Puget Soundkeeper Staff:

Chris Wilke, Executive Director & Puget Soundkeeper

Chris Wilke brings his experience in forming coalitions, pollution prevention, development and fundraising along with his boating experience and paddling expertise. A native of the Puget Sound region, Chris has a passion for the environment and all things aquatic. As a child he learned to swim in the cold waters of Hood Canal and dug clams in the rich waters of Sequim Bay. He was certified in SCUBA off Alki Point and later met one of our giant lingcod up close off Edmonds, which was when he learned to swim backward. Whether it’s his knowledge of salmon issues, his experience working on marine mammal research projects with NOAA, or his enthusiasm for our diverse population of intertidal creatures, Chris is steeped in the science behind the Puget Sound story. When not working to protect and preserve Puget Sound with PSA, Chris can often be found on the water, sailing his 22' sailboat “Blue Heron” or fly fishing Puget Sound's rivers, lakes and saltwater beaches. Chris has extensive project management experience in the private sector, a certificate in Fundraising Management from the University of Washington and a background in music and liberal arts studies at Cornish College.

Paul Fredrickson, Program Assistant

Paul has lived by water all his life, and in 1954 began his service with the U.S. Coast Guard. He worked in Search and Rescue, served as Quartermaster-2nd Class in the South Pacific, and served in the Artic. After graduating from college with honors, he worked as an industrial designer, sales manager, and marketing director until his retirement in 1997. He became involved with Puget Soundkeeper Alliance's (PSA) Pollution Prevention programs under Pat Pearson in 1998. Paul has helped PSA with nearly every fundraising event and every clean-up, and has worked PSA booths at countless festivals and shows. His contributions to our outreach in the community are immeasurable. After nearly five years of volunteer work with PSA, he was asked to join the staff as program assistant.

Margy Wallace, Finance Manager
As a child growing up in Portland, Oregon, Margy camped and canoed all over the US with her family. Her dad was a fresh water biologist with Federal Water Supply and Pollution Control (now part of the EPA).  She holds a BS in biology from Portland State University and has worked as a neurochemistry research assistant at the University of Oregon Medical School.  In the field of energy conservation she has worked with the Oregon State Master Conserver program and a conservation pilot program for the city of Portland; and she has been controller for a family business.

Shana Pennington-Baird, Development Director

Shana Pennington-Baird graduated Summa Cum Laude with a BFA from Stephens College.  Settling in Seattle after touring the country with Missoula Children’s Theatre, Shana worked as an administrator for many local arts organizations including Book-It Repertory Theatre, ACT Theatre and the Icicle Creek Theatre Festival, helping secure funding from Amazon.com, JP Morgan Chase, and helping ACT meet financial goals for 2009-2011.  Shana’s background includes event and venue management for hundreds of local events from golf tournaments and weddings to galas and concert seasons.  When not at work, Shana is a dedicated scuba diver and volunteer for the Seattle Aquarium.   Her passionate love of underwater photography helped lead her to Puget Soundkeeper Alliance where she is very excited to help raise funds for a mission close to her own heart.

Erica Slotkin, Development and Programs Assistant

Erica grew up in the Midwest near Madison, Wisconsin in a rural setting.  She  developed a life-long love of the outdoors and nature.  Lakes, boating, and the Mississippi River all played a part in shaping her love of the water.  After moving to Seattle in 1998, she met her husband Doug.  They have two amazing children and currently live in Ballard.  Erica’s career with Puget Soundkeeper Alliance began six years ago as a Soundkeeper volunteer, helping to clean up the Duwamish River waterway as well as helping with various other cleanups and events.  The beauty of Puget Sound inspired Erica to want to be a part of protecting its waters for her children and future generations.  In 2008, she began working part-time for PSA as an administrative assistant.  Erica attended the University of Wisconsin’s School of Education and also has a certificate in Environmental Regulatory Law from the University of Washington.  Her work background includes almost 8 years of preschool and Kindergarten teaching, as well as Retail and Events Manager for the W-Club at the UW-Madison.  Erica enjoys travel, snorkeling, is a certified SCUBA diver, loves camping and hiking and spending time with her wonderful family and friends.

Katelyn Kinn, Legal Affairs Coordinator

The daughter of a Great Lakes fisherman, Katelyn was raised with a close relationship with Wisconsin’s outdoors and a genuine appreciation for marine resources.  Her love and respect for our waterways grew during her childhood sailing classes and throughout her time as a kayak guide on Lake Michigan’s coastline.  Katelyn received a B.S. in International Relations from Boston University in 2006.  During that time, she interned at human rights organization Free Tibet Campaign in London and then at an environmental law firm in Dublin.  Katelyn received a juris doctorate from California Western School of Law in 2009.  She worked at an environmental and mining law firm in central Chile and studied international human rights and asylum law in Malta.  Before sailing north and relocating to the Pacific Northwest, Katelyn enjoyed a year long legal internship with the San Diego Coastkeeper, where she focused on coastal protection and clean water law.  Today, Katelyn coordinates Soundkeeper’s Clean Water Act Enforcement Program, while working to protect the Puget Sound both from inside the Soundkeeper office and outdoors on the water.  Katelyn is a member of the state bars of California and Washington.

Barbara Owens, Pollution Prevention Coordinator

Growing up in Preston, “outside” became a familiar playground for Barbara.  As a life-long native of the Puget Sound region, she has come to know well the plants, animals and diverse ecosystems of the area.  Later in life her curiosity focused on marine environments and intertidal critters.  Barbara never misses an opportunity to be out on the water boating; two of her favorite boats are the R/V Thomas G. Thompson (which she spent a weekend on while working as a teaching assistant) and the historic schooner Zodiac (which she has had the fortune to sail on three times).  For the past ten years Barbara has been involved with environmental education and outreach with an emphasis on marine and nearshore areas.  Barbara completed a BS in Zoology, and later a Master of Marine Affairs with a focus on marine biology, both at the University of Washington.  Her graduate thesis focused on marine recreational boaters and fishers and the opportunity to focus Puget Sound outreach and education programs on this important group of constituents.  The summer between her years of grad school she was awarded the Magnuson Puget Sound Legacy Fund Internship at People For Puget Sound where she worked with the Habitat Restoration team.  She also received several scholarships including one from the Northwest Marine Trade Association.  The Seattle Aquarium has employed Barbara as a “captain” for their Beach Naturalist Program for eight years and she is a volunteer for the Cedar River Salmon Journey Program.  Most recently, Barbara worked part-time for the Alliance for Puget Sound Shorelines.  Barbara lives in West Seattle with her husband with whom she enjoys sea kayaking, walking the beach, rollerblading and sipping their homemade wine.

Julie Angell, Office Manager

Julie grew up on the Sound. She sailed with her family to local ports and spent summers swimming and sailing small boats on Lake Washington with her cousins. Clamming local beaches, walking the shorelines of local parks, hiking and camping in the Cascades all worked together to imprint in her a love of the outdoors and a desire to protect our natural spaces at a young age. In high school, Julie was the youngest member of her Student Conservation Association team and spent part of a summer in the North Cascades on a trail building crew. But it’s her love of being “out on the boat”, sailing with her family and friends on the Sound that ignited in her a passion to switch things up and change gears recently in her professional life, leading her to volunteer with Puget Soundkeeper Alliance in 2011. Julie joined PSA as Office Manager in 2012 and brings her experience in Office Management and her Human Resources background to the team. Outside of the office, Julie is often training for her next personal challenge, be that riding the STP, her next triathlon or a future summit of Rainier. But she treasures every moment spent aboard the C&C 38 she and her partner David sail out of Shilshole Bay Marina.

Puget Soundkeeper Alliance Board of Directors:

Puget Soundkeeper Alliance Advisory Council: