Julie Angell, Operations Director
Julie started sailing on Portage Bay and Lake Washington at the age of twelve. The next 25 years of sailing with friends and family throughout the Salish Sea instilled a deep appreciation in her for the waters that had become so familiar and cherished. Her passion for spending time on the water led her to Puget Soundkeeper where she joined the team in 2011. As Operations Director, Julie oversees Soundkeeper’s accounting, human resources, and information technology and acts as a key point of contact for program staff.
Anna Bachmann, Clean Water Program Director
Director of Clean Water Program Anna Bachmann joined Puget Soundkeeper in the summer of 2019 and is the staff lead for the Lost Urban Creeks Project. She has nearly 30 years of experience working on occupational health, biodiversity conservation, environmental education, and water resource protection.
Anna spent 16 years in Olympia, Seattle, and Port Townsend, and has sailed and kayaked the waters of Puget Sound and paddled many of its rivers. Prior to joining Puget Soundkeeper, Anna also worked at the Port Townsend Marine Science Center with youth and adult volunteers exploring the diverse marine ecosystems of Admiralty Inlet and the Straits of Juan De Fuca. In her current role, Anna is most excited about passing on her love of clean water and expertise in water quality monitoring to the students of the Lost Urban Creeks Project.
Molly Bidwell, Community Outreach & Engagement Coordinator
Molly is originally from Wisconsin where her love of nature began with exploring Midwest prairies, forests, and lakes. After earning her Bachelor of Science in Conservation Biology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Molly moved to Seattle to get closer to the marine ecosystems she is most passionate about. Since moving out west, Molly has grown her knowledge of local wildlife and riparian habitats as a volunteer with the Seattle Aquarium and King Conservation District. Molly is excited to be part of a team that shares her love of the ocean. Outside of work, you can find her studying to become a marine ecologist, hiking, and cooking delicious vegetarian recipes.
Sean Dixon, Soundkeeper & Executive Director
Sean is a former Senior Attorney at Hudson Riverkeeper and most recently worked as Chief of Staff for the Region 1 (New England) office of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Through his work as an advocate and a public official, he has monitored waterfronts on boat patrols, led coastal clean ups, built consensus around novel water permitting approaches, pushed for community-led remediation of legacy industrial sites, and supported the work of frontline communities fighting for equitable access to clean, thriving waterways.
Sean holds an LL.M. in Climate Change Law and a J.D. in Environmental Law from the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University, in White Plains, NY; a master’s degree from the Yale School of the Environment; and a B.A. in Marine Biology and Oceanography from Boston University. He has served as Membership Officer and Council Member for the American Bar Association’s Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources Law and has been an on the adjunct faculty at Yale College, Pace Law School, and Clarkson University.
Emily Gonzalez, Staff Attorney and Director of Law & Policy
Emily is an attorney with a passion for sustainability. She enjoys working with local communities, public and private organizations, and other stakeholders to understand environmental issues and advocate for sustainable solutions. Emily views Clean Water as a fundamental component of a network that spans the globe from households to continents; a network to which all cultural, ecological, and industrial processes belong. The Puget Sound is an invaluable portal within that network.
Emily earned her JD from Seattle University School of Law. She holds a master’s degree in Global Studies and International Relations from Northeastern University and earned a certificate in Sustainable Business Solutions from Harvard Business School.
Stefani León, Membership Manager
Born and raised in Toppenish, Washington, a small town in the Yakima Valley, Stefani has always felt a strong connection with the planet and her passion to protect the water and land eco systems that allow it thrive. After moving to Seattle in 2010 to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree in English at Seattle Pacific University, she fell in love with Puget Sound and has since dedicated her life to ensuring clean water for all. As a longtime volunteer and member of Puget Soundkeeper, she brings an intentional dedication to continue supporting the Soundkeeper mission. When she is not in office, she can be found doing small clean ups along the Sound and capturing the beauty of the earth with her camera. She also enjoys going on outdoor adventures with her boyfriend and her dog, Alice, cuddling at home with her cat Jude, guiding meditations on Insight Timer, and spending time with her wonderful family and friends.
Nicole Loeffler-Gladstone, Communications Manager
Nicole grew up in Santa Cruz, CA on the beautiful Monterey Bay. She’s a graduate of Hampshire College, where she pursued a self-designed Bachelor of Arts degree in Resource Politics and Dance Performance.
She served as the Communications Director for Clowns Without Borders USA for five years prior to joining Puget Soundkeeper. CWB – USA is a humanitarian aid nonprofit, sharing resilience through laughter with communities experiencing the crisis of forced displacement.
Nicole is also a freelance arts and culture writer, and has been dancing, choreographing, and producing performance events for over a decade. Her work is currently supported by 4Culture.
Elif Myers, Volunteer Coordinator
Elif has spent most of her life along the Mendocino and Sonoma coastlines of California, growing a deep appreciation for aquatic ecosystems. Fishing, harvesting, working, and studying along the Pacific coast has provided her with many first-hand experiences alongside marine animals. Although she has been lucky to witness many creatures in the wild, seeing salmon run is still her favorite! Elif recently relocated to Seattle for the opportunity to explore the vast environment of the Pacific Northwest. Outside of work, you can find her studying to become a geologist, rock climbing, playing guitar, or making jewelry.
Teresa Nelson, Development Director
Teresa grew up in Fort Dodge, Iowa, just up the hill from the Des Moines River. With over 19 years of fundraising experience, Teresa brings to Puget Soundkeeper a commitment to engaging supporters and working collaboratively to raise funds for a shared passion—protecting the environment.
Aarin Wilde, Stewardship Manager
Aarin fell in love with the planet growing up in the Midwest, playing in streams, woods, and cornfields. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Geography from Indiana University and has published work on tree-ring climate response in urban forests in Urban Forestry & Urban Greening. After graduating, he jumped ship to Washington state and never looked back.
Aarin considers himself to be a jack of all trades and finds joy in collecting new skills and experiences personally and professionally. He has worked with Cascadia Research Collective in Olympia on their Hawaiian dolphin projects, was a naturalist aboard a whale watch vessel in Massachusetts and served as the Education Manager for Foss Waterway Seaport maritime museum in Tacoma, WA.
Most recently, Aarin was one of the first people in the world to transform human beings into soil through a new ecological disposition method called natural organic reduction (human composting). He also has a strong background in equity in environmental education and is a co-founder of the Queer Environmental Educator’s Network. He brings all these diverse experiences to the table as Puget Soundkeeper’s Stewardship Manager.
Outside of work, Aarin maintains the habits of a man many years his senior, which includes sleeping, baking, poetry, sculpting, and caring for his tuxedo cat and axolotl.
Bruce Wishart, Puget Soundkeeper Lobbyist
Bruce works for Puget Soundkeeper as a lobbyist before the State Legislature and regulatory agencies. Bruce operates a small public affairs firm and has represented environmental groups in Olympia for 34 years. He is a graduate of the University of Oregon School of Law where he worked in the Ocean and Coastal Law Center. When he’s not testifying in committee hearings, he enjoys sea kayaking, surfing, and putting lots of miles on his road bike.