Board Of Directors - Columbia Land Trust

Officers

Headshot Lisa Amato

Lisa Amato

President

Principal, Amato Mediation

Bio

Lisa is a civil litigation mediator and fourth generation Oregonian. Her grandparents and great-grandparents were farmers and ranchers in rural and urban regions throughout Oregon. She was raised harvesting from the land and was taught to harvest only what is needed because all life depends on a healthy and connected ecosystem.

Increased land and water degradation and the impact of population growth in the Columbia River region inspired Lisa to become involved with the Columbia Land Trust back in 2015. In 2017, Lisa joined the board of directors. She is drawn to the land trust’s strategic planning and collaboration with urban and rural communities, Indigenous Nations, public partners, timber companies, farmers, and private landowners to conserve and steward through a science-based lens.

Headshot Barbara Johnson

Barbara Johnson

Secretary

Superior Court Judge, Clark County, WA. (retired)

Bio

Barbara grew up during the period when career opportunities were opening up for women. She began college at the University of Washington with ambition to become a math teacher. By the time she was a senior, she was invited to a program encouraging women to apply to law school. This led to a career in the legal profession, which included work as a deputy prosecuting attorney in King County, private practice in Vancouver, Washington and Portland, Oregon, and ultimately to becoming the first woman judge in Clark County. After serving twenty-eight years as a Superior Court Judge, she retired from the bench and now does alternative dispute resolution as a mediator and arbitrator.

An internship in the summer of 1973 with the office of the United States Attorney in Seattle inspired her to join Columbia Land Trust’s Board of Directors. As an intern she assisted the lead attorney for the United States representing Indian tribes to enforce treaty fishing rights, the case of United States v. Washington, which is now known as the Boldt Decision. This extraordinary experience for a law student led to a continuing interest in Indian Law, the preservation of the rights of indigenous people in the Pacific Northwest, and the survival of salmon and the environment, which are priorities of the Columbia Land Trust.

Headshot Tim Spofford

Tim Spofford

Treasurer

Vice President of Operations, Hewlett-Packard (retired)

Bio

Tim has been on the land trust finance committee since 2017, a board member since 2019, and Treasurer since 2022. Tim, and his wife of 44 years have two children that are grown and married, and one grandson. He enjoys hiking, cycling, and backpacking around the world and on many of the properties conserved by Columbia Land Trust.

Tim spent his career leading teams across the US and around the world retiring from Hewlett-Packard as Vice President of Operations after 33 years. He continues to support organizations and individuals who pursue their potential through coaching and consulting.
Tim is committed to protecting the lands of the Columbia Basin for wildlife and ensuring access to these lands for future generations.

Board Members

Headshot Charlie Bishop

Charles Bishop

Executive VP of Manufacturing, Pendleton Woolen Mills (retired)

Bio

Charlie is a fifth generation Oregonian who has lived his entire life in close proximity to the Columbia River. He retired from a 40-year career with Pendleton Woolen Mills where he served as Executive Vice President of Manufacturing based in Washougal, WA. While in Washougal, he worked on several community development projects to improve public access to the river. He received a BA in management from Claremont McKenna College and a BS in Engineering from Stanford University. He has served on several for profit and nonprofit boards including Pendleton Woolen Mills, Columbia Land Trust, Columbia Colstor, River View Cemetery Association, and Planned Parenthood.

Charlie is a passionate supporter of Columbia Land Trust’s mission to conserve and care for the vital lands, waters, and wildlife of the Columbia River region through sound science and strong relationships. He believes staying focused on that mission and collaborating with local communities and willing partners is the most effective approach to achieving results.

Headshot Stephan Dillon

Stephan A. Dillon, P.E.

Western Washington Region Manager, Manulife Forest Management

Bio

Stephan is responsible for leading and managing approximately 260,000 forest acres in the Western Cascade Mountains across Washington, Oregon, and British Columbia, Canada. Stephan holds a bachelor’s degree in forestry engineering from Oregon State University and is a Licensed Professional Engineer in both Washington and Oregon State. Upon graduating, he started work with Weyerhaeuser Company, where his responsibilities spanned all aspects of forest engineering and company harvest management. In 2003, Stephan joined the Hancock Forest Management team. He is the Western Washington Region Manager, Manulife Forest Management and has been instrumental in advancing projects and programs including safety, tethered logging, and various engineering designs related to fish passage.

Stephan is a member of the Society of American Foresters, Washington Farm and Forest Association, and Forest Policy committee member for Washington Forest Protection Association. He is an active board member for the Western Forest Conservation Association and Columbia Land Trust.

Headshot Janet Gifford

Janet Gifford

Director of Marketing Online & Continuing Education, Linfield University (retired)

Bio

Janet discovered the Columbia Land Trust when seeking resources for a small urban landscape restoration project. Through the Backyard Habitat Certification Program, she realized that her restoration efforts were connected to much larger swaths of land and water throughout the Columbia River region. Janet joined the Board of Directors to support the collaborative approach of conserving landscapes and protecting wildlife habitat in a region that she and her family call home. She believes in Columbia Land Trust’s commitment to collaborate with Indigenous tribes and diverse groups of people in rural and urban communities, which is making an impact on local conservation goals and contributing to climate resiliency.

Janet worked at Linfield University as the Associate Director and Director of Marketing for Online and Continuing Education. Janet consults on habitat restoration, native plants, and pollinators, and enjoys hiking in the Pacific Northwest.

Headshot Elaine Harvey

Elaine Harvey

Watershed Department Manager, Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission

Bio

Elaine, Wanuxni’, is a Yakama Tribal citizen from the Kamiltpah and Willawitiz Bands of the Columbia River. Wanuxni’, is her traditional name and she dedicates her career to protecting and enhancing First Foods and medicines for future generations. Elaine is the Watershed Department Manager for the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission and previously worked for the Yakama Nation Fisheries and Resource Management Department for nearly 20 years. Elaine serves on other environmentally focused boards to promote tribal access, habitat restoration, and conservation of important lands and rivers for the future. She brings to the board a viewpoint from an Indigenous perspective and provides Traditional Ecological Knowledge to the staff and fellow board members.

Elaine joined the board of directors in 2019. Elaine believes in the conservation mission that Columbia Land Trust pursues and believes that it is essential to conserve lands especially during this time of climate change. She enjoys serving as a board member and spreading the ‘good’ word of how the Columbia Land Trust is benefiting all in the region it serves.

Headshot Molly Jones

Molly Jones

Community Volunteer

Bio

Molly was introduced to Columbia Land Trust many years ago and, as a part-time resident of the Gorge, was impressed by the land trust’s work focused on saving and restoring habitat—both for salmon and for native plants.

As a long-time advocate for conservation issues and volunteer for the Garden Club of America (GCA), Molly developed a digital publication, ConWatch, designed to educate and inspire action about conservation topics. Currently, Molly is Features Editor for the Bulletin, a quarterly magazine distributed to the 18,000 members of the GCA.

Headshot Laura Planck

Laura Planck

Technical Specialist, NV5 Geospatial

Bio

Laura grew up in Portland with a love of being outside. She went to school for environmental science, leading to several jobs including vegetation surveys for the forestry department and restoration work on remote islands. After graduating with a master’s in plant biology where she mapped invasive grasses in California, she now works as a lidar specialist. She specializes in working with utility companies to prevent wildfires and other natural disasters.

Laura has been active with the land trust for nearly a decade. She appreciates the depth of knowledge the staff has of the best practices for restoration. She believes the real success of the land trust’s projects is due to a commitment to work with communities, find common goals, and be good neighbors.

Headshot Rudy Salakory

Rudy Salakory

Conservation Director, Friends of the Columbia Gorge

Bio

Rudy Salakory is the Conservation Director for Friends of the Columbia Gorge. As a long-time resident of the area, he has spent much of his life enjoying, protecting, and restoring the natural beauty and ecology of Southwest Washington and Northwest Oregon. Rudy is honored to be able to help Columbia Land Trust in any way he can to protect, preserve, and restore the lands and places he loves.

Headshot Steve Shields

Stephen Shields

Strategic Planning & Leadership Consultant, Second Pursuits, LLC

Bio

Stephen has served on the Columbia Land Trust board for more than a decade, because he believes deeply in what the Land Trust does and how they go about it. He is proud of how staff, leadership and the board pursue and support productive partnerships with communities, tribes, landowners, and government agencies to conserve properties that truly make a difference and create sustainable, long-term benefits for the region. Stephen works as an organizational consultant focused on leadership, strategy, and organizational change and brings a wealth of managerial and leadership experience to the board. He has twenty years of executive management experience with HP, owns his own company and consults with startups, universities, and other nonprofit boards.

Headshot Lindsay Thane

Lindsay Thane

Attorney, Schwabe Williamson & Wyatt

Bio

Lindsay joined the Columbia Land Trust board to support the land trust’s efforts to promote conservation of important wild places in the Pacific Northwest. As a natural resource and environmental attorney, she recognizes the importance of thoughtful conservation and stewardship of the land. Lindsay grew up immersed in the benefits provided by her local land trust, particularly by exploring the open space lands protected by its work. She is enthusiastic about supporting the work of Columbia Land Trust to see that the benefits of thoughtful conservation—like she experienced—extend to communities throughout the Pacific Northwest.