Meet our staff

David joined in 2024 and brings with him a diverse set of experiences that range from venture-backed startups to the Peace Corps to marketing footwear.  His love of the outdoors and his desire to protect it for future generations drew him to the Land Trust. 

He’s looking forward to amplifying the Land Trust’s amazing work so more people in the region know about its impact.  He’s a slowing runner who still has a few miles left in his tank before his knees call it quits.

Amy has worked for nonprofits since 1998, and has been with Columbia Land Trust since 2010. Amy oversees our organizational systems and employee programs. Outside of the office, she likes to spend time with her family.

Janna joined Columbia Land Trust in 2025 after 18 years in private practice where she focused on timberlands, conservation and real estate transactions. She feels fortunate to call the Pacific Northwest home and extremely privileged to be able to apply her skills to protecting and restoring its wild places. Janna enjoys binge reading, amateur gardening, and watching her kids play sports.

Originally from the green mountains of Vermont, Keely has called the Pacific Northwest home since 1999. She spent much of her early career as an advocate and fundraiser for the arts—performing with local dance companies herself for a decade and a half—before making the move to conservation. She joined Columbia Land Trust in 2019 as Grants Manager and thoroughly enjoyed writing about the inspiring work of this organization. Keely stepped into the Development Director role in October of 2024 and embraces the opportunity to connect more directly with our amazing supporters and lead on fundraising strategies that will support the Land Trust’s ambitious conservation goals. When she’s not exploring Portland’s culinary bounty, she enjoys camping, reading, hiking, and (flatwater!) kayaking.

Meg Rutledge joined the Land Trust as Executive Director in 2023. With a doctorate in environmental management, she previously served as the Director of Biodiversity Threats at the New Zealand Department of Conservation, and before that led a wildlife NGO in Nelson, New Zealand. Meg values collaborative approaches to conservation that look to integrate livelihoods, cultures, and ecological outcomes. She was drawn to Columbia Land Trust’s reputation for considering people and science as equally important. Meg is a keen trail-runner, and a sometimes cyclist and climber, making the Pacific Northwest the perfect place to explore and conserve.

Ian is charged with the care and management of all of Columbia Land Trust’s lands—no small job. From conducting site evaluations to exhaustive long-term management plans to executing complex habitat-restoration projects, Ian makes sure our lands are the best they can be. A Land Trust employee since 2000, he lives with his family in a wooded retreat along Gee Creek in Washington.

Nate supports our conservation team’s three core functions: conservation planning, conservation project development, and real estate transactions. His work also includes strengthening organizational relationships that support our mission and advancing conservation policy in Washington and Oregon. Based in our Vancouver office, Nate has been at the Land Trust since 2016.

Second generation Korean Chinese immigrant, born in Portland, Oregon. Adam prioritizes community building by mentoring students at the Blueprint Foundation, and receiving mentorship in ITEK, social justice, and stewardship practices. He finds opportunities to listen, learn, and practice knowledge from the community.

Adam started working in conservation thanks to workforce development programs like PGE’s Project Zero. He is open to sharing his journey, and willing to help folks any way he can. At Columbia Land Trust, Adam primarily works in the field assisting natural area managers with their restoration projects and monitoring efforts.

Debbie joined the Land Trust in 2015 with 20 years of experience in nonprofit accounting and a passion for the health of our wonderful earth. She’s thrilled to work alongside like-minded folks doing work she cherishes. Outside the office, Debbie loves to walk with her dog, Hannah, and tend to the mini-forest on her apartment balcony.

Amy joined the Land Trust in early 2023, bringing more than 25 years of experience in tidal wetland research, monitoring, and restoration. She is fascinated by the interaction of hydrology and vegetation, and how this can inform restoration. She has spent many hours in waders and boats collecting data throughout the Columbia River Estuary and is excited to expand this experience to prairie and forest ecosystems. Amy leads our ecological monitoring program and conducts data analysis to inform our strategic management decisions. Outside of the office Amy enjoys hiking, traveling, and gardening.

Theo moved to the Pacific Northwest from Tennessee in 2014 and became a lover of all outdoor spaces. They joined the Land Trust admin team in March 2022 while finishing their undergraduate program. They have since earned a BS in ecosystem sustainability with a focus in justice studies. They are passionate about sustainable transition and environmental justice. In their free time, Theo enjoys hiking, camping, reading, playing board games, and spending time with their snuggly cat.

Peter Condra joined Columbia Land Trust in 2022 after working for over a decade in event planning and business administration. His professional origins are in Portland’s music community, as a guitarist and as an event producer formerly at Mississippi Studios and She Shreds Media. In his spare time, he loves planting trees, going to shows, and spending time with his partner Izzy and their dogs.

Kate has been taking care of Columbia Land Trust properties in the Columbia Gorge and East Cascades as a Natural Area Manager since 2013. In 2025, she took on the role of Conservation Easement Manager, overseeing easement properties from the coast to the Klickitat River watershed. In addition, she still manages the Land Trust properties in Hood River near her own backyard, where she seeks to balance the needs of human and non-human communities who rely on the river corridor. Hula hooping makes Kate happy.

Since 2002, Lindsay has headed up a wide array of restoration and land-management projects in the East Cascades, including the removal of eight miles of road from the Klickitat River floodplain. A writer and storyteller at heart, Lindsay enjoys exploring with her family and her llamas from her home base in White Salmon.

Max comes to Columbia Land Trust from Eugene, Oregon where he worked developing an inclusive community program for youth. Raised in the Willamette Valley, Max draws inspiration from the wild places around him and the diverse ecosystems of the Northwest. He is excited to apply his experience to the work of the Land Trust by connecting people to nature and sharing unique conservation stories. In his free time, he enjoys trail running, biking, and traveling with his family.

Marie joined the Land Trust as Executive Assistant in 2023, providing key support to the Executive Director, leadership team and board of directors. Marie has a passion for community-centered work and comes to the Land Trust after several years of direct service at a local shelter. She is an Oregon State alumna and holds a master’s degree in International Affairs focusing on conflict and peacebuilding from the Geneva Graduate Institute of Switzerland. When not organizing and maintaining schedules, you’ll find her making flower arrangements and spending time with her pup in the family garden.

Kelsey joined the Land Trust in 2021, bringing several years of nonprofit communications experience to her role. She is honored to use her skills and creativity to elevate powerful conservation achievements, and to share stories of the incredible ecosystems and communities we work in. She loves exploring the forests, rivers, mountains and gluten-free bakeries of the Northwest.

Helen joined Columbia Land Trust in 2019 as the Administrative Assistant. In 2021, she transitioned to the Stewardship Team as a Stewardship Assistant, where she gets to live out her passion for conservation by caring for our conserved lands. Helen recently earned her Bachelor’s degree in Fisheries and Wildlife Science from Oregon State University, with a focus in ecological restoration. Outside of work, she enjoys adventuring outdoors with her family and admiring old-growth forests.

Ashley joined the Land Trust in 2025 and has worked in both programmatic and fundraising roles for nonprofits since 2014. Outside of work, Ashley serves on the board of the Exotic Bird Rescue of Oregon and volunteers for a Willamette Valley bird banding effort. She fills her free time with an ever-growing list of hobbies including trail running, climbing, birding, gardening, and more!

Born and raised in the border town of San Diego, CA, Lu’s love of nature started at a young age going camping and hiking with their family. After spending time traveling through many different regions and working on farms seasonally, they relocated to the PNW to pursue a career in the environmental field that would continue to fulfill their ancestral calling to tend to land. They participated in workforce development internships led by Wisdom of the Elders and Friends of Tryon Creek that were focused on Indigenous Traditional Ecological Knowledge, habitat restoration, and environmental justice, which then led them to join the stewardship team at Columbia Land Trust. In their free time they enjoy canoeing, crafting, and spending time with loved ones.

Born and raised in the Pacific Northwest, Mariah joined the Land Trust in 2023. She has worked in nonprofit administration since 2016 and is excited to join the Backyard Habitat team to assist gardeners in creating greenspaces that benefit both people and wildlife.

Kate comes to the Backyard Habitat program as a personal learner of the patterns and relationships of humans and non-humans who live here, land stewardship and permaculture farming, regenerative landscape design, and wetland and pond design and construction. Kate has always lived in what is now called Oregon and has a deep affinity with the places and biomes that make this place special. They have been exploring their own settler colonial worldview and the impacts of this worldview on our daily life cycles and the non-humans we live with. They weave this process into their work at Backyard Habitat to learn alongside other non-native humans to deepen our care for the place we love and build new practices to engage with our fellow beings. Kate is passionate about water resiliency and waterbody creation, forest advocacy, wetland ecology, decolonization, and climate resilience. They are always excited to have conversations about these topics, so feel free to ask.

After joining the Land Trust in 2017, Sanoe worked her way up through the ranks from Stewardship Assistant to Natural Area Manager and now oversees two large, complex properties in the Land Trust’s portfolio. She enjoys the physicality of on-the-ground restoration and revels in the meticulous detail landscape-scale conservation requires. In her spare time, Sanoe is a connoisseur of tequila, master jigsaw puzzler, and massive fútbol fan.

Jeff Kelly joined Columbia Land Trust as a Natural Area Manager in 2025. Before joining the Land Trust, he worked in federal and state government focused primarily on forest management. Outside of work Jeff enjoys gravel biking, backpacking, skiing, and watching the Colorado Avalanche.

Hannah joined Columbia Land Trust in 2023 after more than a decade working as an environmental educator at several organizations including Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium and Nisqually Reach Nature Center. She holds a Biology degree from the University of Puget Sound and is glad to return to the Portland/Vancouver area where she grew up. Outside of work, Hannah enjoys birdwatching, jigsaw puzzles, and outdoor adventures with friends and family.

Kari joined Columbia Land Trust in 2025, bringing nearly two decades of experience in Northwest nonprofits and a deep passion for conserving the Pacific Northwest’s habitats, lands, and waterways. She believes that a strong connection to nature is essential for both physical and mental wellbeing and sees conservation as a vital investment in public health infrastructure. Kari holds an academic background in botany, conservation, and natural resources. Her previous roles include work with Friends of the Children, the PSU Foundation, and OMSI. Outside of work, Kari enjoys knitting, VW camping adventures with her family, and cheering enthusiastically from the sidelines as a proud soccer, futsal, and basketball mom to her two sons.

Adam Lieberg joined the Land Trust as a Natural Area Manager in June of 2022. Prior to settling down at the mouth of the Klickitat River in Lyle, WA, Adam worked as a field biologist monitoring a variety of plants, trees, and critters from the northern Rockies to the eastern Sierras. Adam has a passion for all things natural history and is always looking to get off the beaten path and explore wild places.

Born and raised in Kansas, Elizabeth moved out west in 2014. She worked in various land stewardship and restoration roles until heading back to school to earn a graduate certificate in GIS at Portland State University. She joined the Land Trust in 2022 and is excited to use her ecological knowledge and technical skills to support the Land Trust’s mission. In her free time, you will find Elizabeth birding, baking, and spoiling her dog, Henry.

Emily has worked for the Land Trust since 2014. Before joining the Land Trust she worked on habitat restoration projects for watershed councils and a local stormwater utility. Her master’s degree research took her to the Ecuadorian Andes, where she studied grassland plants at an elevation of 12,000 feet. When she’s not traveling, Emily enjoys being home in the Northwest and caring for her flock of backyard chickens.

Since 2021, Cindy has been monitoring bird use of Cranes’ Landing in the Vancouver lowlands to inform stewardship planning and management. Her previous experience includes wildlife and botanical fieldwork, specializing in avian surveys, in the wonderful variety of habitats of the Pacific Northwest. When not immersed in the activity of Sandhill Cranes and their associates, she spends her free time on volunteer activities, hiking, gardening, reading and puzzles. She is always birding!

Brad has been working in natural resources since 2012, primarily doing invasive species control, riparian restoration projects, and botany. Growing up in Southern Oregon, he gained an appreciation for plants and their foundational role in the ecosystem. In his spare time, Brad enjoys playing strategy board games and hunting elusive mariposa lilies.

Born and raised in Okinawa, Japan, Marian moved around the Northeast, South, and Northwest before settling in the Portland area in 2015. She has worked at non-profit organizations in development since 1994, specializing in Raiser’s Edge database software. Marian spends her free time reading or checking out new places and foods to try with her husband.

Rachael Pecore-Valdez is an environmental scientist and educator who began learning about Pacific NW plants as a child growing up around a farm near Aurora, Oregon. At OSU, she studied BioResource Research and completed an honors thesis evaluating pesticide exposure in juvenile steelhead. While she is a science nerd at heart, she recognized that the lens of Western science often misses how all the dots relate. This led to an MS in Holistic Science with a focus on multiple ways of knowing at Schumacher College. Rachael’s work has centered on leading nonprofit volunteer and education programs in water quality monitoring, beach clean-ups, nature connection, and Science-Tech-Engineering-Arts-Math education.

Susie is passionate about helping community members create vibrant and beautiful spaces in their yards and neighborhoods. Before joining the Land Trust she worked at Friends of Trees helping neighbors at community planting events. Susie loves nearly any outdoor activity, but especially enjoys hiking, camping, birdwatching, and looking for interesting flora and fauna.

The core tenant of Katie’s career has always been collaboration, from shellfish restoration projects on the East Coast and forest restoration in the East Cascades, to commercial fishing regulations in federal waters off the West Coast. She enjoys finding solutions to tough challenges and doing so with as many diverse people as possible. She is excited to take her varied experiences and apply them to land stewardship with Columbia Land Trust. Outside of work Katie loves to read, be outside and play with her dog Trea.

Greer began restoring trails in National Parks as a teenager, and has loved working and recreating outdoors ever since. When she moved to the Pacific Northwest, Greer worked in riparian habitat restoration and water quality with the Clackamas River Basin Council. She then obtained her Masters degree in Geography from Portland State University, where she researched the effect of dam removal on riparian vegetation. Greer is so excited to help people create native habitats in their own backyard. In her free time she enjoys sewing, yoga, hiking, and spending time with her two kids.

Jennifer started her career with Columbia Land Trust in 2021 as the Advancement Administrative Assistant and in January 2025 transitioned into her current role as Development Manager. She is passionate about nonprofit fundraising and is excited to use her skills in a way that will make a lasting impact on our region. In her free time, Jennifer enjoys trying new recipes, going to spin classes, and picnicking when the weather is nice!

Karen has been a site technician with the Backyard Habitat Certification Program since 2014. She has also worked as a freelance landscape designer, working with residential clients and Backyard participants to create habitat friendly gardens. She created the Urban Habitat Garden design templates featured on the Backyard Habitat Resource page. She has worked at several retail nurseries and spent a summer maintaining a 70 acre estate garden near Forest Park.She earned her landscape design certificate from Portland Community College and studied Horticulture at Clackamas Community College. Karen’s most valuable experience has come from working in her own Portland gardens for over 30 years. In her free time Karen enjoys hiking, wildflower ID, enjoying a good beer, and hanging out with her partner and their two sweet cats.

Hailing from the Willamette Valley, Kat found her footing in communications and conservation while working for nonprofits in Nevada and southern Oregon. Connecting people around the shared goal of protecting wild places is her way of combining her creative passions with an enduring love of nature. Kat joined Columbia Land Trust in 2023 and hit the ground running with the East Cascades Oak Partnership. In her free time, you’ll find her making music and visual art, enjoying whitewater sports, and exploring with her dog, Washburn.

Stacy joined the Land Trust in February 2023 as a Technical Coordinator for the East Cascades Oak Partnership. She holds a M.S. in Ecology from Montana State University with a varied background in plant ecology, grazing, invasive species, and pollinators. She is excited to bring her expertise and technical knowledge to the ECOP team. Stacy enjoys hiking, birding, and botanizing wherever she goes!

A second-generation real estate industry professional, Pamela is honored to combine her years of real estate experience with her love for the Pacific Northwest wild spaces. Raised in the dusty dry desert of the SW, she now happily calls the rainy Pacific Northwest her home. In her spare time she enjoys traveling, reading, and listening to vintage vinyl records.

Austin was raised on the northern Oregon Coast, where he returned after graduating from Humboldt State University with a degree in soil science. He has worked for various conservation organizations throughout the Northwest, many of which specialized in restoration of riparian, forestry, and wetland habitats as well as agricultural impacts to water quality. Austin enjoys surfing, fishing, and hunting.

Alex joined the Land Trust in July 2024 as a Natural Area Manager. She started her career in habitat restoration right out of college in 2018 where her love for controlling invasive plants bloomed. Her passion for restoration has taken her many cool places including San Francisco, Crater Lake National Park, Southeast Alaska, Wyoming and finally to Astoria, Oregon! She is thrilled to be back on the coast and helping to steward these beautiful lands. She loves cooking, reading, crocheting, and anything outdoors.

Born and raised in the woods of New Hampshire, Ian joined the Land Trust in 2019 bringing a passion for world-saving projects. He has managed fiscal & contract operations for various social service non-profits since 2002, most recently in Santa Cruz, CA. In his free time, Ian is a tax accountant, hot springs enthusiast and dance–party DJ.

Since 2010, Jennifer has managed, monitored, and cared for our lands in our stewardship department, where she applies her keen mind in the management of our land-information systems. Her previous work includes consultant work with the Golden Gate National Recreation Area and natural area management with the Washington State Department of Natural Resources. She spends her free time marveling at her young son, growing food, and getting outside as much as possible.