other wildlife.
Member At-large
Elizabeth Vashro
Student Board Member
Elizabeth is a student at the University of Washington studying Aquatic Conservation and Ecology. She started her pursuit of environmental work through the Ocean Research College Academy in Everett Washington where she studied seabirds and climate change. Now, she is continuing this work as an intern with COASST at the University of Washington.
She loves hiking, camping, birding and bird photography. Anything to get outdoors. Most of all, she is passionate about public outreach and getting people to learn and care about the environment. Elizabeth hopes to help PAS engage with younger demographics and make the appreciation and preservation of the environment more accessible to everyone.