Board of Directors

Ron Zee Vice PresidentBoard of Directorshe/him/his Ron and his wife, Elaine, moved to San Juan Island from New Mexico 25 years ago. With their daughters, they operate a twenty-acre regenerative farm. Stewardship has been a major focus of his work, along with attention to climate change and the impacts that the San Juans are and ... read more

Jan Knudson Co-TreasurerBoard of Directorsshe/her/hers Jan decided to join the Friends board after touring our Sucia Island restoration project. She recently retired from a long career in construction management. Jan brings experience in forest management, environmental impact analysis, land use, and environmental policy development, affordable housing, water treatment facilities, and habitat restoration.

Bruce Rylander Co-TreasurerBoard of Directorshe/him/his Bruce joined the Friends board in 2015 because it was an opportunity to apply his skill set to an organization, with a mission that resonated with Bruce’s commitment to preserving the environment and the character of the San Juan Islands. Bruce provides crucial expert insight into the decision process as ... read more

Bob McPherson SecretaryBoard of Directorshe/him/his With a BS in Nuclear Engineering and an ME in Environmental Engineering, Bob began his career in the areas of radiation protection, nuclear criticality safety, and the fate and transport of radionuclides. For several years, he worked as a research scientist in the field of Health Physics. He later received ... read more

Natalie Baloy Board of Directorsshe/her/hers Natalie Baloy, PhD, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Anthropology at Western Washington University. Dr. Baloy’s work is informed by scholarship in critical Indigenous studies, settler colonial studies, and interdisciplinary/transdisciplinary collaborations toward transformation in context and community. She collaborates with colleagues across disciplines and institutions to design interdisciplinary courses ... read more

Joseph Cohen Board of Directorshe/him/his Joe and his wife Martha reside in Eastsound on Orcas Island. Joe’s passion is in empowering donors to increase their current and future legacy giving and enjoy the pleasure of meaningful contributions in their communities of interest. Joe’s undergraduate education was at the US Naval Academy, after which he served ... read more

Kas Guillozet Board of Directorsshe/her/hers Kas joined the Friends’ Board in late 2021 and is excited to bring her experience and passion for collaborative conservation to the organization. She admires the Friends because their work addresses so many critical issues central to the quality of life in the San Juans. Kas holds a PhD in Forest ... read more

Matt Krogh Board of Directorshe/him/his Matt Krogh is a professional change-maker focused on issues of climate change, fossil fuels, and policy. Mostly based in Bellingham, Washington, he has spent his career in nonprofit activism at various organizations, including RE Sources for Sustainable Communities as the North Sound Baykeeper, and at Stand.earth as the US Oil ... read more

Erin Licata Board of Directorsshe/her/hers As a Pacific Northwest native, Erin has worked and played in nature her whole life. Erin resonates with “protecting what she loves” by dedicating herself to the seventh-generation perspective, which imparts that our actions today should benefit at least the next seven generations. Knowing that humans are not separate from nature and ... read more