staff

Friends is looking for a Legal Director and Staff Attorney (Legal Director) to join our team. The Legal Director leads our legal advocacy and litigation practice and participates in many other organizational activities, including policy analysis and advocacy, public outreach and education, fundraising, and coalition building. The Legal Director has a key role in implementing our ... read more

Friends is excited to welcome Brent Lyles as incoming Executive Director. He officially starts with us on September 16. Brent comes to Friends with over 20 years of experience leading environmental protection and education efforts, most recently consulting with nonprofit organizations in Austin, Texas. Prior to consulting, he successfully led two Texas river conservation organizations, ... read more

The Friends of the San Juans, a nonprofit environmental advocacy organization, is seeking a new Executive Director. About the Friends of the San Juans The mission of the Friends of the San Juans (“FSJ”) is to protect and restore the San Juan Islands and the Salish Sea for people and nature. Accordingly, FSJ’s programs foster ... read more

Executive Director Stephanie Buffum has submitted her letter of resignation and retired as of March 1, 2020. Under Stephanie’s 19 years of leadership, Friends has become central to the protection of what is loved by many about the San Juan Islands and the Salish Sea, including the health of marine ecosystems, fragile shorelines, forest and ... read more

Andrew Hursh studies at Vermont Law School, focusing on environmental law, public lands, and international climate change agreements. His motivation for a public interest legal career developed out of his science background and graduate research modeling climate change effects on soils. Andrew is a backcountry enthusiast and reveres special, wild places, which need dedicated public stewards. ... read more

Friends of the San Juans is pleased to announce the appointment of Jennifer Barcelos as incoming staff attorney and Director of Law and Policy. Following a nationwide search for a transformative leader, Jennifer Barcelos has joined our team as Director of Law and Policy. In her new role, Jennifer will be responsible for protecting the ... read more

We are excited to welcome Jess Newley to our team as the new Marine Program Assistant!   Jess has been passionate about marine conservation since her first SCUBA dive under the surface 10 years ago. What some would call an obsession, this passion has led her down a path with a career in science education ... read more

Friends is looking for a Staff Attorney to join our team. The Staff Attorney will represent our legal advocacy and policy work and supervise our summer legal intern program. The Staff Attorney will assist Friends in implementing our mission to protect and restore the San Juan Islands and the Salish Sea for people and nature. ... read more

Position Summary: Friends of the San Juans is looking for a part time assistant to provide support to existing nearshore research, education, restoration, and protection projects. Primary tasks include: field work (mostly winter season sand lance beach surveys), landowner communications, boater/community outreach and education, volunteer coordination and assistance with restoration project planning, implementation and monitoring. ... read more